That's Fit

When it comes to superfoods, blueberries are generally considered as good as it gets as they're full of cancer-fighting antioxidants. But according to a study done in Australia, the super berry has noting on many of the fruits that the country's Aboriginal peoples have been consuming for thousands of years.

Known as 'bush tucker', fruits like Kakadu plums and Brudekin plums have got nearly five times more antioxidants than blueberries, according to scientists, as do other foods like the Tasmanian pepper, red and yellow finger limes, brush cherries and Molucca raspberries. Many of these also contain massive amounts of vitamin C.

Unfortunately, it has taken some time for non-Aboriginal Australians to embrace the food so it is not widely available in that country or any others. So for now, if you really want to try out these superfruits, you'll have to seek them out Down Under.

There's two actually! Both Anthony Field, the blue Wiggle and Paul Paddick (Paddie), who plays Captain Feathersword would be really tough contenders. How do I know this? I trained with them. Big deal you say!? Well, the big deal is that I know the difference between guys who exercise and guys who could pummel you. I'm not only a fitness expert, but I've been competitively kickboxing and working with the ISKA since 1995. I've sat ringside and wrapped big belts around men who have earned the title of World Champion. Anthony and Paddie are tough!

Paddie not only looks the part, barrel chested with bulging biceps, but he's got the moves and the stamina to torture anyone who deserved it. Anthony, a former soldier in the Australian Army, is tall and lean, yet quite muscular. I personally watched the man do about 50 pull-ups with his legs straight out at a ninety degree angle in front of him. Highly advanced. His reach would be spectacular and the amount of force via rotation he could deliver to your poor face by the power in those abs alone would lead to utter destruction.

Laugh at The Wiggles doing silly dances all you want as your kids rock out with them each morning. Just make sure you don't do it if you should cross them in person! Since they are such kind and gentle souls, I would guess they'd let you off the hook...but I still wouldn't advise taking the chance!

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.

Paul Paddick, or as his friends call him, Paddie is one of the coolest guys I've met in a long time. I recently spent the weekend on tour with The Wiggles in Chicago, IL and discovered a ton of things about the guys who seem to actually live in my house with my family and I. Paddie's character, Captain Feathersword, "the friendly pirate" is the silliest and most athletic guy on morning television. He's a dare-devil who seems to stop at nothing to make both the tiniest of tots and their parents giggle. He's also a trained opera singer! What a wide variety of skills. Aye?

Never seeing Paddie outside his costume, I was blown away as he walked in my interview room to workout with me. He's totally built. Broad chest, big arms, strong back. Nice! The kind of man women would drool over at the gym and men would strive to be like. Not only in fantastic shape, Paddie is thoughtful, down to earth, smart, and the kind of guy everyone would want to hang with at the game for some tailgating. In fact, he reminded me very much of the police officers at my husbands department. One cool guy.

This weekend when I travel to Chicago, I'll have the honor of presenting the children's group The Wiggles with the 2007 Fitness Pioneers award. On behalf of boxing equipment and apparel giant Everlast and my company Fitzness International, we've chosen The Wiggles to recognize for their efforts to promote health and fitness to youths worldwide.

As a fitness expert, I spend oodles of time working to educate families on the ABC's of a healthy lifestyle. I'm always looking for tools to help accommodate these goals and make life easier for both the parents and the children involved. Normally television is considered a detriment to health, but in this case.......the result is just the opposite. Watching The Wiggles is a grand opportunity for children to learn about healthy food, wholesome values, international customs, animals, and get a workout in the process. Their hits include "Fruit Salad, Yummy Yummy", "Gulp, Gulp, Drink Some Water", and "Do the Monkey". The Wiggles are not only real deal rock stars for all the little ones in the world, they're educators and fitness trainers too.

On behalf of Everlast and Fitzness International, we honor The Wiggles and wish them many more years of success.

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.

Jeff Fatt is part of the Australian children's musical group The Wiggles. Just in case your've never heard of The Wiggles...they're the kiddie equivilent of The Beatles. They've sold a bazillion CD's and DVD's, and also have sold out yearly tours around the world. Their hit TV show appears daily on Playhouse Disney, and they're probably the healthiest thing Disney has going for them. The Wiggles sing about fruit salad, not cookies. They're shows and songs get kids up to move like a Crunch workout tape makes their Mom. Jeff is the Purple Wiggle and his silly shtick is that he loves to sleep. The kids go bonkers for it, especially mine. "Wake up Jeff!" is a classic of tomorrow.

Fitz: Tell me about your fitness routine.

Jeff: I don't really have any fitness routine, but would consider the concerts we do to be a routine in themselves. Apart from that, I really enjoy riding around on a bicycle. Not for the purpose of trying to get fitter, but just for the enjoyment of it. I will nearly always ride down to my local area to do the grocery shopping or for a meal. I also enjoy swimming.

Fitz: What's on your MP3 player?

Jeff: My iPod has just about my whole music collection. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Booker T, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Ray Charles, Beach Boys, BB King, Jazz/Blues albums featuring the Hammond Organ and lots of stuff from the 60's. I'm not up with most of today's contemporary pop music.

Fitz: Since you're the Wiggle who loves to sleep, I have to ask. How much do you get per night? Are you really a napper?

Jeff: I'm a very light sleeper, particularly on the tour bus. I usually get 6-7 hours per night. At my age, it's not that easy to sleep much more than this, so therefore I am a day napper. This really suits my job!

Fitz: Do you have a fall-back healthy meal? Something you eat when trying to progress physically?

Jeff: I don't have a fall back healthy meal, because I'm generally a healthy eater.

Fitz: What's your favorite sin food?

Jeff: It used to be Krispy Kreme donuts, but now I don't even touch them (they're too evil)! I can't get over the amount of saturated fats and high fructose corn syrup (well that's what I believe is in them). Some of my favorite sin foods would be Pavlova (an Aussie desert), kettle chips and Lindy's cheesecake in NYC. In very small amounts of course!

Fitz: Your shows are so high energy! How do you get up for it, when you're not in the mood?

Jeff: You can usually get the extra push from the audience. Everyone is just so vibed that you can't help but be in the mood.

Fitz: How many push-ups can you do?

Jeff: I haven't really tried....hang on, I'll do it now......I just did 20!

OK, I will admit that I don't think that drinking or smoking in moderation, is a huge deal. As long as you're being considerate of those around you and being responsible (not driving drunk, for example), I figure that you can do with your life what you want. And speaking of smoking, I'm not a marijuana fan but again I think that using it in moderation is probably OK.

Maybe it's because I'm from Canada where the view on cannabis is much more lax than in the US, but I never really believed the suggestion that pot (along with drinking and smoking cigarettes) is a gateway drug that will lead users to try harder, more dangerous drugs. Apparently I'm going to have to revise my position and eat my words though, as a huge Australian study has shown the exact opposite to be true.

The study, which followed 2000 young people from the State of Victoria in southeastern Oz for 10 years, has shown that teens who smoked cannabis at age 15 were 15 times more likely to use amphetamines in their 20s. The study also says that study participants who began drinking and smoking cigarettes at a young age were more likely to try pot in the first place. Considering the size and length of the study, as well as the pretty huge findings, I'm thinking I may have to change my opinion about what sorts of things are OK in moderation.

In this modern world of ours that is increasingly obsessed with thinness, it's no surprise that the use of diet pills and other over-the-counter medications that supposedly lead to rapid weight loss are on the rise, most notably among young women. But a study in Australia reports that use of diet pills, diuretics and laxatives has risen dramatically among men as well. There's no denying that obesity affects men as much as women, but men are often overlooked when it comes to eating disorders -- a female-dominant condition. As the article points out, Australian Musician Daniel Johns recently admitted to a battle with anorexia, bringing light to the fact that eating disorders affect both genders.

Does this news surprise you?