Don't let 'healthiest city' go to your head

When I learned this week that I live in the country's healthiest city, I was all ready to start socking more money away in that 401(k).

Before good old Iowa City topped Dr. Sanjay Gupta's list of healthiest U.S. towns, I'd been planning for a couple decades' worth of golden years, tops. Then I learned I might have to stretch my little nest egg to age 100 - or older.

In the February Men's Journal article titled “The Completely Doable Guide to Living to 100,” Gupta ranked Iowa City ahead of slightly less healthiest places such as Boulder, Colo.; Logan, Utah; Northampton, Mass.; and Charlottesville, Va.

Reading the news reports about the ranking, I was intrigued enough to put down my cheese fries and contact Men's Journal for a copy of the article.

Gupta's a neurosurgeon and chief medical correspondent for CNN, so I won't criticize his choice of variables that make up a healthy town:

Farms - because they allow access to locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables. Short commutes - to minimize sleep disorders and other health problems. Sidewalks - because walking helps reduce your risk of being obese or overweight. Low pollution - Gupta says people who live in less polluted areas live longer than those who don't.

Add in green spaces and good weather for mood, stir and - voila! The country's healthiest places, Iowa City chief among them. Way to go!

But it didn't take long for that pride of place to wear off. Like I said, I'm no brain surgeon, but I am a word person.

And I'd found an omission in that one-column sidebar: the word “potential.”

Sidewalks don't do much good unless you get on them and put one foot in front of the other. You can't reap the nutritional benefits of fresh vegetables simply by being close to them.

You have to eat your veggies, to exercise, to take charge of your health. And actually, that's what Gupta's seven-page article really was about.

The healthiest places bit was a grace note to the spread, which focused on the healthiest diets on earth, the best regular exercise and workouts, tips to increase mental focus and reduce stress - in other words, the work of it all.

So while I'm still proud of my town for topping the heap of cities with the greatest health potential, I'll take the ranking with a grain of salt.

Or, better yet - with a stalk of broccoli and a brisk evening walk; a commitment to the work of staying healthy.

Jennifer Hemmingsen's column appears on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Contact the writer at (319) 339-3154 or jennifer.hemmingsen@gazcomm.com