Wyoming Lands Near Top of List of Fittest States in US

It's hard not to be active in such a beautiful state.

One of the biggest focuses this past year and a half has certainly been our health. This pandemic has reminded us how important it is to take care of ourselves. Our bodies are incredible and they can do miraculous things to keep us alive. However, we've got to first put good in to get good out.

I'm a firm believer that moving your body, eating and drinking mindfully, and sleeping are the pillars of good health.

And I don't think you have to be super crazy strict to see results. You can still have a cheat meal or skip a day of working out to rest or have a late night out with friends. This won't break you as long as you stay consistent the other times.

It sounds like we're pretty consistent in Wyoming.

Ridofranz, ThinkStock Images

In fact, we're more consistent that other states as we have found ourselves pretty high on this list of the 10 Fittest States in America. We didn't make the top 10, but we came in at number 11. Our neighbors to the south, Colorado, was number one.

This list was compiled using two simple factors; obesity prevalence and number of gyms. The higher the obesity prevalence, the lower the ranking and the greater the number of gyms, the higher the ranking. Although they didn't specifically acknowledge the ease of access to the great outdoors, I would consider that a contributing factor.

See exercise is important, but I also believe that getting some movement in outside if important as well. There's just something about breathing in that fresh air and feeling so close to nature. I prefer to workout outside... except when it's snowing.

Here are the 10 fittest states

10. Idaho

9. Wisconsin

8. Montana

7. Hawaii

6. Massachusetts

5. Minnesota

4. Rhode Island

3. New Hampshire

2. Connecticut

1. Colorado

How Many Medals Have Wyoming-Born Athletes Won at the Olympics?

Wyoming isn't represented on Team USA for the 2020 (in 2021) Olympics in Tokyo. But, athletes born in Wyoming have competed for the gold a handful of times over the last century.

According to the folks at BeenVerified.com, seven Wyoming-born Olympians have competed on the world's largest stage.

Since the 1932 LA games, these competitors earned four Olympic medals; one gold, two silver, and a bronze. Wrestling, Track and Field, and Rowing are the evens where Wyoming-natives have shined.

CLASSIC CHEYENNE: The Cole Shopping Center

In December of 2020, Blue Federal Credit Union completed its new headquarters at the corner of Converse and Pershing in Cheyenne. Well, it’s not so much a ‘corner’ as it is the smooth edge of a roundabout, but anyway. Before Blue FCU built its new campus, the site was at one time a premier shopping destination for Cheyenne. From the 1950s through 2016 it was Cheyenne's Cole Shopping Center.

Local businessman Frank Cole bought the land that would become a Cheyenne gathering place in the 1950s when the corner of Converse and Pershing was the edge of town. Starting in 1952, three different Safeway grocery stores called the Cole home over its half-century of existence. A plethora of other stores served the neighborhood too. From the movie theater to Blockbuster; there was the Cole Department Store, the fabric store, the East Branch of the Carnegie Library, and so much more.

As Cheyenne grew and changed, the Shopping Center fell into decline. Stores closed and new ones didn't take their places. The anchor of the area, Safeway, closed for good in 2016 with much of the rest following. In 2018 the buildings were demolished and the new construction began.

The Cole was so integral to the neighborhood that when we asked on social media for folks’ memories we were flooded with hundreds of responses.

Check out many of those memories below, along with several pictures of the Cole Shopping Center, mostly from near the end in the twenty-teens.

Every Band That’s Ever Played At Cheyenne Frontier Days (UPDATED)

The Daddy of 'Em All is back and today we're looking back at over 50 years of concerts at Cheyenne Frontier Days. This list features every main stage musical act on the Frontier Nights stage at Frontier Park in Cheyenne, Wyoming since 1966. Courtesy of Daniel Long with the CFD Old West Museum.

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