That's Fit

Gabriel Olds is a Hollywood actor. He's appeared on CSI, Law & Order: SVU and Six Feet Under, and his most recent film is Life of the Party. Usually the bad guy on TV, Olds is really a pretty good guy. Why? Because when it comes to women, it isn't fake boobs or fixed noses he prefers. Forget puffy lips and implanted buttocks. This guy like the real thing.

It took this guy a string of unsuccessful dates to figure out exactly what he wanted: Real bodies. He suspects other guys feel the same way.

"This is the part I think women don't understand," says Olds in a Glamour magazine interview. "When a guy falls in love, his lover's body parts become bewitching. I'm not going to tell you that our heads don't turn when we see a stacked blond walking down the street. But when we fall for you -- really, really fall for you -- you hijack our sense of beautiful. What's sexy to us? You -- in the "before" picture."

It comes as no surprise to me that men and women tend to gravitate toward different foods. However, you might be surprised by some of the findings shown in a recent post over at Diet-blog based on a study of 14,000 Americans.

Predictably, men tended to eat more meat and poultry, and women ate more vegetables. However, men ate more Brussels sprouts and asparagus, and women ate more fresh hamburger while men leaned toward frozen. Several "risky" behaviors were also recorded, showing that men ate more pink hamburger and runny eggs while women ate more alfalfa sprouts.

Do you think our eating habits are predetermined, or are you influenced as you grow up by what those around you choose to eat?

Put down the eggs, men! Well, not all of them. For some of you, anyway.

Middle-aged men who ate seven or more eggs per week had a higher risk of earlier death, say U.S. researchers reporting on the 20-year-long Physicians' Health Study. And men with diabetes who ate any eggs at all raised their risk of death.

Eggs have long been controversial -- and this research adds to a growing body of evidence about the safety of the possibly-forbidden food. Here are some initial conclusions:

I think it's safe to say that men and women are a bit of mystery to each other. I'm single, but even my married friends often puzzle over things their spouses have said or done. The Kinsey Institute conducted a study that sheds some light on what turns men on.

The research team set up six focus groups with men ranging from age 18 to 70. The one thing they found is that what turns one man on may not turn on another. As a woman, I'm glad to hear that. It's nice to know that all men aren't looking for that stereotypical "beautiful" girl.

Some turn ons included women who were confident and felt good about themselves. Not surprisingly a good body and a pretty face were listed as turn ons, but so was intelligence. Feeling emotionally connected to a woman is also a turn on for many men, as is a woman's scent.

Want to learn more about sexual health? AOL Body has resources for both men and women.

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.

I'm not exactly sure what the deal is with us guys, but we're awfully pig-headed when it comes to going to the doctor. Maybe it's because we want to be all Charles Bronson about our ailments and see if we can tough them out. Problem is, sometimes an issue that could have been dealt with easily turns into an even bigger issue if it goes untreated.

A 2007 survey, conducted for the American Academy of Family Physicians, revealed what some guys' reasons are for not seeing a doctor. This is where I'd like to insert some fancy pie chart, but since I can't, I'll stick to bullet points.

• 36% of men only go to the doctor when they are extremely sick
• 23% of men say they are healthy and don't need to see a doctor
• 11% of men say lack of insurance prevents them from seeing a doctor
• 8% of men say they don't like doctors
• 7% of men don't go to the doctor because they are afraid of finding out that something is wrong with them

Look guys, if you're not feeling well, go see a doctor. Even if you're feeling fine and it's simply time you had an annual check-up, go see the damn doctor, will you? If your car is making a strange rattling noise or even driving the slightest bit off, you'd have it looked at, wouldn't you? Afford your body the same respect and care.

If it's been so long that you don't even know where to find one, check the American Medical Association website (www.ama-assn.org) for a comprehensive listing of board-certified internists.

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?

How often do you exercise?

What type of exercise do you do?

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: Rob K.

Age: 42

Heroic occupation: Police Lieutenant

If you're in the military...where are you? N/A

How often do you exercise? Five times each week.

What type of exercise do you do? Running, strength training, lots of pull-ups, and a variety of cardio machines.

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? The knowledge that I'll be glad I did when I'm done. I also feel that the most rewarding workout is the one that you didn't want to do in the first place.

Land's End has long been known as a quality clothing retailer, offering great options for the active family along with the ease of shopping from home. If you've been a fan of Land's End before, you're going to just love them now -- they've launched a new collection of sport apparel for men and women!

And that's not all! To celebrate, they are giving away a women's cardio workout apparel package that's valued at $300 just for That's Fit readers! The package includes the Clubhouse Duffel, Via Panic Pedometer, Beach Trekker Shoes, Performance Fitness Tee, Sleeveless Performance Fitness Tee, Performance Sport Pants, Performance Sport Shorts, and a Sport Knit Jacket.

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment below before 5:00PM Eastern, Wednesday, April 16, telling us about the craziest thing you've ever worn to workout. We'll randomly choose one winner amongst the eligible entries and announce the winner on Friday, April 18. Some other important details:

• To enter, leave a confirmed comment below telling us about your craziest workout outfit.
• The comment must be left and confirmed before April 16, 2008 at 5:00PM Eastern Time.
• You may only enter once.
• One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
• One winner will receive the Women's Cardio Workout Apparel Package (valued at over $300).
• Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.

Click here for complete Official Rules.

Icelandic men have set a world record. They have the longest life expectancy in the world, says the agency Statistics Iceland.

Icelandic men lived an average of 79.4 years in 2007. Japanese men come in second, living 78.6 years.

Experts have no explanation for this occurrence and make no connection between age and the lifestyle factors we are all so consumed with, like diet, exercise, stress, and sleep.

Incidentally, Icelandic women are doing pretty well too, with a life expectancy of 82.9 years.

How do Americans stack up against the Icelandic population? In 2005, the CDC reported that a child in the United States could expect to live for an average of 78 years, up for 69.6 years in 1955.

The fitness equipment, apparel and boxing giant Everlast was so impressed with our That's Fit Fitzness Fiends that they're ready to start rewarding people. Not only am I, your loving online fitness trainer, proud of you all, but Everlast is proud of you too!

Everlast is rewarding an Everlast Fitzness Fiend of the Week with one of their hot new tank tops from their Spring collection. They're absolutely gorgeous, totally comfy, and of ridiculously high quality.

I'm thrilled with the grand response from those of you who've already participated as a Fiend, and even more excited to meet the rest of you!Presents aside, the Fitzness Fiend feature is a great way to share much that you've learned on your way to becoming more fit. We've all ventured down so many paths to better health, it'd be a sin not to share our secrets and successes with others!

Not to sounds sexist here, but when we think of diets, we tend to associate them with women. It's not that men don't diet -- I suppose it's because they don't diet to quite the extent that we ladies do. That and I think they tend to be less public about it. Afterall, I've known dozens of women who've shared every detail of their diet with me, but I can count the number of men who have on one hand.

WebMD recently did an article on the most popular diet plans for men. Not surprisingly (if you ask me, anyway,) the most popular diet choice for men is the good old low-carb/high-protein Atkins approach. But there's a commonality: a quick-fix diet isn't typically successful in the long-run for either men or women. The best diet plan is the one you can stick with.

Want to know more? Read the full article.

I just returned from a place I've decided to be Man Heaven. Man Heaven is a place where loads and loads of men dressed in various colored athletic jerseys giddily board trams with feverish excitement to spend time with their favorite sports heroes. These men were squirming in their seats, beaming bright smiles and high-fiving their way all the way to the entrance gates of Disney World's Hollywood Studios. ESPN the Weekend is Man Heaven.

The weekend was filled with endless opportunities to meet, train with, question and listen to America's favorite ESPN stars: Donovan McNabb, Tony Gonzalez, Hershel Walker, John Stockton, Cal Ripken Jr., Chris Carter and more. Oodles of ESPN Sportscasters took stages across the park hosting their own scheduled and aired ESPN shows, and also hosted other fun question and answer sessions with the stars of Man Heaven.

Generally speaking, testosterone levels in men begin to decline by about 2-3 percent per year starting around the age of thirty. Those numbers are not written in stone, but they are fairly accurate in most cases. As a result, body fat increases, muscle mass decreases, and even libido can be affected over time. It's a naturally occurring process, possibly as a protective measure against the increased risk of developing prostate cancer. Be that as it may, most men still aren't all that thrilled at the idea of gaining weight, losing muscle, and experiencing a diminished sex drive. Making matters worse, the first two of the three negative effects I just mentioned can also have a separate and equally as damaging effect on your cardiac health.

Are there ways to increase your testosterone levels? Yes, there are. Are they safe? Some yes and some are probably not safe at all. In fact, we'll start with those. Despite the fact that there are several "anti-aging" centers springing up around the country, claiming that their use of controlled HGH (human growth hormone) injections can almost reverse the aging process, they are unregulated and the safety of their methods remain highly debated. My two cents? Err waaaaaay on the side of caution on this one -- stay away from HGH injections or supplements. Until more studies are conducted, and until more R & D is done on the synthetic HGH products some of these "anti-aging" clinic doctors are pushing, I suggest that you avoid it like the plague.

Moving right along ...

Thinking of moving in with your boyfriend or girlfriend? Be sure to buy a bathroom scale -- you're going to need it. For men, it will be to watch your weight decrease. For women, don't be surprised to see your weight increase.

Based on research from Newcastle University over in the U.K., men tend to lose weight when they live with a woman, whereas women tend to gain weight when in that living arrangement.

Researchers came across this discovery after reviewing previously published data on the influence that live-in partners have on each other with respect to eating habits. They found that guys tend to follow a more healthy diet, while their better halves tend to eat less healthy than they did prior to cohabitation.

Men and women typically metabolize food at very different rates. So, if you are living with someone, chance are you're eating the same foods -- foods that may work just fine for the guy, but no so much for the gal.