America’s fittest cities have the blues: how exercise can improve mental health

Regular physical activity can provide mental health and social health benefits, one expert suggests. (stock.adobe.com)

Even cities that provide parks and trails for people to exercise and stay fit have suffered worsening mental health during the coronavirus pandemic.

That’s according to a yearly ranking of the nation’s fittest cities that, for the first time, included data on the pandemic’s toll on mental health.