In what I think may be the most poignant picture of the obesity epidemic, it was reported today that 3 out of 4 military-age Americans are unfit for service. The reason? They surpass the weight and/or body fat percentage limits set by the government. Since 2005, over 48,000 potential soldiers have been turned away due …
There are many good reasons to hire a personal trainer but are their looks one of them? Paul “PJ” James, a personal trainer in Australia, wants to find out by going from “hunk to chunk” and back again in an effort to empathize with his clients and answer this question for fitness professionals everywhere. The …
Read more “Does it Matter What Your Personal Trainer Looks Like?”
Bag Number One (mille grazie to Turbo Jennie for the tip!): The question must be asked: Who is this bag for? Men enjoy looking at scantily clad supermodels and yet do not generally use tote bags. Women use tote bags but generally do not enjoy looking at photoshopped scantily clad supermodels. So who on earth …
Interview anyone these days about food and no matter what their gastronomic predilections, chances are they will speak of them with a fervor bordering on religiosity. The vegan preaches her diet – nay, lifestyle in the truest sense of the word: it is not just food but an overarching style of life – with a …
Does birth control make you gain weight? The research says no. And that, my friends, is the sound of a million women screaming and throwing things at their monitors. Occasionally I read a piece of research that makes me wonder if the researcher has ever met an actual live human specimen and this is one …
At first glance, a new study about kids’ television viewing habits seems rather encouraging. A group of 1,055 3-12 year-olds was shown three different pictures of a popular female cartoon character, Bibi Blocksburg (the apparent love-child of Mickey Mouse in his Sorcerer’s Apprentice days and Caillou the inexplicably bald-headed Canadian preschooler): The pictures were set …
Read more “Kids and Body Image: Does this Cartoon Make My Butt Look Big?”
My friend L and I have been best friends since elementary school. We thought we were two halves of the same person and campaigned relentlessly to our parents to never, ever separate us. After all, a multitude of friendship bracelets, twin My Child dolls, and even an actual padlock hooking us together couldn’t be wrong! …
Read more “Stop the Stomach Wars: Making Peace With Your Tummy”
Katie Green has a spectacular rack. Everyone agrees. At least enough people voted her – and her 30F’s (no that’s not a typo – can you imagine?) – to be the winner of Wonderbra’s “Real Women” campaign. At first Green was “completely bowled over” by the news that she had been picked by her British …
Read more “Wanted: Only Uber-Thin Women With Ginormous Breasts Need Apply”
Because we’re fat. Let me back up. Much has been said over the past couple of weeks about what Olympians eat. Michael Phelps and his 12,000 calories a day has put so many people into shock that iHop is sending out emergency chocolate-chip pancake teams into all major cities. On the other end of the …
A 15-year-old had prophylactic surgery to prevent an eating disorder. (Yes, I know you’re all now thinking of condoms but “prophylactic” actually means any medical procedure or practice done to prevent a disease or a condition. You’ll thank me someday.) In this Today Show piece, via Jezebel, the girl and her mother talk about how …
