Sherry Pagoto, PhD, associate professor of medicine, hosted a health and fitness discussion at the Boston Globe on Monday, Feb. 11, titled “The Trouble with Willpower.” She also discussed the growing number of dieters turning to Twitter to support their lifestyle changes.
Dr. Pagoto, an expert in the role of social media in weight loss, was invited by Boston.com senior health and wellness producer Elizabeth Comeau to talk about her success in getting thousands of Twitter followers around the world to perform the core-strengthening exercise “plank” every day.
Pagoto and lifelong friend Michael J. Bauman, who together launched the popular #PlankADay challenge on Twitter, told the crowd in the Globe’s media lab that creating a supportive environment is essential to fostering a healthy lifestyle change.
Bauman credits Twitter and other social support networks for his own 60-pound weight loss.
