I have some shocking news for you. Oklahoma City residents are unhealthy. You're not shocked? Yeah, neither am I. After all, in the past we've been called one of the most unfit in the nation by one publication and ranked in the top 10 in obesity by another. So I suppose the results of a new health ranking from Forbes.com is not all that surprising.

According to the Forbes article, which ranks cities across the nation based on Body Mass Index (BMI), Oklahoma City is the 8th most obese city in the United States. We rank just ahead of Kansas City and San Diego and just behind Detroit, Jacksonville and Nashville. Memphis came in at the top spot with 34 percent of its population considered obese. OKC was at a mere 27.5 percent, using the word mere sarcastically, of course.

There's no doubt Oklahoma City needs to address the health concerns. Our residents are overweight and use tobacco to a great degree. But I'm impressed with the steps Mayor Mick Cornett and city officials are taking. Even the Forbes article notes steps such as building gyms at inner city schools and bike paths around the metro, improvements not documented for many other cities in the article.

It will be an ongoing battle, certainly, not just for OKC but for the entire nation. And I suppose if knowledge is power, it's a good thing that nobody's shocked at my "shocking" news.

_{Photo © Adam Knapp}