OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Las Vegas once again was the fattest city
in a fitness survey of the 50 largest cities in the nation conducted by Men's Fitness magazine.

Colorado Springs topped the list of the fittest cities, climbing two spots from No. 3, followed by Minneapolis, Albuquerque, N.M., Denver and Portland, Ore.

Las Vegas was followed on the fattest list by four Texas cities - Arlington, San Antonio, Fort Worth and El Paso.

The magazine annually ranks the country's fittest and fattest cities based on 17 different categories that include things like sports participation, number of fitness centers and fast food restaurants per capita, and access to parks and open spaces, recreational facilities and health care.

"The first thing we do, of course, is try to determine all of those things that affect someone's fitness," said Roy S. Johnson, editor-in-chief of Men's Fitness.

The 17 criteria fall into five general categories: healthy habits, risk factors, natural environment, urban environment, and attitudes and action.

"Those are the categories, and then we weight them according to how we feel they impact the citizenry," Johnson said. "Sports participation, obviously the amount of stuff people do where they get off their duffs and go outside, and the amount of parks and open space, we value that very highly."

The Fittest Cities in America:
1. Colorado Springs
2. Minneapolis
3. Albuquerque, N.M.
4. Denver
5. Portland, Ore.
6. Virginia Beach, Va.
7. Seattle
8. Honolulu
9. San Francisco
10. Milwaukee

The Fattest Cities in America:
1. Las Vegas
2. Arlington, Texas
3. San Antonio
4. Fort Worth, Texas
5. El Paso, Texas
6. Dallas
7. Miami
8. Oklahoma City
9. Mesa, Ariz.
10. Houston

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)