We all enjoy a lazy day on the couch once in awhile, but most of us get out and about for some physical activity at least a few times a week. Some states, though, have a laziness problem.
The 2008 government-recommended weekly exercise regime for adults is 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobics with at least twice a week muscle-strengthening sessions.
A recent Center For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) report analyzed how well each state is doing at meeting these physical activity goals.
As a whole, 25.4% of the country gets no leisure-time physical activity. And in certain states, that number skyrockets up to 36%. A couple notes on the data, though: This is "leisure time activity" which means people who have very little leisure times — maybe they are working two jobs — would rank low on the scale. Also, it doesn't include any physically demanding work that people might do during their jobs.
We've ranked the laziest states below using the new data gathered from the CDC's 2014 State Indicator Report On Physical Activity. The report relied on research gathered from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a 2011 nationwide telephone survey that conducted over 500,000 interviews, and the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, which was conducted from 2009 to 2011 online and through the mail.
See how your state stands up:
There is some good news. Many state agencies are taking steps to get their citizens moving, including some of those above. For example, 34 states total (about two-thirds of the above states) have guidance programs to encourage kids to bike or walk to school.
Twenty-seven states (about a third of those above) have created policies to make streets safer for bikers and pedestrians. Interestingly, Alaska has the most biking and walking commuters at 8.9%.
Read the full 2014 State Indicator Report On Physical Activity [PDF]
SEE ALSO: Here Are The States Where The Most People Walk Or Bike To Work
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