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Las Vegas is nation's fattest city

Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is hating this news: His city has been named the fattest city in the nation.

Men's Fitness magazine has bestowed the honor of America's Fattest City on Las Vegas for the second year in a row. Basing its decision on at least 24 different factors -- sports participation rates, time spent working out, number of parks, average commute time, television viewing rates, legislative health initiatives -- this list, which shows Texas as a pretty porky state too, is meant to encourage cities to be healthier.

Mayor Goodman calls the magazine's study irresponsible journalism. Rather than taking offense, says editor in chief Roy Johnson, Goodman should use Sin City's placement on the list as motivation.

"Instead of shooting the messenger, go out for a run," Johnson says. "We use a lot of data, and we're very rigorous about this."

Maybe Goodman should shape up his city, like Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett did after placing 15th on last year's list. Cornett issued a city-wide plan to lose a collective one million pounds. This year, his city ranks 8th.

Cities that turned up pretty healthy include Colorado Springs, Minneapolis, Albuquerque, Denver, and Portland, Oregon. Why are these locations so fit? Minneapolis has more basketball courts and gyms per capita than any other city, Albuquerque has 57 percent fewer drinking establishments per capita than the national average, Denver tops participation rates in running, biking, and walking, and Portland folks reportedly eat lots of fruits and veggies.

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Cold therapy spa: The next hot trend

Diet & Weight Loss, Alternative & Green Health

It may be hard to find the connection, but rapidly cooling down after taking a super hot shower or sauna is quite invigorating. After all, some even say it's a secret of long life! It worked for the Romans, and now it's working for people in Las Vegas. Enter the Qua Arctic Ice Room, chilled to a comfortable 55 degrees.

The idea here is that when people get roasted in a 200-degree sauna, they can simply take a moment to relax in this cold environment to cool off. With mint-infused air and fabricated snow, the "cold spa" provides a jolt that can make you feel more awake and alert.

Europe is no stranger to extremely cold rooms either. They boast snow rooms below 10 degrees and say it holds benefits for your immune and circulatory systems. Take the Schwaben Quellen spa in Germany, for instance. At two degrees, this is colder than many parts of our country during winter. One thing is for sure: don't shave before you check it out.

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