I read an article about some of the worst counties in the US for healthy living. Most are in Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and that whole region. It might lead you to believe fried foods are bad for you. Who knew?   

Fast food items like hot dogs, hamburgers, fries and pizza
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That reminded me of an article I’d seen a year ago or so and thought I’d check to see how Utah was doing lately.  According to the Niche.com people, who help people make good decisions on great places to live, Utah is still doing really well on this scale.  

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Boulder County Colorado is #1. Can you just picture all of the Birkenstocks as you read that? Orange County California is #2. That’s Anaheim and yes, you know there are some health nuts around southern California.

Instructor Taking Exercise Class At Gym
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But as I scan down the list, Summit County UT is #7. That’s Park City for those of you playing along on the home game. Skiing must be good for your system. But we’re not done. Utah County (that’s Provo) is #14. Salt Lake County is #16 and Davis County UT is #20.  

Mountain biker in forest.
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Clearly it’s fry sauce that’s making us all that healthy, right? Actually I think the big thing we all do has to come down to outdoor recreation. Whether it’s skiing, mountain biking, hiking, playing soccer or whatever, we are in a very recreationally minded state and the numbers prove it.  A year ago, we had 6 of the Top 10 counties on the healthiest list.  Let's get back to that.  

Dangerous trail in Zion National Park, Angel's landing
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We still have our slackers who wouldn’t eat kale at gunpoint (that stuff is nasty) and there are some who rarely get out of the recliner to leave the house or we’d be #1. Wait. Do we have to wear Birkenstocks if we become #1? The good news is that it’s fun. You don’t really have to do anything crazy to stay in shape around here. Just take advantage of what’s around you. Trails everywhere, more golf courses than you can shake a putter at, parks to play soccer and more importantly, people who are ready to play with you.  

Christian Religious Family Group Prays to God Thankful Crop Farm
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