The demise of a marriage is difficult enough to deal with -- imagine how much more trying it would be if every explosively-bitter detail were splashed across the media. How do celebs deal with that kind of public anguish? If you're soon to be ex-Mr. Madonna, you drown your sorrows ... in beer and cheeseburgers.

Guy Ritchie, the British director who made international headlines when he married the first lady of pop, is apparently finding comfort in McDonald's take-out and late nights at the pub. But who can blame him after years of following a macrobiotic diet under Madge's reign? Still, if you're going through a public divorce, you don't want to be the one who gains weight -- especially when your ex is the uber-fit Madonna.

(via Calorie Lab)

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It's been a busy week in the world of celebrity fitness. But then again, when is it not? You know you love to get the scoop on what workouts and diets are transforming the stars, and this is just the place to peek at all the hot bodies from the past week! Click on the famous faces above to see which ones are making headlines.

Seems Madonna's strict diet and overboard fitness endeavors may have played a part in her impending divorce from hubby Guy Ritchie.

Speculators everywhere say Ritchie is fed up with the way he was being, well, fed -- house rules banned all cheese, cream, salt, and sugar and permitted a streamlined menu of mostly steamed fish, seasonal veggies, and rice milk. The former man of the house is also up to his eyeballs with Madge's bizarre attempts to hold back time. In addition to her over-the-top food fads, the once macrobiotic Madonna reportedly slathers her body with an expensive cream and wraps herself tight each night. I hear she is no stranger to surgery either.

Oh, and the exercise. Yes, the exercise. One recent TV report revealed that she spends half a day toning that body of hers. It shows -- the 50-year-old superstar looks terrific to me. She looks pretty single too, which makes me wonder: Is such a life worth the rigors -- and the consequences? What say you?

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Dear Laura,

I am a newly divorced, 38 year old woman and have 3 kids, ages 13, 11 and 9. When my kids are with their Dad I end up just sitting at home instead of going out. I really do want to get on with my life and have fun. But I am really shy. I have gained weight, have low energy and even my skin isn't what it used to be. Do you have any suggestions for me?

Thanks.

Aida A. in Pennsylvania



Dear Aida,

Alrighty then. Well Aida, I am not exactly THE expert in not being shy because I actually am. Yes. Go figure. I have been in media for a long time, radio, TV, speaking and more but throw me into a situation where I am actually supposed to talk to people I don't know, like at a party or if I am out with friends and I am coaxed to speak to stranger, I freeze. I can certainly identify with having to deal with shyness. Even my daughter, who is sixteen, was absolutely beside herself when, a few years ago, we were at our local Whole Foods and a really handsome and friendly looking fellow was trying to get my attention. What did I do? I avoided making eye contact and scurried out of the store with my daughter asking me if I was out of my mind! Since then, after hearing my daughter tell the story over and over again to friends and family, I have attempted to conquer this perplexing "condition". In doing so, I have found a few tips to be helpful which you might find beneficial as well.

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In June, Chris told us that married people are generally healthier than their single counterparts. A new study confirms that the statistic is still true, but single men's health is on the rise.

Researchers from Michigan State University wanted to see if the changing trends in marriage and lifestyle -- such as waiting to get married until older -- have had an effect on the long-reported statistic about married couples being healthier.

The researchers reviewed 32 years of data from the National Health Interview Survey. Over time, the health information reported by never-married singles improved dramatically. The self-reported data by married women also indicate an improvement in health. Married men, however, remained relatively the same which narrows the gap between the health of never-married men and married men.

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Breaking up is hard to do, isn't it? An Australia man recently found that breaking up with his wife was so painful that he wanted to start over with a completely clean slate. So Ian Usher put his entire life -- including his home, car, possessions, even his friends and a trial period at his job -- up for sale on eBay.

It sold, but for considerably less than he was hoping for. The final bid was about $384,000, which Usher said was about $100,000 less than he was hoping to get. Still, he intends to move on and restart his life with whatever is left.

His rash behavior may have cost him financially, for sure. But I'm wondering if he sold out his support system too. Obviously, you can't sell friends on eBay, but by symbolically lumping them in with the rest of his possessions, was he saying goodbye to them too?

If you've suffered a break up recently, Help Guide has some excellent information on how to cope.

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We've all seen those lists of top stressors. And it's always struck me that the lists include events that are both happy and horrible. Moving, divorce and marriage are always on them. But putting these in context is important.

Take my friend's recent separation from her spouse. The 10-year relationship was far more stressful than filing the paperwork and finding a new apartment. And speaking of finding a new apartment, moving is always on those top lists. But, let me tell you, I've never seen my friend so happy as when we were moving her new red leather sofa into her bachelorette pad. As for marriage, I'm one of the fortunate ones who can say that promising to be with my husband forever was one of the least stressful things I've ever done. And 10 years later, I feel the same way.

My point is this: there is plenty of joy to be found is these supposedly high-stress events. And from my experience, it can offset most of the negative elements involved in planning a wedding, moving a big piece of furniture or facing life alone. I think this guy's got the right idea. There are fates far worse than moving.

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Life Fitness is a process of continuous growth: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Need motivation and guidance to facilitate positive changes in your life? Ask Life Fit Expert Laura

Dear Laura!

After being married for almost 9 years, my husband admitted to having an affair that has been going on for almost over a year. He told me he wanted to leave me for her. So, I recently filed for divorce and am devastated and depressed. I have used to work out four to five times a week and also always used to eat the right foods. Now, I could care less. I've gained almost ten pounds over the past month and am really having a hard time. I know I should get back in shape but I just can't get motivated. Any ideas on how to get back on track would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Theresa in Rochester, N.Y.

Dear Theresa,

The feeling of being betrayed can really "do a number" on your head and is likely to have an impact upon your self-esteem. And granted, it is normal to go through a period of grieving. Losing someone through divorce is similar to losing someone who has died. You still go through a similar range of emotions. Your lack of motivation is more than likely due to depression. When one says to another in marriage "Til death do us part" it literally means forever. However, I am here to tell you that nothing in life is guaranteed. Not even a piece of paper can guarantee that people won't make the wrong choices which may ultimately end their "forever" relationship.

To help you get back on track to being happy, healthy and fit here are a few thoughts to contemplate:

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By the time I reached my mid teens, it seemed as though almost everyone I knew had divorced parents. I thought at first that it was just a local trend; parents filing for divorce and kids, at least seemingly, being forced to deal with it. But, this was far greater reaching than the streets of my neighborhood, for the national divorce rate at that time hovered around 50 percent and exhibited signs of inexorable increase. However, just like all things, this too has changed.

Based on U.S. Census Bureau statistics, divorce rates have stabilized in the past decade, neither decreasing nor increasing to any significant degree. However, statistics from The State of Our Unions, an annual report published by the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University, show that divorce rates are actually declining. The researchers speculate that this may be due to a concurrent decline in marriage rates.

What is on the rise is the rate of cohabitation among partners. Many couples are opting to live together for extended periods of time before marrying, something that was not nearly as common with past generations. Because a 'break-up' does not constitute a legal divorce (in most cases, anyway), couples that split are not accounted for in the statistics, thereby making it seem as though the total number of divorces may be in decline, when in reality, the total number of marriages are also in decline.

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While they were studying pandas in a Chinese wildlife reserve, scientists came upon an interesting finding. Among the human citizens who lived on the reserve, the number of households were increasing far faster than the population. The reason was divorce, and in the reserve, it meant less room and fewer resources for the animals. Thinking they had hit on something, the researchers decided to study the effects of divorce on the environment in 12 different countries.

What they found is this: When divorce splits a family, it means that there are now two households where there used to be one, households that demand resources like heat and lighting. In the U.S. alone, if divorced households combined to be the same size as their former married household, 38.5 million rooms could be eliminated.

It's kind of like emotional carpooling. Of course, you can't stay married just to save the environment, can you? Or can you?

Joking aside, what do you think of this finding?

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Research out of Norway this week concluded that divorce risk increases when one of the partners suffers from testicular or cervical cancer. However, other types of cancer seemed to not have an effect on divorce rate.

Most forms of cancer saw the non-cancer partner support their spouse throughout the illness, but when it came to cancer of those specific areas, divorce started to rear its ugly face.

Why, you may ask? The Norwegian researchers stated that "Sexual problems or a weakening of the emotional rewards from the union are particularly devastating early in a relationship."

So, sexual problems related to cancer causes a higher divorce rate? That's kind of startling to hear -- marriage is a commitment, for better or worse -- right?

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I spent my childhood idolizing Tiffany and listening to her albums over and over again. But my little brother broke my favorite tape and she was quickly forgotten -- by everyone, evidently, as she seemed to drop off the face of the planet. But she's back in the news now, and not for hits like 'I Think We're Alone Now' -- she's recently lost the 25 extra pounds she'd gained over the years, especially when going through her divorce.

Darwish (did you know what's her last name? I had no idea) lost the weight with the help of Celebrity Fit Club and has re-vamped her eating habits to include healthy proteins and lots of fruits and veggies. Unfortunately, she lost a lot of her weight in her breasts, so she had to get a boob job (!).

What do you think about Tiffany's weight loss?

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I admit that I'm not married and I don't have any kids. My parents are still married too. As a result, I can't personally relate to being divorced, being a child of divorce or raising a child while going through a divorce. However, I do find this article regarding a study that shows kids with divorced parents are more likely to be prescribed Ritalin very interesting.

According to the study, slightly over 3% of kids whose parents stayed together during the course of the study ended up on Ritalin compared to over 6% of children in the study whose parents separated. The article gives possible reasons for this difference including a possible genetic link. Basically, a hereditary trait that caused inattention and acting up in the kids is also present in the parent(s), resulting in their inability to keep a marriage together. While I think this is possible, I don't think it's probable.

What I think is more likely, and sadder, is that unfortunately the kids are getting lost in the shuffle. Their parents are going through an incredibly tough time, just like they are. It's natural for kids to act up more often when they are upset and going through some major life upheaval. At the same time, the parents likely don't have the time and presence of mind to work through this behavior with their children, and an increased amount of Ritalin prescriptions is the result.

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Reading the recent blog here on That's Fit about "Why men ignore their wives" prompted me into a little fun research myself. So if men ignore their wives, why do women put up with it? The websites were endless. WOW. It seems that women tolerate a lot of certain behaviors from their spouses like being ignored, being fussed at or looked down upon and even being abused physically because of cultural beliefs, economic factors and personal fears. There is the disgrace of being a statistic, of being a divorcee. With our divorce rate hovering somewhere between 50 percent and 60 percent it is not hard to see that men and women really can not get along. Maybe the high divorce rate can be contributed to being ignored. wink wink...

But one study in particular stood out to me on why divorce rates are climbing. It emphasized that attraction in the work place between men and women has always been relevant but men had always held the dominant jobs in the work force. But that statistic is changing with women bosses increasing and more jobs like doctors, lawyers, police officers, fire fighters, and even politics with many women now leading in congress and the senate. Women are beginning to have equality in leadership roles. Many women who do well professionally find few men who are secure enough to be with them.

Being a man and being masculine are two different things. A man is a boy who has reached a certain age. A masculine man is a boy who has finally matured as an adult. Some men never reach that maturity. So I guess women have to look at being ignored by their husbands the same way they look at their children that ignore them when asked to do their chores.

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A big part of being healthy is having strong supportive relationships. It's impossible to have a "perfect" relationship, where there are never any arguments or fighting, so to keep things as healthy as possible try these three tips for fighting fair:

• You are together, so work together. Success and happiness take effort from both people.
• Try not to attack your partner with insults and stuff like "the silent treatment." No matter how upset you are, hurting each other (especially on purpose) will only make things worse.
• Keep it between the two of you. It's embarrassing enough to have private problems out there for everyone to see, but it's even worse if the very person you're trying to work things out with is the one who put them there.

Luckily for all of us, fighting isn't all bad. If done right, it can actually make a relationship stronger.

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