America’s Laziest States
Business Week magazine went to a considerable amount of trouble to determine which of the 50 states engage in the least physical activity, using Bureau of Labor Statistics American Time Use statistics and breaking down our leisure time pursuits into those that are sedentary, or “inactive” (sleeping, watching TV, relaxing, chatting, Net surfing, socializing, reading, etc.) and those requiring some effort, or “active” (exercising, playing sports, doing chores, working, etc.).
They came up with a list they called the “20 Laziest States,” because that was the number of states whose residents spent more than the national average of 12 hours and 58 minutes per day essentially motionless, and because “laziest” was an attention-getting word, albeit not necessarily accurate, as we will see.
Here are the Torpid Twenty: Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama, Delaware, New York, Missouri, Arizona, Michigan, Indiana, Maine, Florida, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, New Hampshire.
It’s rather a mix bag of the expected and the counterintuitive.
Okay, Maybe “Laziest” Isn’t Altogether a Fair Choice of Words
The ten least active states are all in the deep south, which, not very coincidentally, is where the overweight and obesity rates are the highest (see “fattest state” rankings). But the presence of five New England states seems to contradict the conventional stereotype of the vigorous, energetic Yankee, and the idea that New Yorkers are the 11th laziest citizens in the country is downright laughable, as any New Yorker would tell you if he/she wasn’t too busy to take the time.
The reality is that a number of factors beyond the individual resident’s control are conducive to inactivity. In the south, heat and humidity render physical exertion, not just unpleasant, but downright unhealthy for several months a year, just as severe winter weather does in our northernmost states. Poorer and more rural areas have fewer facilities for recreation and exercise. Some states have higher percentages of the elderly. In Michigan, they’re probably just too depressed to exert themselves.
And some things simply defy explanation. For example, the national average for engaging in “active” leisure time pursuits is 17 minutes per day, and the two states whose residents spend the most of their leisure time being “active” are North Dakota and Hawaii. Why does North Dakota rank number one for leisure time activity and South Dakota 38th? We have no idea.
(By Robert S. Wieder for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News):
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Coincidence does not prove causation. I think the reason one state is more active could be due to a number of things that are really hard to explain. Maybe major events being held there or a state’s attitude towards physical education at a young age could be responsible.