survivor-related stories
"Survivor" Host Works Out in the Wild
Celebrity Fitzness Report, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Our fitness expert Fitz sits down with the stars and digs out their great and not-so-great methods for staying healthy.
Jeff Probst is best known as host of CBS's long-running hit show "Survivor," but he should also be known for his amazing body and fitness routine. Think you have no time to look like him? Think you have no access to fitness equipment? Jeff offers great advice on how to pull off quick and effective workouts, even if you're stuck in some freaky part of the world.
Fitz: You seem to be more fit now than you were when "Survivor" began. What have you been doing?
Jeff: I think I have put on a bit more muscle, but it could also be that my shirts fit better! I have bulked up a bit in the past couple of years; I'm just trying to stay ahead of the toll that aging takes on the body. It's hard to stay fit while on location, though, because I don't have the same routine. I've also found that to stay in shape, it doesn't necessarily matter what you eat, but when you eat. Eating frequently teaches your body that food is on its way, so it doesn't have to store extra calories as fat. I eat about six small meals a day. They are more like snack-size portions than meals. I'm not necessarily in love with eating, so I truly treat food as fuel.
Fitz: Have you ever really blown it while on location and came back in worse shape?
Jeff: Oddly, my fitness level never suffers while shooting "Survivor." But I recently spent a few months traveling domestically, and my diet was really different. It was the first time I noticed a change in my body that I didn't like, so I quickly got back on the track with eating to manage my metabolism.
Jeff Probst
Jeff Probst doesn't just survive on location -- he thrives! He always brings fitness equipment with him while shooting "Survivor," and in unusually hot climates, which tend to be an energy-drain, Jeff does a 20-minute intense workout each day. An hour would be too long.
Monty Brinton/CBS ©2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Jeff works his back, shoulders and triceps with a One Arm Clean and Jerk using a Kettleball. Step 1: Jeff Squats with the ball close to the ground while keeping his back flat.
Monty Brinton/CBS ©2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Step 2: Jeff simultaneously curls the Kettleball towards his shoulder and rises up using his legs.
Monty Brinton/CBS ©2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Step 3: Jeff performs a squat again and explosively rises out of it while extending his arm and lifting the Kettleball high into the air.
Monty Brinton/CBS ©2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
While on location shooting "Survivor," the art department hangs Jeff's pull-up bar for his daily workouts. A pull-up bar would hang quite nicely from a sturdy tree branch. Have a big tree in your back yard? This might be the perfect way for you to utilize it!
Monty Brinton/CBS ©2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Going Hungry: Anorexia knows no stereotypes
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
According to the National Eating Disorders Association, approximately 90%-95% of anorexia nervosa sufferers are girls and women. And it's often assumed the majority of sufferers are white. But the disorder isn't limited to any demographic. A new book, Going Hungry (releasing on September 9) highlights the stories of 19 different anorexia nervosa survivors -- including stories from women, men, and minorities. One of the shared stories is from Rudy Ruiz, who -- after being taunted and teased as a chubby child -- began trying to lose weight unhealthily during his high school years. He drank gallons of diet iced tea and ran five miles a day, ultimately dropping to 104 pounds -- far too thin for his 5' 7" frame. His initial desire to shed some extra pounds had turned into an obsession. He'd later learn that he had anorexia nervosa. Today, Ruiz is 40 and a two-time graduate of Harvard. He admits that while is healthy now, he still struggles with the obsession.
If you or someone you know might be suffering from anorexia nervosa or another disorder, visit the National Eating Disorders Association for information and support.
Jacki's tummy has been tucked!
Womens Health, Cellulite, Obesity, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Reviews & Products, Motivation, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
Today was the day for my great friend and fellow blogger, Jacki Donaldson, to have her tummy tuck. Jacki is a beautiful woman, wonderful mother, amazing friend and brilliant writer. Since she lives in my neighborhood, attends the gym I work out at, and used to be one of my personal training clients as she was recovering from chemotherapy ... I've seen Jacki literally work her ass off. Not only is she aggressive at the gym, she's done a complete 360 with her eating habits. To say I've been impressed would be the understatement of the year.
Jacki had two big babies and has done everything she could possibly do to create a fit body. She's lost a ton of weight but has been left with a bit of extra skin around the mid-section which has really been point of frustration for her. An emotional burden. She's no better of a person now that her tummy tuck is complete; she couldn't be any more perfect. She is however, going to be a girl who no longer has the anxiety that goes along with as she puts it, "tucking in" her tummy.
I have a cold, so I won't be running the two blocks over to check out Jacki's new abs. Sick germs don't belong at a house with a post-op patient. But when I'm better ... I promise to go check out her final product and give you the scoop. Most importantly being ... Jacki is recovering fine, hopefully in little pain.
Toni Braxton on surviving heart disease
Celebrities and Entertainment, Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment
Grammy winner Toni Braxton tells PEOPLE magazine that she is this year's spokesperson for the American Heart Association. It's not just her celebrity that landed her the job, though. It's the fact that she's a living, breathing survivor of heart disease.Helping to kick off February's National Heart Month, the 40-year-old Braxton says, ""I have heart disease, and I found out about five or four years ago." Exhaustion is what tipped her off. A trip to see her doctor confirmed that heart disease was the culprit, specifically pericarditis -- an inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart -- and hypertension too.
Braxton is fighting her disease by making lifestyle and diet changes.
"I eat relatively well, but sometimes having those pizzas and burgers late at night -- I had to change that," she says.
Fitzness Fiend: Jacki Donaldson
Healthy Aging, Healthy Habits, Womens Health, Obesity, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!
Name: Jacki Donaldson
Age: 37
Occupation: Freelance writer & Mommy
How often do you exercise? Every day, although I occasionally force myself to take a day off to allow my body some "silence" -- this is what the folks at my gym say for the word "rest."
What type of exercise do you do? I run and walk, lift some weights, hover in the plank position, make attempts at push-ups, and most recently: Play on my new BOSU toy!
Pass swim test or sink your graduation
I had to take four semesters of physical education during college. I recall enrolling in fencing, stretching, relaxation and jogging. Fencing was the worst -- as the semester wore on the helmets smelled putrid thanks to the combined sweat of a dozen or more college students.
But if I had been an Ivy Leaguer at Cornell University, Dartmouth College or Columbia University, I would also have been required to pass a swim test my freshman year. At these schools, beginning swim lessons are assigned to anyone who fails the test or claims upfront they cannot swim. Nine other schools are known to have a swim test.
Pro-swim test advocates believe learning to swim is a lifesaving skill all people should possess. Swimming also contributes to a healthy body and mind. While a swim test policy does seem a bit antiquated, I'm all for mandatory physical education in K-12 and higher education. These schools should keep their swim test and history intact. Besides, strong swimmers dominate Survivor challenges. What's your take?
Breast Cancer Nutrition: A survivor weighs in
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
Breast cancer survivor and writer PJ Hamel offers on My Breast Cancer Network 10 recommendations related to breast cancer and nutrition. They cover everything from antioxidants to soy to fat to fiber. Check out the whole list here. And then take a peek at this -- a recipe for cookies Hamel developed using each of the 10 tips she provides. She calls them her Take-10 Cookies.
For more from Hamel -- she blogs about all sorts of cancer and health-related topics -- point and click your mouse right here.
Rhythm Nation tops workout song list
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
Ripa was thrilled to announce this fitness flash: Rhythm Nation, one of Jackson's smash hits, is reportedly the most listened-to song by those who rock while working out. This information comes courtesy of Fitness Magazine, said Ripa, who happens to have this very song on her iPod. When no one is watching her on the treadmill, she told her audience, she breaks into a total Rhythm Nation dance routine. On the treadmill? Yep, that's what she said.
What's your favorite workout song? And tell us -- do you bust a few moves when no one is looking?
Another inspirational breast cancer site
Diet & Weight Loss, Motivation
Since October is breast cancer month, I recently wrote a post on some of the best websites about the topic and asked readers to contribute their own favorite sites. One response I received directed everyone toward the Survivor Celebration site.
Part of what I like about the site is that it gives information on the 2007 Survivor Celebration Tour, a 23-day cross-country adventure that began in New York on September 23rd and reaches its final destination in Los Angeles on October 15th, after stops in a range of cities including Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix and Las Vegas.
A team of doctors and experts traveling in a pink Survivor Celebration bus are making the trek to raise awareness about breast cancer. If you'd like more information on the tour, visit the website, which also offers survivor stories, personal blogs and photos, information on local support groups and much more.
Florida news anchor and 2-time breast cancer survivor Donna Hicken founds marathon to help fight the disease
Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss, Motivation
When Jacksonville, Fla news anchor Donna Hicken was diagnosed with breast cancer, she decided she wasn't just going to fight the disease by and for herself, choosing instead to both battle cancer and raise money for a cure. Now, after surviving two occurrences of the disease, Hicken has organized America's first marathon that is solely dedicated to fighting breast cancer.
Hicken, who relates the battle to deal with and beat cancer to running a marathon, has founded The Donna Hicken Foundation, which aims to help under-served women in the Jacksonville area who have been diagnosed with breast cancer deal with everything from financial needs to psychological ones.
26.2 with Donna The National Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer takes place for the first time on February 17, 2008 at Jacksonville Beach. Activities at the weekend-long event include a marathon, a half-marathon, a kid's marathon, a pasta dinner, a concert and a health expo. 100% of the monies raised will go to the Donna Hicken Foundation, which has pledged that the majority of the funds will be donated to the Mayo Clinic's Multidisciplinary Breast Clinic.
Approximately 200,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. If you would like to be one of the thousands helping to find a cure, visit the website for 26.2 with Donna The National Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer and find out more about running in the event as well as being a volunteer.
Zumba your way to better fitness
Participants in the class bump, grind, shake and spin to Latin music and work up a sweat in this 60-minute fun-filled work out. Enthusiasts say that they lose themselves in the workout and forget they're even exercising because they're too busy having fun. It's been said before that the best kind of exercise is the kind you love and will do on a consistent basis, and that may partially explain Zumba's popularity.
Up until now, Zumba's only been taught in gyms and dance centers, but the first Zumba Fitness center opened near Dayton, Ohio just last month. DVDs are available too, for those who want to shimmy in their living rooms. It seems even reality TV producer Mark Burnett (of Survivor fame) has gotten the Zumba bug, and is involved in undisclosed projects with the company. We're sure to hear a lot more about this international workout that's sweeping the country!
Man survives bird flu
According to Chinese media, a farmer who caught the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has since "fully recovered."
The farmer, identified only as Li, did have poultry in his backyard, but Chinese experts are still investigating whether or not those birds gave him the virus. Anyone who regularly came in close contact with Li has been put under medical observation, but, fortunately, none exhibit any symptoms of the disease.
A human to human transmission of the disease would be significant, as doctors fear such a mutation could lead to a pandemic. Currently, the virus is difficult for humans to catch, only affecting those who come in close contact with infected birds.
14 people have died in China as result of bird flu, with the most recent case reported over 6 months ago.






















