In Rocky III we see two knockouts in the ring—and one in the locker room, where Mickey is Ko'd by a heart attack. It's a familiar script: Philly guy goes up against heavyweight heart disease and is leveled. In fact, if there's an eye of the tiger in the city, we bet it's staring at a cheesesteak.
Here's the tale of the tape. We began with death rates for heart disease and then factored in big clues to cardiac woes: the number of people who smoke, don't exercise, or are overweight or obese, along with the number who have type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol (all from the CDC). Next we checked how many households floss (inflammation from gum disease can contribute to heart risks) and take cholesterol-lowering meds (SimplyMap). Finally, we included EPA stats on the number of bad-air days. (And if you want to keep your ticker in top shape like Rocky Balboa, start our 82-day Speed Shred workout program to blast fat, lose your gut, and strengthen your heart.)
Prime pumps
- San Francisco, CA (A+)
- Aurora, CO (A+)
- Seattle, WA (A+)
- Austin, TX (A+)
- Colorado Springs, CO (A+)
- Burlington, VT (A+)
- Minneapolis, MN (A+)
- Portland, OR (A+)
- Boise City, ID (A)
- Oakland, CA (A)
- St. Paul, MN (A)
- Lincoln, NE (A)
- Madison, WI (A)
- Salt Lake city, UT (A)
- Durham, NC (A)
- Sioux Falls, SD (A)
- Raleigh, NC (A)
- San Jose, CA (A-)
- Anaheim, CA (A-)
- Denver, CO (A-)
- Charlotte, NC (B+)
- San Diego, CA (B+)
- Bridgeport, CT (B+)
- Albuquerque, NM (B+)
- Fargo, ND (B+)
- Anchorage, AK (B+)
- Atlanta, GA (B+)
- Chesapeake, VA (B)
- Plano, TX (B)
- Virginia Beach, VA (B)
- Manchester, NH (B)
- Sacramento, CA (B)
- Boston, MA (B)
- Portland, ME (B-)
- Orlando, FL (B-)
- Bakersfield, CA (B-)
- Washington, DC (B-)
- Honolulu, HI (C+)
- Phoenix, AZ (C+)
- Reno, NV (C+)
- Los Angeles, CA (C+)
- San Antonio, TX (C+)
- Billings, MT (C+)
- Omaha, NE (C+)
- Wilmington, DE (C+)
- Nashville, TN (C+)
- Freso, CA (C)
- Des Moines, IA (C)
- Wichita, KS (C)
- Ft. Worth, TX (C)
- Jersey City, NJ (C)
- Norfolk, VA (C)
- Tucson, AZ (C)
- Cheyenne, WY (C)
- Baton Rouge, LA (C-)
- Greensboro, NC (C-)
- Winston-Salem, NC (C-)
- Little Rock, AR (C-)
- Houston, TX (C-)
- Riverside, CA (C-)
- Rochester, NY (C-)
- Stockton, CA (C-)
- Dallas, TX (C-)
- Columbia, SC (C-)
- New York, NY (C-)
- Laredo, TX (D+)
- Jacksonville, FL (D+)
- Las Vegas, NV (D+)
- Corpus Christi, TX (D+)
- Tampa, FL (D+)
- Newark, NJ (D+)
- Columbus, OH (D+)
- Miami, FL (D+)
- New Orleans, LA (D+)
- Memphis, TN (D)
- Cincinnati, OH (D)
- El Paso, TX (D)
- Providence, RI (D)
- Lubock, TX (D)
- Lexington, KY (D-)
- Chicago, IL (D-)
- Louisville, KY (D-)
- Kansas City, MO (D-)
- Fort Wayne, IN (D-)
- St. Petersburg, FL (D-)
- Pittsburgh, PA (F)
- Oklahoma City, OK (F)
- Jackson, MS (F)
- Indianapolis, IN (F)
- Detroit, MI
- Tulsa, OK (F)
- Cleveland, OH (F)
- Buffalo, NY (F)
- Toledo, OH (F)
- Milwaukee, WI (F)
- St. Louis, MO (F)
- Baltimore, MD (F)
- Charleston, WV (F)
- Birmingham, AL (F)
- Philadelphia, PA (F)
HOW TO RESIST ARREST
You know the drill: If a person suddenly collapses and is unresponsive, call 911—he may be in cardiac arrest. Your phone can help in another way too. Take a second now to download the American Heart Association's Hands-Only CPR app (free); it includes a 1-minute instructional video. A Maricopa Medical Center study found that people who watched a video like this were more likely to try CPR and perform it better. The benefit: Immediate CPR can triple a victim's odds of survival. (Better yet, dodge this leading killer with these 5 Steps to Save Your Heart.)
Read more at Men's Health: http://www.menshealth.com/best-life/coronary-capitals?cm_mmc=Yahoo_Health-_-The%2010%20Worst%20U.S.%20Cities%20for%20Heart%20Health-_-Slideshow-_-Coronary%20Capitals#ixzz29aIm9XzT
