That's Fit

One of the reasons I adore Jamie Lee Curtis forever and ever is that she let herself be photographed pre-makeup. That kind of honesty about what goes into maintaining a celebrity look is very rare. So for this week's roundup, let's look at how the celebs manage to look the way they do.

Kelly Ripa is on the cover of Fitness, and the publicity email claims the photos feature her "un-airbrushed bellybutton". Just the bellybutton, then? Well, she was happy to share her secret to a perky booty: "I buy jeans that are tight in the rear end. I'm not kidding. I treat my cheeks like breasts in a push-up bra. I just reach down in there, lift them up and push them together. And they'll stay put if the jeans are tight enough in the seat." Bra jeans. We feel you, Kelly.

Speaking of bras, Jane Seymour reveals what goes into star-boobs: implants. She confessed she had a boob job--with implants so small the surgeon had to special-order them. 'Kay. Good for her at least for being open about it.

So how do celebrities and Hollywood power players stay svelte? Freaky eating habits. Thank goodness we don't live in L.A.

Perhaps skewed visions of diet are behind Geri Halliwell's claim that she never diets herself. She also says she doesn't exercise, except for a little walking and yoga. Mmm hmm. Oh, but she drinks loads of water. Well, that explains it. Listen, either Ginger is lying, or she's in Julia Robert's camp. Which is...

Having the good fortune to be blessed with great genes, and Julia is straight-up about it. She's also in the minority most likely. Check this quote that makes me wanna smooch her: "I have been working out, but listen, it is 97 percent genetics. Don't let anybody tell you any crap about anything else, because that's what it is: 97 percent genetics and 3 percent just get your ass moving. Because I've never met a cookie I didn't like." I guess when it comes down to it, you'd either be very lucky, follow some completely ridiculous food plan, or just decide not to have a celebrity body and get healthy instead. S'up to you.

Hopefully we all know celebrities don't represent reality as the rest of us know it. The famous people we see have been made up, personal trained, coiffed, dressed, and soft-lit into the closest they can come to perfection, and of course they represent a very small and genetically blessed segment of the population. So sometimes it's necessary to do a little reality check, just to remind ourselves that what we see isn't what we are supposed to be.

Cheers to America Ferrara for giving us a vocabulary reality check. Right now the media is labeling her with what I call 'Kate Winslet Syndrome': when a svelte, normal-looking celeb is called "curvy" because she is shapelier than the stick figures in Hollywood. Pencils are "curvy" next to some of those ladies. America says, "I think it's hilarious when people call Jessica Alba or Eva Longoria curvy. Come on – they're not curvy. I'm curvy!" Props to her also for refusing to starve for her art. Don't shrink America!

As far as reality, supermodel Eva Herzigova has given us a mixed bag. Four months postpartum she's back to her pre-baby size, and says, "Nature has a way of taking care of things. If you have a certain figure you'll go back to it. Breast feed and don't worry about it." 'Kay, we like the very un-model-like lack of weight concern, but nature ain't so kind to everybody Eva.

While the Spice Girls reunion might be one of the first signs of the apocalypse, the press has certainly decided they haven't aged gracefully. Photos of Sporty and Posh with less-than-flawless complexions got media jeers, and Ginger's loose belly skin was also ridiculed. (Oooh, loose stomach skin. Big problem.) Now the SGs are being mocked for looking, um, ageless in their new video. So yeah, we know kind lighting and some digital magic probably made the transformation possible, but I have to say, is bad skin and some belly baggage so reprehensible? I think the scorn probably does more to encourage the 'perfection by any means' mentality than make it okay for famous people to have flaws. Sporty even said she almost refused the reunion for fear her old eating disorders would resurface. So let's stop bagging on the ladies for having imperfections and get back to trashing the crappy music.

And finally, here's a reality check on behalf of the men: While I like Matthew McConaughey's chest as much as the next person, I've seen enough shirtless beach photos of him. Really. People does a 'Guess the chest' quiz and I know the answer because I'd probably recognize MM's pecs faster than I'd peg a photo of the Grand Canyon. And of course, we see sandy, wind-blown MM all the time because that body isn't typical. Reality might bite, but there you have it.

In the world of celebrity fitness, there's a few gems and a whole lot of stuff that's just plain funny. Let's take a gander at the lifestyles of the rich and famous and see what we love, and what just makes us fall down on the floor in hysterical laughter.

My dreamboat Gabrielle Reece is on the cover of Pregnancy magazine, because of course she still exercises and stays healthy while she's with child. Known for her straight-shooting fitness advice and Amazonian awesomeness, she's proof you can be hot and pregnant at the same time. Actually, if you check out the pics of her exercises on FitSugar, you'll realize Gabby would probably look hot taking out the garbage with her hair in curlers. Just sayin'. Solid cheers for her, and I won't hear anything otherwise.

Speaking of pregnancy, Trish Sutter, formerly of the Bachelor, wants to lose the last 10 pounds of her pregnancy weight--she's 5'2" and now weighs 116. Ah, body image in La-la land. Us magazine reports on her hatred of her belly, three months postpartum. (Cough.) We'd like to remind her that it's okay to take your time, that many ladies (hi!) hold the baby weight for a while. Jeers, not so much for the weight thing, but because Trish reports, "My friend said that when I came home from the hospital, I'd be back in my old jeans." Honey, anyone who feeds you that lie is NOT your friend.

Of course Us also has the diet and exercise plans for your weight loss, straight from the trainers to the stars. I'm sure you'll be able to follow their exact regimen and program without the benefit of a trainer and personal chef. Yeah. Anyhow, the very best bit comes from Valerie Waters, trainer to Jennifer Garner. Her exercises use a tool she created called, "The Valslide ®." Don't have one handy? Well, "You can duplicate the motion at home using a paper plate on carpet or a towel on hardwood floor." Hold on, I'll get the paper plate out as soon as I stop laughing. Jeers.

Hey, your workouts could result in a happy marriage. At least it worked for Seal and Heidi Klum. Heidi told Oprah she first spotted Seal coming out of the gym wearing bike shorts. So, did his rock-hard physique win her over? Um, I think it was more that the shorts reveal so much about a man. Ahem. I think this is cheers, just because at least he was working out, and at least she was honest about what drew her to him.

The last one comes from the In Style celebrity gallery. Celebs were asked, "What is sexy?" and boy, are there some really hilariously stupid answers. Although it's not a great question either. It'd be all jeers, except Joy Bryant listed her chocolate cake as sexy, and since most famous folks don't even remember what dessert tastes like, we'll give her big cheers for that.

We all know fitness doesn't come effortlessly to anyone. There's hard work and consistency involved in being in shape. Hence the sweatiness. And celebrities are no exception...well, except for the ones who get their bods through a little plastic surgery, but hardly any of them do that, right? Right? This week's celebrity gawking focuses on the fact that, well, it isn't easy.

Jessica Simpson may be getting praise for her toned body again, but she confesses she's lousy at one key component of her regime: jumping rope. Jess claims her lack of rhythm is to blame, and of course her trainer makes her do lots of sets, because trainers are evil like that. She also says if she craves a food, she allows herself a taste, as in, a couple of bites. Livin' large, girl. Now that sounds like it isn't easy.

Lance Armstrong is pretty much the picture of athletic awesomeness, but now that he's training for a marathon, he says running isn't easy. Lance claims riding a bike is more efficient and easier on the body. That's only because he's never seen me ride a bike.

Samantha Harris, host of Dancing With the Stars, resumed working out just two-and-a-half weeks after giving birth. She says her doctor gave her the green light, so she dived in with a yoga class, a cardio sculpting class, a plain old sculpting class... She says, "I'm not trying to drop the weight fast in any capacity." Mmm hmm, whatever you say. I'm thinking the immediate return to exercise isn't, you know...

Lily Allen credits hypnosis for her recent weight loss. The singer dropped many pounds and claims the hypnotism helps her stop eating when she's full and makes her want to get to the gym daily. Allen has blogged about her weight and body issues for a while, and while she's tried to let go of it, she confessed in May that she had "fallen victim to the evil machine." That kind of public weight scrutiny can't be easy.

Forbes interviews the trainers to stars like Jessica Biel and Kimora Lee Simmons for the lowdown on how celebs get their bodies looking good. I'll give you a hint: It sure helps to have the time and money to work out zealously with a trainer. There are also photos of swanky gyms the famous people hit. Exercising with a pro in posh digs still isn't easy, but it's easier than the rest of us have it.

I'm a fan of the 5 Resolutions blog, started by model and bulimia awareness spokesperson Magali Amadei and writer and eating disorder expert Claire Mysko. They feature a nice round-up of the summer's plastic surgery news, including the rise of the $6,000 eyelash transplant and a study showing that British women are more likely to get plastic surgery to make their partners happy than American women. But my favorite 'ugh" story? Let's look at the ease with which you can get your lines Botoxed versus your wait for a skin cancer screening. "A typical wait for a Botox treatment is just eight days. But if you need a doc to examine a mole, you'll have to wait 26." Nice.

Magali and Claire are waging a campaign to change the fashion and beauty industries, and I'm way on board that train. Here's some more on their 5 point plan. Read and get all inspired to do the good work.

We generally think of competitive athletes as super-duper healthy, but doctors at a heart conference pointed out that heart problems like arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) actually pose a greater risk to those who go for gold. Athletes may not know they have a heart issue, and adrenaline produced during exercise can overstimulate the heart. However, screening all athletes for these kinds of problems could reduce the rate of death. Right now Italy is the only country that mandates this kind of screening for its pros.

The issue has garnered more attention lately following the deaths of football (that's soccer for the Americans) players Antonio Puerta, Chaswe Nsofwa, and Anton Reid. The docs estimate that Italy's screening program costs about $82 per athlete, but many countries hesitate to implement screening due to the relatively rare incidence of the conditions and questions about the effectiveness of the tests. I dunno, still seems like a small price to pay to potentially prevent 16-year-olds from dropping dead on the field.

I'm big on activities that kill two birds with one workout. And one of my life goals is to actually have moments of being "fun mom," so I like to look for ways to combine exercise with playtime. Here's my five best kid-exercises that require no equipment except a hyped up small child or two.

1. Piggyback rides. Don't just walk, run, and see if you don't get at least a little sweaty.

2. Freeze tag. When you get frozen hold a squat position or plank. Then run like the wind when you are it. And don't hang out at base.

3. Airplane. Lay on your back, hold your child's hands, and pull them onto the bottoms of your feet. Now bend and straighten your wings. Junior's flying while your legs are dying.

4. Blurty sit-ups. Get in sit-up position, and have your kid stand between your feet. When you sit up, blurt them on the belly. Fun ensues.

5. Squat to press. Hold your child by the waist, and squat down. Then stand and lift your kid (using good form, please!) If you have a small enough child, straighten your arms and press them into the air. Repeat until your child is tired or you are toast, whichever comes first.

With new studies appearing daily on the effects of this diet or that food, it gets hard to know exactly what constitutes a healthy diet. This month's Scientific American has an excellent article by Marion Nestle, renowned nutrition professor and author of What to Eat. Her answer to the good eating dilemma is pretty straightforward: "eat less, move more, eat a largely plant-based diet, and avoid eating too much junk food," and as she says, we've known this for a while now. But she also includes a discussion of how studies of single nutrients and the influence of the food industry on research and consumer behavior have muddied the waters considerably.

One great sidebar is her take on the newest food pyramid. She notes that the vague color scheme and absence of clear-cut advice on foods to avoid makes the pyramid, well, pretty unhelpful. Why is this pyramid so much more flawed than the 1992 version? Nestle and others suspect the influence of the food lobbies, who prefer the that government doesn't tell consumers to stay away from their products. In other words, what is good for the bottom line of food companies is pretty sucky for the rest of us.

It might not be a newsflash that broccoli is, well, healthy, but the more we learn about the magical little vegetable, the more it seems you should eat the stuff by the truckload. Aside from being all low-cal and vegetable-y, broccoli has 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM), a chemical produced when broccoli (and kale and cabbage) are chewed up and digested. DIM has been shown to stop the growth of cancer cells in animal studies. But researchers at the University of California at Berkeley also found that DIM boosts the immune response in mice. Better immune response means the body can better fight infections and cancers.

If DIM has the same result in humans, it's one more reason to broccolify your meals. I'm keeping my fingers crossed they'll find cake has the same health-helping properties, but I don't think it's looking good so far...

I hear this often from women: "I want to weight train, but I'm nervous about bulking up." I'm here to tell you, honey, the chances are slim that you'll get big rippling muscles unless you also do lots of steroids. Women just don't have the testosterone for it. In fact, you might need to worry about whether you are lifting enough. A study of college students at Ohio State University showed that women, when left to their own strength training devices, typically chose weights at 50 percent of their max capacity, which isn't even close to the 75 percent you should be pumping. And women who were given a regimen using weights at 75 percent reported that the program was too hard. So while guys in the gym might be adding pounds to the bicep curl, many women are probably just, well, barely making it worth their while.

This is a drag, because you need sufficient weight to really get the benefits of muscular fitness and bone density. Bone density is crucial in the prevention of osteoporosis. Here's one way to tell if you aren't pumping enough iron: can you do three sets of ten to twelve reps of an exercise with relative ease? If so, add weight, baby. At least the last few reps of the second and third set should be hard to complete.

There's been several notable scandals in magazine airbrushing lately (arms that get bigger or smaller, pounds that melt away while boobs swell to a new cup size) but so far it hasn't dampened much of the industry enthusiasm for showing celebrities in that bizarre fake light with flawless, plastic skin and crazy unrealistic bods. Aside from the completely whackadoo body image stuff it promotes, I actually think lots of the photos look creepy. I'm hoping this shiny rubber people thing is replaced by a grittier, more natural aesthetic. Well, you can see for yourself what some famous people look like if you check out the iWANEX portfolio. They are a professional photo retouching company and they rework folks like Cameron Diaz and Cate Blanchett into smooth, strange weirdness.

It's kinda fun to toggle back and forth and see famous people shrink and grow right before your eyes. No need for us to feel so bad about our own eye wrinkles and flyaway hair. And I think the celebs look best pre-retouch too. Via Strollerderby.

Men's Health compiled a bunch of surveys and stats and came up with the healthiest countries for men. Then they borrowed little tips from each country so the males in the fair U.S. of A. can emulate their manly international brethren. Ooooh, so cosmopolitan. Okay, now adopt your best vague accent and let's take our whirlwind tour of the world.

From nutritional winner Greece we learn that guys should eat veggies as a main course, and Portugal pumps up the seafood quota. Exercise champ the Netherlands has the big bicycle advantage, and Canada believes in green spaces and, uh, getting a dog. Hmmm. For less work stress, take a tip from the break-and-vacation-taking Spaniards. The U.S. leads in kicking the nic habit, and Australians avoid diseases by playing manly rugby and eating steaks. (What happened to all those veggies and fish, mate?) For better lovin', be chivalrous like the Polish and up front like the British. (I had no idea English guys were such good lays.)

Overall I think the Netherlands, Canada, and Poland came out well, but it's a hard contest to call. Ukraine and Romania need help. Anyhow, keep your passport updated just in case.

Forget horse asthma medication and cocaine and working out 17 hours a day: the newest way for celebs to lose weight is apparently to spend a little time with Victoria Beckham. Katie Holmes may have gotten diet tips from her, and now food stalkers say Eva Longoria is next. Fit & Healthy reports, "'They had bruschetta and an artichoke dip at the table for the group, and I never saw Eva eat a thing,' says an eyewitness. Victoria nibbled a tiny bit while drinking white wine." Okay, maybe Eva just wasn't hungry that night. I hope.

Shucks, I think we could all take a tip from Posh's husband, cuz a little junk in the trunk is way hot. And I have no idea how Victoria stays skinny, especially since celebs aren't always that up front with their true diet plans. But yes, not eating will make you lose weight. It's just not particularly healthy for, you know, functioning in the world. If the item is correct, and ladies really do get antsy being photographed next to Posh because she's such a rail, then yikes. Now, why would celebrities be anxious about a few photos?

One more reason sixty is the new thirty... As Bethany told you, more and more seniors are getting and staying in shape. And some good news in all this is exercise professionals are starting to design more workout programs specific to older populations, and fitness centers are springing up in retirement communities. Forget sitting in a rocker and reminiscing: retirement is all about setting a new record for your bench press.

The best quote in the article comes from Dr. Walter Bortz, who wrote "Dare to Be 100" and "Living Longer for Dummies." He's 77 years old, for the last 35 years he's run a marathon annually. While cautioning older people not to go all crazy with the workouts, he says, "Obviously, pain is nature's signal, but you can't be a pantywaist about pain." Excellent.

Seniors should work on four different things, according to the National Institute on Aging: endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. Oh yeah, that's vastly different from what the young 'uns are supposed to work on.

In a lineup of people who loooove Gabrielle Reece, I probably stand somewhere just behind her husband Laird and her kids. She's an amazing athlete, hotter than the sun, and she gives straight-up fitness advice without pulling punches. As Parentdish reports, at five months pregnant she still manages to stay on the pro volleyball circuit and put in time as a Today show correspondent. Her mortal hubby says, "She's feeling good, training hard, working out like an animal."

Normally I might kinda resent women who can do it all while pregnant, but she's so fierce and, well, hot, I can't help but adore her even more. Why do I get the feeling she could deliver her baby on the volleyball court and still find a way to fit in a workout? Go Gabby, go!