Campaign Vets Get Back to Reality

Scientists find sitting bulks up behinds

(NEWSER) - You've worried about clothes making you look fat—apparently, you should have worried about chairs actually making you fat. That's because sitting for long stretches can actually make you fatter, scientists have found. Studies suggest that the pressure placed in the butt and hips from sitting too long can generate extra fat in those areas. Tel Aviv University researchers studying MRIs found that preadipocyte cells—the precursors to fat cells—turn into fat cells and produce even more fat to cushion muscles against the pressure of sitting among people paralyzed by spinal injuries. They even found lines of fat cells invading muscle, reports the Telegraph . More»

Painful at first, but by the end...

(NEWSER) - On the first day of her $5,600-per-week stay at a ritzy Malibu detox ranch, Christina Binkley was awakened at 5:30am to do yoga, eat a tiny frittata, and then go on a 12-mile hike. "The scenery was gorgeous," she writes in the Wall Street Journal , but after four hours, she stopped noticing it—and so did her fellow hikers, many of whom spent the trek vomiting. Later in the week, participants "lined up like Pavlov's dogs" for the scant snack of three almonds and two cashews during another many-hour hike. By the fourth day, Binkley "couldn't stop thinking about beef." But then something changed. More»

Comedian credits 'no bread,' 'lots of cardio'

(NEWSER) - Have you seen a picture of Drew Carey lately? You might not recognize him—the once-portly comedian has dropped a striking 80 pounds from his 5-foot-10 frame and now wears size 33-34 pants. How did he do it? Most important was motivation: "It sucks being fat, you know," Bob Barker's successor as host of The Price Is Right tells People . "I was sick of being fat on the camera. I was diabetic with Type 2 diabetes. Now I'm not diabetic anymore." More»

From disconnecting to breathing, relieve social-media angst

(NEWSER) - Mobile devices might be great for social networking, but extreme devotion to Facebook, Twitter & Co. can lead to “Stress 2.0,” Soren Gordhamer cautions. Fortunately, he has tips for dealing with it:

• Disconnect, even just briefly. When you stop absorbing information, go outside, eat lunch, chat up a friend, he urges on Mashable (while suggesting apps that make his tips easier to accomplish.
• Breathe. Seriously, take a deep breath. You’ll feel calmer almost instantly.

Michelle Obama talks to GMA in advance of launching initiative

(NEWSER) - Michelle Obama wants to eliminate childhood obesity in just one generation, and she will launch her ambitious "Let's Move" campaign today at noon. "We want our kids to face a different and more optimistic future in terms of their lifespan," the first lady tells Good Morning America . Obama's initiative focuses on four areas: educating parents, improving food in schools, making healthy foods more affordable, and focusing on physical education. More»