--- ---  # The Worst States for Exercise by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Mar 10, 2014 3:36 PM UTC  Woman running, sunset Woman running, sunsetGetty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Mar 10, 2014 3:36 PM UTC Residents of states like Delaware and West Virginia are the least likely in the nation to take exercising seriously, [according to a new Gallup survey](http://www.gallup.com/poll/167645/vermont-no-frequent-exercise-produce-consumption.aspx?utm%5Fsource=tagrss&utm%5Fmedium=rss&utm%5Fcampaign=syndication). Declared the worst state for exercise, only 46.5% of Delaware inhabitants are likely to exercise for 30 or more minutes three days a week or more. Compare that to Vermont lovers, 65.3% of whom report exercising a minimum of three days a week for 30 minutes each, followed by Hawaii-dwellers (62.2%). Some might say those states, which are recognized for their wealth of outdoor activities, have a natural advantage. Here are the 10 worst states for exercise (% exercising 3+ days a week): 1\. Delaware 46.5% 2\. West Virginia 47.1% 3\. Alabama 47.5% 4\. New Jersey 47.7% 5\. Rhode Island 48.2% 6\. Tennessee 49.2% 7\. New York 49.3% 8\. Ohio 49.3% 9\. Indiana 49.4% 10\. South Carolina 49.7% And these are the 10 best states for exercise (% exercising 3+ days a week): 1\. Vermont 65.3% 2\. Hawaii 62.2% 3\. Montana 60.1% 4\. Alaska 60.1% 5\. Colorado 59.8% 6\. Oregon 58.0% 7\. Idaho 57.7% 8\. New Mexico 57.4% 9\. Nebraska 56.3% 10\. North Dakota 56.0% Vermont also tops the poll of states most likely to eat produce, while Oklahoma is the least likely to do a good job at eating greens. Gallup Survey: Delaware Worst State for Exercise, Vermont the Best ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/18204/the-worst-states-for-exercise/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/18204/the-worst-states-for-exercise/"},"headline":"The Worst States for Exercise","datePublished":"2014-03-10T15:36:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T06:40:45.033Z","description":"A new Gallup survey finds that people in Delaware and West Virginia are the least likeliest Americans to take exercising seriously. Their counterparts? Vermont and Hawaii, where 65 percent of their state populations get active at least three days a week","url":"https://time.com/18204/the-worst-states-for-exercise/","keywords":["Exercise","West Virginia","hawaii","Gallup","Delaware","Vermont"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d7c755f6c9f1821/698684b655a859052aa7f9f5/200009957-001.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d7c755f6c9f1821/698684b655a859052aa7f9f5/200009957-001.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Running","caption":"Running","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/exercise/","name":"Exercise"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/18204/the-worst-states-for-exercise/","name":"The Worst States for Exercise"}}]}] ```