• Indian Bend Wash/Tempe Town Lake - best place for a short bike ride
• Scottsdale Civic Center Mall - best grass
• Chaparral Park - best dog park
• Scottsdale Public Library - best place to rent a DVD
• Scottsdale Stadium - best place to see a spring training game
• Old Town Scottsdale - best walkable downtown

For more information about the awards and the recipients, visit: www.phoenixnewtimes.com/bestof

To hear Scottsdale residents tell it, the vast majority exercise daily, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and get plenty of sleep. They avoid tobacco as religiously as they use their seat belts, and nearly one-third consider themselves in excellent health.

Such extraordinarily healthful behavior would put Scottsdale residents way ahead of the average Arizonan and the average American. But according to organizers of Fit City Scottsdale, the truth is that Scottsdale also needs to get off the couch and on its feet.

Organizers released a study Friday that suggested Scottsdale residents have a far rosier perception of their health than the average Arizonan. For example, roughly twice as many Scottsdale residents as Arizonans atlarge say they exercise 30 or more minutes a day and sleep seven or more hours a night.

"Unless we have some diligent people out there, I'm not sure we're being real honest with ourselves," said Wendy Lyons, vice president for community stewardship at Scottsdale Healthcare and co-chair of the Fit City Scottsdale planning committee.

Some of the differences between Scottsdale residents' views of their health and other Arizonans' views may well be due to Scottsdale's demographics, Lyons said.

Residents tend to be more affluent and better educated and are less likely to have young children, Lyons said, which often means they are more able to regulate daily activities such as exercise and sleep.

But Lyons said she suspected other differences were due to overreporting, particularly when it came to exercise and healthful eating. The number of auto-accident victims coming into the hospitals' trauma departments also suggested to Lyons that seat-belt use might not be as high as believed.

That's where Fit City comes in.

Fit City Scottsdale is a community initiative that aims to promote fitness, improve health education and offer activities to one day make Scottsdale the nation's fittest city. Sponsors include the Scottsdale Republic/The Arizona Republic, Scottsdale Healthcare and the city of Scottsdale.

It began by conducting the health study, based on voluntary, online surveys filled out by 1,242 residents; focus groups; and health data compiled by Arizona State University's Center for Health Information and Research.

Youngsters and senior citizens took part in two pilot programs that used pedometers and Web-based tracking to encourage walking.

"I like to walk and exercise, and we don't have anything else to do there," joked Gladys Ehrhardt, a resident of the McDowell Village senior apartments. Ehrhardt walked more than 300 miles during the 90-day program. She lost 5 pounds in the process and said she still goes to the Granite Reef Senior Center's gym daily to keep up her exercise habit.

Approximately 50 seniors and center staffers walked more than 4,000 miles during the program, meeting their goal to walk the equivalent of the Great Wall of China. A similar program at a branch of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale resulted in children walking an average of 1,600 additional steps a day.

Fit City organizers say Scottsdale is a good candidate for the program because of its climate, low crime rate and wealth of parks and recreational activities.

The program aims to provide venues at which residents and visitors can get information on fitness and health-related activities. Organizers tout the plan's Web site, www.fitcityscottsdale.org. They hope to raise awareness with a Fit City Festival on Jan. 24 in Scottsdale.

Is Scottsdale more fit?

There are some big differences between what Scottsdale residents said in surveys and focus groups about their health, and what Arizona residents overall say in the Arizona HealthQuery database. Here are some examples:

• SCOTTSDALE: 81 percent of residents say they exercise at least 30 minutes most days.
• ARIZONA: 31 percent say they exercise that often.
• SCOTTSDALE: 53 percent say they eat five or more servings of fruit and vegetables daily.
• ARIZONA: 33 percent say they eat that many fruits and vegetables.
• SCOTTSDALE: 75 percent say they sleep seven or more hours a night.
• ARIZONA: 38 percent say they get that much sleep.
• SCOTTSDALE: 95 percent say they use seat belts.
• ARIZONA: 83 percent say they use seat belts.
• SCOTTSDALE: 67 percent say they use sunscreen.
• ARIZONA: 36 percent say they use sunscreen.

• Jan. 10: CATHEDRAL ROCKS— A 5.5-mile loop to a striking rock formation that appears to have been a Native Peoples’ gathering place and grain-processing site. Mild inclines only. About 3 hours. Meet at the end of Alma School Rd. north of Dynamite.
• Jan. 11: SUNRISE PEAK OVER & BACK— A demanding exercise hike featuring two ascents of Sunrise Peak. More than 9 miles roundtrip, with elevation gains totaling 2500 feet. For very hardy hikers. Bring lunch. Allow five hours. Meet at the 128th St. Trailhead. north of Via Linda.
• Jan. 17: WINDMILL FROM GATEWAY —A 12-mile round trip to an early settler’s windmill. Total elevation gain of about 1,950 feet with sustained uphill grades in each direction. For very hardy hikers. Allow about 6 hours. Bring lunch. Meet at the Gateway Access Area on the east side of Thompson Peak Pkwy between Bell Rd and Union Hills Blvd.
• Jan. 18: FIRE AND ICE ON SCENIC TRAIL IN MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN REGIONAL PARK— See how the opposites of fire and frost have shaped the desert landscape on a short foothills hike in the McDowell Mountain Regional Park. About 2.5 hours. Meet at the Trailhead Staging Area in the park; take Fountain Hills Blvd. north from Shea Blvd about 7.5 miles and follow signs to the park. There is a $6 per vehicle admission charge to the park.
• Jan. 25: PHOTO WALK— Expert instruction will improve your desert photography skills on an easy walk in the Preserve. Mild inclines only. Bring your camera. Meet at the Gateway Access Area on the east side of Thompson Peak Pkwy between Bell Rd and Union Hills Blvd.
• Jan. 31: MEDICINAL PLANTS— Learn how Native Peoples used the healing and restorative properties of desert plants on this new hike in our Ethnobotany Series. Allow approximately 2.5 hours for the 3 mile loop hike on Ringtail Trail. Mild inclines onluy. Meet at the Lost Dog Wash Trailhead on 124th St, north of Via Linda.
• Feb. 1: WINDGATE – BELL LOOP— A rugged, 11-mile loop in the Gateway area of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve that offers excellent valley and interior-mountain views. About 2,000 feet of total elevation gain. For very hardy hikers. Allow about 6 hours. Bring lunch. Meet at the Gateway Access Area on the east side of Thompson Peak Pkwy between Bell Rd and Union Hills Blvd.
• Feb. 7: BALANCED ROCK— A 4-mile roundtrip hike to a striking rock formation. Mild inclines only. About 3 hours including carpooling. Meet at the end of Alma School Rd. north of Dynamite.
• Feb. 8: GEOLOGY ON GATEWAY LOOP TRAIL—Learn how the McDowells and surrounding mountains were formed on a 6-mile hike with about a 700-foot elevation gain. Climbing is on gradual grades. About 3 ½ hours. Meet at the Gateway Access Area on the east side of Thompson Peak Pkwy between Bell Rd and Union Hills Blvd.
• Feb. 14: IRONWOOD WASH—A 7-mile roundtrip hike with a 650-foot elevation gain enters a deep wash lined with large ironwood trees and continues on into a beautiful canyon deep in the McDowell Mountains. Long but gradual grades only. About 4 hours. Meet at the parking area on 104th St. just south of McDowell Mountain Ranch Rd.
• Feb. 15: BIG SAGUARO LOOP—A 5-mile hike that passes an approximately 30-armed desert giant. Mild inclines except for a few steep and slippery places. About 4 hours including carpooling. Meet at the end of Alma School Rd. north of Dynamite.
• Feb. 21: SECRET LIFE OF PLANTS ON CACTUS TRAIL—A 3-mile loop hike on one of our prettiest short trails goes past some of the best specimens of saguaro cactus anywhere. Mostly gradual grades but a few steep spots. About 2 ½ hours including carpooling. Meet at the end of Alma School Rd. north of Dynamite.
• Feb. 22: BIRDING WALK—Join birding experts to watch and identify birds in a walk on the Ringtail Loop. Mild inclines only. About 2 hours. Meet at the end of 128th St. north of Via Linda.

About McDowell Sonoran Conservancy
Since its founding in 1990, the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy has championed the need for, establishment of, and safe public access to Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve. The Conservancy works with the City of Scottsdale to: ensure completion, management and public appreciation of the Preserve; educate residents and visitors about the Preserve’s environmental and archaeological significance; ensure the public has appropriate access to the land they have repeatedly voted to protect.