ALBANY, NY. (The New York Times News Service) -- Giving birth may be the mother of all workouts, and you can train for it, the same as you would a marathon or other extraordinary physical feat.

(McClatchy-Tribune Information Services) -- Thanksgiving is a challenge for anyone trying to help a family stay healthy. Shelly Wilfong of Dallas is particularly aware of that this year. "My father is recuperating from his second bypass surgery," says Wilfong, 37, a wife and mother of two.

(USA TODAY) -- When they want to tone up, Marisa Tomei, Liv Tyler and Beyonce Knowles go for a spin.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Grilled chicken replaced the hot dogs. Strawberries instead of cookies at snack time. No more fruit juice -- water or low-fat milk only. This is the new menu at a Delaware day care center, part of a fledgling movement to take the fight against obesity to pudgy preschoolers.

(The New York Times News Service) -- Anxiety about an "obesity epidemic" continues to grow in response to almost weekly alarms and studies that report more than half of the U.S. adult population is now overweight or obese.

CHICAGO (AP) -- Even in the "oldest old," a little physical activity goes a long way, extending life by at least a few years for people in their mid- to late 80s, Israeli researchers found.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Where you live matters when it comes to children's waistlines, says a report that finds lots of options localities could and should use to fight child obesity -- from easy bike paths, to luring healthier stores, to taxes on junk food.

TAMPA -- (The New York Times News Service) -- A team of University of South Florida researchers has been working the sidelines at high school sports events, documenting every sprain, strain and tear.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Exercise your hips to help achy knees? If you've got knee arthritis, your whole leg starts subtly shifting out of alignment as you favor the sore spot.

(Associated Press) -- Breast cancer survivors have been getting bum advice. For decades, many doctors warned that lifting weights or even heavy groceries could cause painful arm swelling. New research shows that weight training actually helps prevent this problem.

WASHINGTON (AP)-- Thousands of families carry the gene that causes sickle cell disease and don't know it -- even though almost every newborn today is tested for what's called "sickle cell trait," and starting this summer more college athletes are getting tested, too.

CHICAGO (AP) -- Injuries to American children during physical education classes increased by 150 percent from 1997-2007, a new study finds, a possible drawback to a movement encouraging more vigorous exercise in schools.

(McClatchy-Tribune Information Services) -- Michael Gross placed a bunch of ripe bananas in 10-year-old Amani Bass's left hand.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (The New York Times News Service) -- Falcons head coach Mike Smith, his wife, Julie, and several other NFL coaches have partnered with Gatorade in a "Beat the Heat" campaign designed to warn parents and athletes about heat related issues.

(McClatchy-Tribune Information Services) -- You can reduce stress by exercising and do it on a budget too. "You don't have to spend money to be active," said Jeremy Spencer, fitness coordinator for the Illinois Wesleyan University Wellness Program.

(Associated Press) -- Old for their sports, yet still vying to be at the top of their games, Tom Watson and Lance Armstrong showed the skills that made them great when they were young haven't faded away with the years.

(USA TODAY) -- Children burn about three times more calories playing some exercise-oriented video games than they do just sitting around watching TV, a study shows.

CHICAGO (AP) -- Walking or biking to work, even part way, is linked with fitness, but very few Americans do it, according to a study of more than 2,000 middle-aged city dwellers.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (McClatchy-Tribune Information Services) -- Glenn Burgeson of Bluffton has suffered from Parkinson's disease for 20 years. A brain disorder, Parkinson's disease can cause shaking, rigidity, slow movement and difficulty with balance.

CHICAGO (AP) -- The gym at Eberhart Elementary School is bright and spacious -- with high ceilings, several basketball hoops, even a large, colorful climbing wall.

CHICAGO (AP) -- Supersized pro football players are prone to high blood pressure but fare better on some other health measures than more average-sized men, new NFL-sponsored research shows. The mixed results suggest that intense physical conditioning can help reduce but not wipe out ill effects excess weight has on heart disease-related risks.