All week long, we're busy checking out how the celebrities stay fit. But there are so many stars, and so many tips, that it can be easy to miss one! If you want to make sure you're up to date on your hot celeb fitness scoop, this is your chance. Click on your secret celebrity fitness crush above to find out what he or she was up to this week!

Ryan Reynolds has been an observer of the New York City Marathon in past years, and says he was amazed by the "guys coming in to finish with bleeding nipples ... People were crying. People were limping, hobbling, screaming, crawling. But most importantly, people were experiencing a sublime rapture that I couldn't even hope to understand."

Add to that statement the fact that Reynolds, who has described his early morning runs as "nothing short of horrifying," has chosen to run the marathon after speaking with Michael J. Fox in an effort to raise money for Parkinson's Disease, which his father has battled for the last 15 years, and whoa -- he's starting to sound awfully serious. Did his recent marriage to Scarlett Johansson rid him of his funny bone? Nope, not at all. The funnyman wrote the following:

"Not since the discovery of Junior High School has a torture been so effective. It's my hope the story of my father combined with my own goal of becoming the first person in history to sob uncontrollably for 26.2 miles straight, may inspire you to give something, too. ... [C]ome on down and watch. Feel free to bring a smile, automated defibrillator, or a fresh set of nipples."

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The New York Marathon was held this past weekend and British runner Paula Radcliffe took the top spot in the race, completing the 26.2-mile race in two hours, 23 minutes and nine seconds. But the amazing aspect of this story, I think, is that Radcliffe gave birth to her daughter Isla a mere 10 months ago. And the 27-hour labor even lead to a stress fracture in her sacrum. Wow. That is one fit mama.

Of her win so soon after giving birth, Radcliffe says, Generally, the happier I am, the better I run. Certainly I'm a lot happier with Isla in our lives. I think your body is just a little bit stronger after pregnancy."

Good for her for not letting pregnancy get in the way of her fitness goals. What do you think?

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Now that I've lightened up on the ever-so-intense marathon training schedule, I've started to enjoy running again. You know, running for running's sake.

There is a strong opinion among many that one should never run merely for the sake of running. One must always be setting and achieving goals, then setting bigger goals. One must be racing or going a further distance or doing more hills or some such thing.

Well, not me. Today I just ran for the heck of it. And it felt great. The only downside was the realization that I stretched out my favorite long-sleeved running shirt while I was preggers.

Actually, it was good timing that I loosened the reigns on the training schedule when I did. This past week I became sicker than I have been in years. To make matters worse the baby had a little something too, so we were sick together. Needless to say he was in a better mood than I was. He still got all the attention he needed, while I had to carve yet one more thing out of my life by not being able to run.

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Sometimes I think I just can't do this anymore. I can't run one more mile, take one more step. I feel like my legs are made of stone and my feet hurt so much they might explode out of my running shoes.

This normally happens towards the end of a run, when I know I have more miles to go and am no longer comfortable running. I've never been a competitive runner, so for me, to feel comfortable when I run is key.

But not always. Sometimes I hide in my comfort and forget to challenge myself. I enjoy a challenge almost as much as I enjoy comfort. Yet there are times when the challenge seems overwhelming. I can't make it up the hill, or around the park one last lap.

Then I start to think about all the other people in the park. Some of them are going through the same thing--struggling just to make it a few more yards. I start to think about the people who can't even make it to the park, those who can't run or literally can't take another step.

I think about an inspiring picture I took from last year's NYC marathon of a man hauling it down 4th Avenue in Brooklyn who had no limbs. He was kicking butt and having the time of his life. And he was working very, very hard. He'd worked so hard just to get to the marathon--I can't even imagine what it must have been like the first time he got on one of those machines and got going just using his arms.

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Do you ever feel like your life is an Eagles song? I do. Pre-baby it was "Life in the Fast Lane." Once I ad the baby it became "I Can't Tell You Why." Now, as I prepare for the marathon of motherhood, a new job and the actual NYC marathon this fall, it's "The Long Run."

I'm finding that I'm spending more and more time out of the house, and less time with my son. It's not just the job and the desire to do a few small things for myself--I finally got a haircut this past week, then we went to a concert in New Jersey--it's all the running.

A schedule for my husband, my baby and myself that worked out well in the beginning is in need of some major adjustment. When I started running again a few months ago, I was out of the house for maybe a half-hour. Now, in August, I'm running seven miles at a time, and am out of the house an hour and a half. The plan is for more... much, much more.

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I'm not so sure that I would call it a vacation, per se, but I did recently take a ten day road trip with my husband and new baby to see both our families. We rented a car and went from Brooklyn, New York to Cleveland, Ohio, down to Louisville, Kentucky (my home town), back up to Delphi, Indiana, on to somewhere in Pennsylvania and then back to New York City.

The entire event was mind-boggling. Trying to juggle dealing with an infant, spotty directions, managing an SUV (and gas) and seeing all our friends and family really put a damper on our efforts to exercise.

That said, I did get a few runs in, all of them in Louisville. There is a one mile track all the way around my parents' neighborhood that I ran around over and over and over. It was so repetitive that at one point I forget where I was and thought I'd gone a lot farther than I had; turned out I had just decided to go the other way for a bit of variety. Sheesh.

I knew going into it that it would be difficult to find time--and places--to run on this trip. Since we were spending so much time in a car, which we're not used to doing, we got less time in walking as well. We sat and sat and sat and sat some more. We tried not to eat too poorly but there were times when we had to eat something and the only thing around was fast food joints.

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Whew! Well, it's officially been seven weeks since I gave birth to my son. It's also taken six weeks to collect my thoughts and be in the frame of mind to rationally present them to you, let alone think about hitting the pavement for my first post-partum run. For those of you who don't know, I chronicled my efforts to remain fit during my pregnancy with my bi-weekly column, Fit Pregnancy. Now, nine (ten) months later, I am challenged with getting back in shape.

I've gotten back in shape before, sure. There were those years when I ate a little too much, drank way too much and toyed with the idea of being a runner rather than really challenging myself. At one point I realized it was up to me to be as healthy as possible if I wanted to live a long, happy life. When I considered getting pregnant I knew inherently that for me, being fit would help me be a better mommy. During my pregnancy I did everything in my power to stay as healthy and mobile as possible.

The results? My son arrived right on his due date and in perfect health. I didn't develop any of the pregnancy nightmare conditions I'd read up on and been warned about. I didn't gain an astronomical amount of weight. In fact, my pregnancy was essentially textbook in every way. My delivery was as smooth and enjoyable as it could possibly be (at least for me). Did any of that have to do with the fact that I stretched and walked almost every day? Maybe not but I like to think so.

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In our Fit Pregnancy feature, blogger Jennifer Jordan speaks her mind about maintaining a healthy pregnancy. Every two weeks through March 31, 2007 she'll weigh in on exercise, diet, wellness and other health-related issues as she manages her own journey from pregnancy to motherhood.

One thing I miss about running is the competitive edge it gives me. I've run in numerous races from 5Ks to half-marathons and enjoyed each one immensely. I never thought I'd actually win any of these races--I'm not the fastest nor can I run the farthest--but I was always in competition with myself. Nothing beats my beating me, you know? Just looking at a new record I'd set for myself, then enjoying a nice french toast bagel (if you haven't had one and you are in the NYC area sign up for practically any race to be rewarded with one of these joyous inventions) was unbelievably satisfying.

Preparing for one of these races, the goal being to best my last time, was almost as much fun. The spouse and I would set mileage and pick routes, put our best efforts forward to increase our pace. We'd keep time and count our splits, then record everything daily to compare over time. It was basically an all-consuming process, and one I miss terribly now that I'm preggers.

My husband, who wants to run the 2007 NYC marathon with me, has been competing in many races this year, most of them without me. If one runs 9 qualifying races in one calendar year, he/she automatically gains entrance to the NYC marathon the following year. I took the easier approach and signed up for the lottery, got in, then took the really easy approach by getting pregnant, getting out of training, and rolling my entry over to next year. Problem is, my husband, who is still training and doing all the running, also seems to be having all the fun.

When we work out in the mornings we part ways, him hoofing it off with the stopwatch in a gallop, and me waddling as quickly as I can in the opposite direction, hoping if I'm lucky to cover a third of the ground he does during our half-hour AM workout. I don't time myself or record my time. It's an accomplishment for me to just get out of bed at this point, you know?

That said, the spouse has one more race to complete in order to get his entrance into the NYC marathon, a 4-miler in Central Park. He asked if I'd like to walk the race while he runs it, and most likely mentioned something about french toast bagels and possibly hot chocolate being served. This was all I needed to hear--if there's one thing better than french toast bagels it's those served with hot cocoa. Seriously.

My husband pointed out that I walk 5 miles at a time on Saturdays so this 4-miler should be no problem. He also reminded me that when we do time me, I can do 5 miles (hills and all) in an hour twenty, including stops for water and a trip to the bathroom. Guess I haven't really lost that competitive edge after all.

So, I signed up for the race. And I'm totally psyched about it. I may have even recruited a pal to walk it with me. In an effort to "best" my time, I've also been, uh, training. This consists of mainly trying to waddle even more quickly, drinking extra water, and sampling my husbands energy pellets also known as Goo Beans. They're delicious. In other words, I am treating prep for this race like I would any other--and why not?

Truth be told, if I don't get around Central Park fast enough there won't be any french toast bagels left. If that's not incentive enough I don't know what is!

Moral of the story: Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean you can't by competitive. It also doesn't mean you can't have fun with your workout, set goals, or achieve them.

PS--if you're not in the NYC area and are now desperate for a french toast bagel, some Starbuck's carry them. I've also just received word that Au Bon Pain is carrying them as well. Haven't sampled these yet so I can't comment on their fabulousness.

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In our Fit Pregnancy feature, blogger Jennifer Jordan speaks her mind about maintaining a healthy pregnancy. Every two weeks through March 31, 2007 she'll weigh in on exercise, diet, wellness and other health-related issues as she manages her own journey from pregnancy to motherhood.

One of the most difficult things for me to accept about my pregnancy is that it is simply not possible to maintain my pre-pregnancy level of fitness. Even though I power walk almost every day and have continued my morning stretch and workout routines, I know at the end of these nine months I'll be lucky if I can run a mile, let alone 13.

Not only has my calorie burning nosedived in the last trimester, but my calorie intake feels like it's doubled. I don't own a scale, and with good reason due to our hate/hate relationship, so I can't be sure how much weight I've gained in the last three months. It seems like a lot. My pants don't fit. My stomach doesn't look pregnant yet, it just looks mushy. Given the form-fitting outfits I prefer the future does not bode well.

Luckily for me, for every race I ran in the last two years I received an over-sized T-shirt. Now that I'm a little thicker in the middle I'm finally getting some use out of them. Not only do my T's convey to people I see running around the park every morning when I go out for my walk that I at least USED to be in shape ("Hey, look, another Bronx Half-Marathon tank!") but no one can really tell what's going on underneath. I'm not ashamed of being pregnant, but I am ashamed of looking pudgy--and of not running.

To be quite frank, I've been avoiding a co-worker who I also see trotting around the park in preparing herself for the NYC Marathon I was going to run as well. I suppose I could just tell her and she would understand, but it's more complicated than that. I've given up a dream. Running the marathon was a short-lived dream, to be sure, especially considering I had no interest in it until everyone else was signing up for it. It became a bigger deal when no one else got into the lottery and I did. I was the only one. I was chosen.

The upshot of all this is that I get to have a baby. I say "get to" because I realize not everyone does. And not everyone wants to. Right now I cower in the transverse that cuts through the center of the park afraid someone I know will look at me disapprovingly because I'm merely walking not running. In reality no one else is disapproving of me but me. I've worked all my life to be able to run 13 miles at a time, and now I've moved on to another project it seems I've been waiting my whole life to begin. In a way, it's like I've lost a best friend. Running was there for me during all the highs and lows of my life. I disapprove of myself for letting all the work I've put in slide, fearing I'll never be able to again achieve that level of fitness.

I've seen it happen so often, and it's understandable. I have so little free time now that I can't imagine when I'll find the time to exercise once I have a child. People do it, though--I see them running around the park with their baby joggers.

Oddly enough, everyone else seems to have faith in my ability to jump back into fitness except for me. My parents have already determined that the best shower gift for me would be a baby jogger. My husband claims he will work out a schedule with me so we can both train for the marathon in 2007 and run it together. I guess he hasn't thought who will watch our child while we hoof it around the 5 boroughs, but I'm sure we'll manage.

The one thing that makes it all worth it is seeing my baby on a sonogram. Apparently he/she is quite active, which gives me nothing but satisfaction. I feel as if my activeness is feeding the baby's. This sentiment has motivated me to get up every day and keep at it, even if I'm not running. To him/her it doesn't seem to make any difference, so why should it to me?

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