News & Reports 5/24/10

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This week, we highlight ways different American communities are bring us closer to meeting the National Physical Activity Plan’s goal that one day, all Americans will be physically active and they will live, work, and play in environments that facilitate regular physical activity. In the news:

America’s 50 Largest Metro Areas Get Their Annual Physical (Fox News) For the third straight year, the Washington, D.C., metro area claimed the highest ranking in the American College of Sports Medicine‘s (ACSM) American Fitness Index(TM) (AFI). The AFI data report, “Health and Community Fitness Status of the 50 Largest Metropolitan Areas,” evaluates the most populous city areas to determine the healthiest and fittest metro areas in the United States.

In Honor of Senior Health & Fitness Day, SCAN Health Plan Arizona Reaffirms Its Commitment to Healthy and Independent Aging (PR Newswire) The SCAN Connections Resource Center offers a variety of ongoing classes designed for seniors, including Chair Tai Chi, Laughter Yoga, Qigong, and Stretching for Strength and Balance. These courses are available to all seniors in the Phoenix area not just SCAN’s medicare advantage members.

ACT kids have a field day at Watson Pond (Taunton Gazette) Active Children Together (ACT) aims to enrich the lives of children with special needs by providing them the opportunity to participate in sports, an opportunity some of them may not have in other settings.

Does your community rank highly on the American Fitness Index? What are you doing to improve physical fitness among your community?