SALT LAKE CITY — When Rachel McCash was in high school, she struggled with staying fit.
Now, McCash works as a certified fitness trainer at Planet Fitness and is just one of the many Utahns who make the state one of the most physically active in the U.S.
Carmen Harris, the lead epidemiologist working on a study released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the report shows how states are succeeding and where they are failing.
"All states have the opportunity (for their residents) to improve their physical activity behaviors," Harris said, adding that greater focus on environmental support such as parks and community center fitness programs could foster greater physical activity in communities.
The study focused on self-reported amounts of physical activity levels by state. Utah beat the national average as one of the top five physically active states, with 72 percent of adults considered physically active. The national average is 65 percent.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, adults should do at least 21/2 hours a week of moderate exercise such as walking or an hour and 15 minutes of higher intensity exercise such as running or jogging to be considered physically active.
And Utah is fourth on the list of states with the most physically active residents.
McCash sets high physical fitness goals for herself and will be competing in the upcoming Miss Utah USA pageant. She began working in gyms when she was hired at Curves at age 15 and has worked toward a more active lifestyle ever since. But working out didn't come easily for her.
"I was bored at the gym," McCash said. "I didn't enjoy running or spending hours on the ellipticals."
Still, McCash stuck with working out until she found something she did like, which happened to be fencing and dance classes. Now, she uses her experience and struggles to help motivate her clients.
Despite the findings of the CDC's recent study, many Utah residents still face hurdles in achieving physical fitness.
Obesity in Utah, while lower than the national average, is still increasing at the same rate as the national levels. So while obesity in Utah is not as bad as in other areas in the country, it is significantly worse than just five years ago.
For the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Healthy People 2010 initiative, not a single state managed to reduce obesity rates to 15 percent or less.
Lynda Blades, the program manager for the Utah Department of Health's Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity, known as PANO, attributed the state's high scoring to the fact that Utah has such a wide variety of outdoor activities, from skiing and snow boarding in the winter to hiking in the summer.
"As far as personal well-being goes," Blades said, "physical activity plays a huge role in not just helping a person develop any conditions but just an overall sense of well-being."
Physically active adults per state
1. Vermont, 73.3 percent
2. Alaska, 72.5 percent
3. Montana, 72.4 percent
4. Utah, 71.8 percent
5. Maine, 71.3 percent
National average — 64.5 percent
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
e-mail: gbarker@desnews.com