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Michelle Obama Hula Hoops For Kids' Health

Celebs & Entertainment

Win McNamee, Getty Images

First Lady Michelle Obama has killer arms, is in the best shape of her life and loves living a healthy lifestyle. She is certainly leading by example as she encourages America's children to get fit, too. The First Lady recently held a Healthy Kids Fair on the South Lawn of the White House, where she gave some healthy advice to some very lucky kids. And she drew from her own experiences, not only as a mom, but as a child to her own mother. "When I was growing up, fast food was a treat," she said. "We had pizza ... once every semester when we got good grades." In very motherly fashion, she then told the kids to eat their veggies: "We don't want to hear the whining. We want you to eat it. Just eat it, right?"

Mrs. Obama isn't just taking on unhealthy eating habits though. She issued a challenge to kids to be more active every day. "Turn off the TV on your own. Get up and throw a ball. Run around the house. Don't break anything, but move," she says. It's pretty obvious advice, but advice that needs saying these days nonetheless. And, of course, she practiced what she preached by having a go with a hula hoop and jumping rope.

She's taken on a tough cause -- changing the diet and exercise habits that are the foundation of our country's obesity epidemic -- but the First Lady seems up for the job. What do you think? Can Mrs. Obama inspire America to change its unhealthy ways?

Click on the gallery below to learn about Michelle Obama's workout routine.



Michelle Obama might be known for her incredibly toned arms, but she isn't the only lady rocking gorgeous guns. Check out who has the best arms in Hollywood.

Jamie Oliver Takes On America's Fattest Town

Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment

Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images

British chef Jamie Oliver has made it his personal mission to change the way people in England eat, so it's not surprising that he's taking America under his wing, too. The best place to start? The fattest town in the country, of course. Oliver recently met with the people of Huntington, W.Va. -- known as the unhealthiest place in America -- and admitted that the encounter was a hair-raising experience. So was finding out what they feed their children for lunch. "That's quite scary," he commented after discovering the school menu of hot dogs, funnel cake and hamburgers.

But he's not being mean to the town's 49,000 residents -- he's legitimately worried about their diets. "They are not stupid, they are not ignorant -- it's just they have never had food from scratch in their life," he said about the families he's worked with so far. Oliver blames the large food corporations who sell nothing but processed junk to residents, and points out the difficulty in finding fresh produce even though Huntington is a rural community surrounded by farmland.

There's no doubt that old habits will be tough to break for these southerners -- will this bumbling English chef be able to change a lifetime of bad eating? Looks like we'll have to stay tuned.

In the the meantime, find out what chef Gordon Ramsey thinks about vegetarian diets.

Which Celebrity Trains Upside-Down?

Celebrities and Entertainment, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment

Yesterday I rejoined one of the most athletic guys I know, and he taught me both the most insane and brilliant exercises I've ever tried in a gym. His name is Anthony Field, and yes ... he's the Blue Wiggle from the children's TV show The Wiggles.

Anthony and I have trained together before, and he's impressed me each time. But yesterday ... I have a hard time finding words to describe. He started doing pull-ups almost two years ago, and he lost about 40 pounds. Then he added rings to his routine, which made things more fun. And now, well, the average person would just think he's lost his mind.

He is addicted to strength training while using nothing but his body weight, and his physique is proof that this strategy works like a charm. We spent a ton of time in a hotel gym shooting a bunch of fun and exciting fitness segments, which I'll be airing here soon. We giggled through it, but mostly because he doesn't speak "American" and I'm not so good at "Australian."

Upside Down Training with Anthony Field and Fitz(click thumbnails to view gallery)

Upside-Down FitzBow and AnthonyGiggle BreakNew Use for a Treadmill.Upside Down Again

Celebrity Fitzness Report: Gold Medal Olympic Gymnast Shawn Johnson

Celebrity Fitzness Report, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly, our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Pound for pound, Shawn Johnson would probably be the strongest member of the U.S. Army ... if she were in it. This petite 16 year old can do an insane amount of pull-ups on her first set alone, and has more drive than any NASCAR vehicle on the road. Wouldn't you love to have the strength, stamina and flexibility she's earned? Take some of the advice she gives here, and you may do just that. Just like the brilliant medals she won in Bejing this summer, Shawn's advice is golden!

Fitz: How many hours a week do you train before a competition?

Shawn: Before the Olympics I was training about 26 hours in the gym a week and up to five hours out of the gym running and swimming... doing anything extra I could.

Fitz: Your upper-body strength is amazing. How many pushups and pullups can you do?

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Celebrity Fitzness Report: Olympic Champion Nastia Liukin

Womens Health, Celebrity Fitzness Report, Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly, our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Nastia Liukin was the darling of the U.S. gymnastics team this year as she conquered Olympic Gold in the All Around competition and proudly added to her collection four more medals. That would be three silver and one bronze; I personally would kill to have just one in any color. She's Russian born, American bred and now working with the Secret Sport Challenge to help make other athletic dreams come true. I scored this interview this week while she was promoting the Challenge and bringing attention to the twenty $5,000 scholarships being given away to help others achieve their sporty goals. Nastia is ridiculously fit and has some great advice to help you look better, feel stronger and live longer.

Fitz: How many hours a week do you train before a competition?

Nastia: Before the Olympics I trained for about seven hours a day. It included about two hours of warming up and conditioning, and the rest of the time was spent practicing routines and skills on the events.

Fitz: If you weren't a professional athlete/gymnast how do you think you'd pursue fitness?

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Reasons to love soccer

Fitness

kid playing soccerMy son is starting soccer practice soon, and I can't wait. Last season, he had so much fun... and I did, too. Parents aren't required to stay at practices, but I attended every one. I think it was good for my son, because I got to observe the drills and skills the coach was teaching the kids. Then, my son and I practiced them at home. It's end up being extra practice for my son and great exercise for me!

Tournaments and games were fun, too. I loved seeing my son work so hard and excel at a sport. It's such a positive environment to encourage his love of sports, work on social skills, and bolster his self-esteem. And I had fun getting to know all the other parents and cheering on our team.

But, except for in the younger set, soccer doesn't have quite the following that other sports have in the US. Caught Offside lists seven reasons that Americans should learn to love soccer.

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Randy Pausch of "The Last Lecture" gets recognized by the President

Healthy Habits, Healthy Relationships, Stress Reduction, Work/Home Balance, Womens Health, HealthWatch, Celebrities and Entertainment, Book Reviews, Healthy Events, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Reviews & Products, Motivation, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health

Although I will expand on Randy Pausch, I imagine you're already well aware of who he is. He's the unstoppable man, who has inspired millions and millions of people around the world by his passion for life while he fights an almost impossible battle with pancreatic cancer. I learned of Dr. Pausch many months ago as Diane Sawyer interviewed him on ABC. He blew me away with his humor, dedication to his family, and outrageous courage.

His journey since his diagnosis put him on stage at the University he was a professor at, Carnegie Mellon, for his Last Lecture. This Last Lecture made it to YouTube (embedded below) and then became a best selling book, The Last Lecture. His outlook on life and stories of his childhood and career have inspired other cancer patients to fight harder and regular people to just be better. Although he's truly only concerned with getting his message across to his three young children, he's positively affected millions of others as a side effect.

Recently, President Bush was compelled to write to Randy Pausch. This can't change Randy's fate with cancer, but as a representative of the American people ... it was a fantastic way to show our appreciation for Randy setting a new standard for 'goodness' and dedicating his life to teaching others.

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Happy Birthday America!

Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Motivation, Men's Health

Just wanted to wish all of my fellow Americans a very happy Fourth of July, and to remind everyone why we celebrate. Of course politics can be rough, and the economy sometimes varies, but those things pale in comparison to all that this country has to offer. As I was explaining to my three and five year old children this week, we celebrate our freedom this Friday. As Americans we are able to choose our jobs, choose our religion, choose our spouse, choose our homes, and have as many or as little children as we'd like to have.

Nothing is perfect of course, but America is perfect for me. I rarely walk by a man or woman in uniform without thanking them for their service, nor an elderly man proudly wearing his baseball cap describing which branch of the military he served. I value the local and state law enforcement officers for placing their lives on the line each day to protect ours. I'm even grateful for the sometimes messy brood of politicians we elect to run this beautiful country of ours.

Lastly, I'm grateful for the nation of Americans. Thank goodness the majority of us are really good hardworking people. The good certainly outweigh the bad. I thank you for voting, working, educating your children, volunteering, helping strangers, and just making this country what it is today. I love it here. I'm proud to be here, and I'm grateful to those who laid their lives on the line to provide my family and I the simple yet irreplaceable luxury of freedom.

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12 "Kick Butt" Tips for the perfectly fit July 4th

Healthy Habits, Healthy Home, Womens Health, Healthy Recipes, Celebrities and Entertainment, Healthy Kids, Healthy Products and Reviews, Cellulite, Obesity, Healthy Events, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Reviews & Products, Motivation, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health

Here are some "kick butt" tips for keeping fit, active and regret free on the Fourth of July from KickYourButtIntoGear.com. As KickYourButtIntoGear.com is owned and managed by a fellow expert in the field of fitness, Exercise Physiologist, Tracy Benham ... the tips are awesome advice for you and you family to adhere to!

  • Sports and summertime go together. Plan an activity early in the day. Play baseball, touch football; go to the local pool or beach.
  • Get outside early and see if you can think of and do more than four activities before four o'clock to celebrate the Fourth.
  • Eat a bowl of fruit before you head for the barbecue goodies. Tons of fruits are in season. Make a Fourth of July fruit cocktail. Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries...
  • Use a plate. You will be less tempted to mindlessly snack.
  • Skip the cheese and the Mayo on your burger and load up on lettuce tomatoes, pickles, onions and relish.
  • Alternate cocktails and other caloric beverages with a glass of water. Or ... just avoid the high calorie beverages all together!

Source

U.S. no longer the world's fattest nation?

Obesity, Diet & Weight Loss


For a while now, America's held the notorious title of Fattest Country in the World. Thanks to Australia, however, we're now in a cool second place. The nation Down Under now has a population that has a 26% obesity rate (meaning 26% of its citizens are obese), while American stands firmly at 25%.

So are we finally starting to curb our obesity issue, or are Australia's problems just more out of control than our own? Recent headlines suggest that obesity rates in America -- for women and children, at least -- are leveling off. Leveling off is a very good first step, but when 25% of our citizens are still struggling with obesity, it's clear we still have a long way to go.

No, it's not time to celebrate yet. But when we get our rates closer to those of healthier countries like Canada (14%), Spain (13%), Sweden (10%), or -- dare we dream? -- Japan (3%), then it'll be time to get out the party decorations.

(via Diet-Blog)

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How about a beetle with your banana?

Nutrition & Supplements

Fitz and I both recently wrote about the purposeful and not-so-purposeful human consumption of bugs. Bugs are apparently a hot topic. More big bug news follows.

When I say "big," I mean BIG. Like 11 centimeters long big. Like hamster big.

A huge beetle was just found in London, on a boat delivering bananas from Costa Rica to South America. Animal experts have identified the bug as a male elephant beetle -- an endangered species from the rainforests. They're calling him "Bill" and have taken him to a zoo in Cambridge.

Bill has conquered one amazing feat: He traveled thousands of miles and was probably sprayed with a multitude of chemicals to ward off insects. And he survived. He was rescued just in time. Good thing for him -- the poor guy would have eventually been frozen along with the fruit on his journey -- and good thing for humans since one of could have one day discovered Bill amongst our bundle of bananas.

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10 foods for flatter tummies

Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements

Now that my belly is flat -- I never thought I'd say that -- I want to keep it that way. I know basically how to maintain my new flatland -- a clean and healthy diet and lots of good exercise -- but this AOL America Takes It Off slide show definitely helps.

I need monounsaturated fatty acid -- that's MUFA for short -- according to the AOL experts. A recent study published in the journal Diabetes Care found that eating a diet high in MUFAs can help reduce the accumulation of abdominal body fat. No other nutrient can do this. So here are the MUFA foods I ought to be eating so I can hang on to my trim tummy.

  • Olive oil
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Almonds
  • Avocado
  • Dark or semi-sweet chocolate
  • Flaxseed oil
  • Macadamia nuts
  • Natural peanut butter
  • Pistachios
  • Walnuts

For the run-down on exactly why these foods have such magical powers, take a peek right here.

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Healthy Hero: Deputy Sheriff Frank Kinsey

Healthy Aging, Healthy Habits, Healthy Relationships, Stress Reduction, Womens Health, Obesity, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Reviews & Products, Motivation, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health

Here at That's Fit, we're forever grateful for the service, courage and sacrifice made by the heroic men and women who serve as military, law enforcement officers, and firefighters. We're so grateful, that we'd like to dedicate some features to both showing our heroes off, and learning a little bit in the process as well. If you serve your country courageously, are a veteran or know someone who does, please return this form completed to Fitz along with a photo and we'll share your story with the world.

Name: Frank Kinsey

Age: 29

Heroic Occupation: Deputy Sheriff

How often do you exercise? Two to three times a week.

What type of exercise do you do? I lift weights, run and play basketball.

Source

Healthy Hero: Former Naval Lieutenant David A. Espeut

Healthy Aging, Healthy Habits, Healthy Home, Healthy Relationships, Stress Reduction, Work/Home Balance, Womens Health, Healthy Kids, Cellulite, Obesity, Healthy Events, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Motivation, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health

Here at That's Fit, we're forever grateful for the service, courage and sacrifice made by the heroic men and women who serve as military, law enforcement officers, and firefighters. We're so grateful, that we'd like to dedicate some features to both showing our heroes off, and learning a little bit in the process as well. If you serve your country courageously, are a veteran or know someone who does, please return this form completed to Fitz along with a photo and we'll share your story with the world.

Name: David Anthony Espeut

Age: 34

Heroic Occupation: Lieutenant (US Navy) Resigned- CG-52 (USS Bunker Hill); FFG-43 (USS THACH); Naval Special Warfare Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S)

If you're in the military...where are you? N/A Resigned from Navy as of September 2002, Suspended Special Agent Application to FBI in favor of Starting/Raising Family in Australia

How often do you exercise? Every day: 30 to 60 minutes.

What type of exercise do you do? Jogging (10-20 minutes), walking the dog (10-20 minutes),bench, pull ups, dips, push-ups, abdominals, shoulder exercises, and curls with dumbells. I also freestyle swim at least once per month. Chasing My Kids= Never-ending

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? Fitness is just part of my lifestyle. I feel bad, guilty, and weak if I don't. Getting ones blood pumping is a great way to start the day.

Source

Healthy Heroes: We want you!

Healthy Aging, Healthy Habits, Healthy Relationships, Stress Reduction, Work/Home Balance, Womens Health, Celebrities and Entertainment, Obesity, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Motivation, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health

Here at That's Fit, we're forever grateful for the service, courage and sacrifice made by the heroic men and women who serve as military, law enforcement officers, and firefighters. We're so grateful, that we'd like to dedicate some features to both showing our heroes off, and learning a little bit in the process as well. If you serve your country courageously, are a veteran or know someone who does, please return this form completed to Fitz along with a photo and we'll share your story with the world.

Name:

Age:

Heroic Occupation:

If you're in the military...where are you?

Source

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