Celebrity Fitzness Report: Interview with ESPN's controversial? reporter Erin Andrews

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

If you've been in tune with national sporting news this week, you're probably aware of the big hub-bub created by Mike Nadel, a cranky reporter of the Peoria Journal Star, who wrote a venomous article about the both young and beautiful sideline reporter for ESPN, Erin Andrews. The "big news" and "big deal" was that Erin wore a dress that hit right above her knee (the outrage!), and her dress was not a turtleneck (hussy)! Nadel even noted that Erin went so far as to grope Alfonso Soriano's bicep at a gathering (she was just looking at his scar from a recent surgery).

Here is the truth about Erin. She's a college educated, ambitious, down-to-earth woman who started on a small network and proved her reporting worthy of a high profile on-air position at ESPN. She loves sports and is great at delivering the news we want to know about our favorite athletes, coaches and teams. Erin and I relaxed on a sunny afternoon in both of our alma mater's football stadium, the University of Florida's SWAMP, to chat. She's funny, sarcastic, and truly grateful to have the job she's dreamed of. She often travels with a band of brothers, the mostly male ESPN GameDay crew, and has had to learn the hard way that she really isn't a guy. Some fans with cell phone cameras taught her that.

Fitz: You are pretty great shape! What do you do?

Erin: Traveling for my job makes staying in shape really hard. We're on the road so much, and for me ... it's tough cause I'm one of the only girls on site. I'm really close with the other talent and the broadcasters, so we go out to eat all the time. Today we had hamburgers! Eating on the road is the worst way to eat. Not only that, but I'm surrounded by guys! When you're surrounded by men, you eat and drink like a guy.

Fitz: Not good news for a slender woman like you!

Celebrity Fitzness Report: ESPN's Erin Andrews(click thumbnails to view gallery)

Erin: Two years ago, when I did Thursday night football with Kirk Herbstreit, I gained ten pounds with him! At dinner we'd get four or five appetizers, a big meal and drinks. For breakfast, we'd have pancakes for appetizers. My pants stopped fitting last year.

Fitz: When you grow out of your clothes, it's time to draw the line.

Erin: Not only that, but my new big butt was showing up on the internet courtesy of all the camera phones! I was like, "Ahhh! What happened to my butt!!!"

Fitz: Did you lose the weight?

Erin: Yes. I've been working really hard this past year. I got a trainer and he's taught me how to exercise on the road, which really matters for me. I now have a routine I can do with my iPod.

Fitz: Great! So it's been working for you.

Erin: Yes. I just love to eat. So, I want to be able to eat when I want to eat. Exercising allows me to do that.

Fitz: What kind of exercise do you do?

Erin: Mostly weight training. I find that works best for me. I also run stadiums and use the university gyms on occasion when we're given permission.

Fitz: What's your favorite healthy food?

Erin: I just got into seared tuna. I'm obsessed with it now.

Fitz: What's your favorite not-so-healthy food?

Erin: I love lasagna. Read meat and potatoes too.

Fitz: Seems like you're evolving!

Erin: Yes. I'm trying to cut out soda too. When I do, I drop weight quickly. Now, I'm a water girl.

Fitz: Do you do push-ups?

Erin: My trainer has me do sets of eight or 12 in various ways, but I do them girlie style.

Fitz: Ugh! I'm going to have to give you a hard time on that one, cause you CAN do regular push-ups. No reason not too.

Erin: I know, I know.

Fitz: This is your new assignment in life, Erin. I want to see lots of regular push-ups from you when you make it back to UF in the fall. I, and millions of AOL readers, will be checking on you.

Erin: OK. I'll work on that. I promise I will.

Fitz: Where is your favorite place to vacation?

Erin: Hawaii is beautiful and so is Scottsdale in the winter.

Fitz: Do you work out on vacation?

Erin: Absolutely. My friend who's a chiropractor and I are always on each other to work out. We like to pretend we are Giselle and pretend it's our job.

Fitz: It kind of is your job. People expect you to look a certain way when you're on TV.

Erin: It's sad, but true!

Fitz: What gets you up to exercise when you're feeling like a slacker?

Erin: As corny as it is, my Justin Timberlake CD. I'm also a closet Britney fan.

Fitz: Best advice for the average Joe or Jane just trying to get better?

Erin: Grab a set of weights. Do squats and arms at the same time! You'd be amazed at what you can accomplish in just 20 or 30 minutes.

Fitz: For the millions of sports addicts out there, you have a dream job. Feeling lucky?

Erin: It's pretty cool to think that when I went to school here at UF and had the Freshman 15, I used to camp out to get close to see the ESPN College GameDay crew. I actually have pictures of me from back then with Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler. So, it's really neat that I get to work with the same people I used to be desperate just to get a glimpse of when I went to college.

Fitz: When I told some of my major Gator fan friends today that I was coming to interview the GameDay crew, they all asked about you. You have so many fans around here (University of Florida).

Erin: That's so nice! It's incredibly flattering when someone asks me for a photo, autograph or to leave a message on a friends machine. It's all so cool, because I never played a sport. I've never coached a national championship team. I'm just clearly someone who enjoys sports, enjoys being at events, being in the atmosphere and reporting on it. I haven't done anything to change the world, so it's really neat that people want to get close and are fans. I',m really grateful.

Fitz: Thanks so much for the chat Erin. You're great at what you do, and I'm glad you figured out how to live like a small woman around lots of big men. That certainly takes skill. And ... of course you're invited to come train with me when you cover a Gator game for GameDay this fall. I look forward to seeing all of your "real" push-ups!

**Oh! And maybe we can go shopping for some burkas while your here. Mike Nadel would like that.