A recent article showed that the city of Hartford was praised for being among the fittest in the country. The people in the state who helped Hartford reach this level should be proud of all the work they put in. To be recognized as one of the fittest cities in the whole country, especially among other cities that always have been known to be very active, is a major accomplishment. Connecticut is also among the richest states in the country year after year. It's looking good for the residents of the state on both the health and income scales. But, if you could only tell somebody one thing about the state would you talk about the high income level or the fitness level? What is the more important list to be at the top of?

Money is always a way people measure themselves against others. To have your state at the top of the list looks real good, especially when it's consistently there. However, if you're not one of the millionaires within the state does it really help you or say anything about you? There is no question that it's better to be near the top of the list than at the bottom but would you consider this to be a great stat about the state?

In today's society, fitness and appearance have become very important among people of all age groups. It was not always like this. The bodybuilding documentary "Pumping Iron" illustrates this perfectly. Since the release of that documentary, regular people saw that it was ok to be concerned with how their body looked. Gym memberships have grown steadily since then. Today, a great physical appearance is not just accepted but highly admired by others. Fitness isn't just for impressing people with your looks. It also helps your bank account by lowering medical bills. If you're obese you are paying a lot of money for your bad health.

Maybe a high level of fitness and being healthy goes with a high level of income. Americans earning more money are less likely to be obese while people earning lower salaries account for a higher obesity rate. A factor that leads to this is lower earning people can't afford to pay for healthier foods or activities that higher income people can.  

With the high rankings in both fitness and income Connecticut is looking good compared to the rest of the states in the country. The question at the top of this article asked what the state should be prouder of. What is the answer? Well you have to take both of them, but having to pick the answer should be fitness. Income is very high for a few select towns in the state, which boosts the average yearly income greatly. It is not representative for most residents of the state.

Fitness, however, is represented by every neighborhood in the state. Fitness is for everybody. It shouldn't matter how much you make in order to be sure you're in good health. Find any local park and get together with neighbors or family and encourage a physical lifestyle. Also, buy healthier food. It doesn't have to be the most expensive but it is very important to know what you're buying. Make sure that you are keeping an eye on nutritional values. Stay alert on the price and don't spend over your head but remember the healthier you eat now, the more you'll save later. This illustrates one point on why fitness is more important than salary. Whatever you put into it, you will get the rewards that come with it. Nothing can stop you from reaching a level of fitness. As for salary, there are always outside forces that you can not control that prevent you from living in the towns with the other millionaires. You know, like your last name for starters.