Ever wonder where to go to get in a good work out?

Well In some cities, a nearby gym or fitness center can be as easy to find as the nearest Starbucks.

But in other neighborhoods, finding a place to exercise isn’t so simple, and the outcome can be a serious effect on residents’ health. In particular, people who live in poorer neighborhoods with lower levels of education and more families with a female head of household are less likely to exercise, according to a 2008 study, at least partially due to discomfort at going outside to work out.

A recent survey ranking a number of metropolitan areas across the U.S. set out to count the available and accessible fitness centers in each different city.

The survey, released last month by athletic apparel company Russell Athletic and fielded by Sperling’s BestPlaces, ranked U.S. cities based on healthy-living measures such as weekly servings of fruit and vegetables, hiking and running trails per capita, percent of the population commuting by foot or bike and more, in an attempt to name the Healthiest Habitats, according to a press release.

Of course, simply having a number of spots to lay your yoga mat doesn’t mean you’re hitting your weekly recommendations for exercise. But, providing residents with enough easily accessible and safe places for exercise is certainly an encouraging step!

To calculate the ranking below, the researchers added up the number of gyms, health clubs and athletic clubs in each area and then adjusted by the city’s population, so that a city densely packed with gyms (and people) like New York, with 243 fitness centers, doesn’t overpower smaller cities with fewer total gyms but more per capita.

According to a summary of methodology emailed to The Huffington Post, among the fitness centers included were popular chains such as:

•24 Hour Fitness

•Bally Total Fitness

•LA Fitness

•Planet Fitness

•Snap Fitness

•Curves Fitness

•Anytime Fitness

•World Gym

•Gold’s Gym

The top ten cities with the most gyms and fitness centers are as follows:

10. KANSAS CITY

There are 31.4 gyms and fitness centers per million people in the area, and a total of 64.

9. Louisville-Jefferson County

There are 31.9 gyms and fitness centers per million people in the area, and a total of 41.

8. Pittsburgh

There are 32.7 gyms and fitness centers per million people in the area, and a total of 77. Pittsburgh also ranked in the top 10 for the number of residents who walk or bike to work.

7. Indianapolis-Carmel

There are 33.6 gyms and fitness centers per million people in the area, and a total of 59.

6. Salt Lake City

There are 36.5 gyms and fitness centers per million people in the area, and a total of 41. Salt Lake City also ranked in the top 10 for hiking and walking trails and amount of residents who get regular exercise.

5. Austin-Round Rock

There are 38.5 gyms and fitness centers per million people in the area, and a total of 66. Austin-Round Rock is also home to some of the healthiest eaters, according to the Healthiest Habitats list, with residents eating an average of 33.6 servings of fruits and vegetables a week.

4. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton

There are 38.6 gyms and fitness centers per million people in the area, and a total of 86. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton ranked fourth overall on the Healthiest Habitats list.

3. New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner

There are 45.4 gyms and fitness centers per million people in the area, and a total of 53.

2. Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis

There are 54 gyms and fitness centers per million people in the area, and a total of 84.

1. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington

There are 73.8 gyms and fitness centers per million people in the area, and a total of 242. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington ranked tenth overall on the Healthiest Habitats list.

So if you’re a health nut looking for a new place to live, try one of these ten gym infested areas and continue on with your healthy lifestyle.

photo courtesy of: twitter