'Least active' city holds Sedentary Parade

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LEXINGTON, Ky., Oct. 10 (UPI) -- The mayor of a Kentucky city sat atop a moving couch at the head of a parade mocking the city being named the least active in the country by a magazine.

Lexington Mayor Jim Gray sat on the sofa, which came complete with a coffee table atop the mobile platform, at the head of Sunday's Sedentary Parade, a humorous response to the city being rated the least active in the United States by Men's Health magazine, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported Monday.

The parade was followed by active-living events sponsored by more than 70 organizations, including soccer, yoga and dance demonstrations.

Gray said he does not agree with Lexington being labeled the least active city, "but it's not the healthiest either."

"We've got things to work on," he said. "Sometimes we have to poke fun at ourselves to improve ourselves."

Kathleen Martin, vice president of development at Get Healthy Kentucky, which oversaw Sunday's activities, estimated at least 7,000 people participated in the events.

"I think the community came to understand that sitting still is something Lexington does not do well," she said.

Men's Health said it ranked the cities based on surveys of how often residents exercise, the percentage of households watching more than 15 hours of TV per week, the percentage of households buying more than 11 video games per year and the rate of deaths from deep-vein thrombosis, which has been linked to excessive sitting.