It’s not just brothels, prostitutes and drugs -Amsterdam is also the fittest city in the world

• Staying active is not always an easy task for city dwellers.
• According to WHO, over a quarter of world’s population is not active enough.
• A new study by Reebok has revealed that Amsterdam is home to the fittest people.

Essential for both our mental and physical health, exercise has now been revealed as a key factor to fight against COVID-19. A recent American study suggested the lack of physical activity could more than double the risk of dying from the coronavirus.

However, for city dwellers and their sedentary lifestyle, staying active is not always an easy task. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) more than a quarter of the world’s adult population is not active enough.

A recent study by Reebok has analyzed more than 60 cities across the globe to reveal the world’s most active cities. 

The study is based on a wide range of fitness and health-oriented metrics such as the level of insufficient physical activity, the percentage of gym members, the percentage of bicycle usage and additional environmental metrics.

Globally, 28% of adults aged 18 and over were insufficiently active in 2016. According to the WHO definition this means they did not practice “at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes vigorous-intensity physical activity per week”.

High-income countries are particularly affected by this trend due to the prevalence of desk jobs, but exercising does not have to mean spending large chunks of time in the gym.

However, some cities benefit from a more suitable environment for fitness than others, thanks to good air quality, a high number of green spaces and affordable gyms. 

Take a look at the list of the 20 fittest cities below: