Valerie Bertinelli is a total inspiration. She worked hard, lost weight, and looks amazing. And now, she has a fitness DVD -- "Valerie Bertinelli: Losing it and Keeping Fit."

The DVD is divided into three sections: a 20-minute Level 1 workout, a 40-minute Level 2 workout, and then Bonus Features. Both workouts feature Bertinelli with celebrity personal trainer Christopher Ross Lane, who was instrumental in helping the actress sculpt her new body.

Obviously, the workouts worked for Bertinelli. But is this DVD right for you? I tested out both workouts to find out.

When a Hollywood celeb has to get slim and sculpted in a jiffy, she hires a slew of professionals to whip her into shape. The rest of us, unfortunately, don't have that luxury -- until now. We asked celebrity trainer Gregory Joujon-Roche, and his Los Angeles-based Holistic Fitness team of nutritionists and chefs to come up with a fast program that's guaranteed to help you drop 5 pounds, blast fat and firm up everywhere. The team's methods have worked for such clients as Demi Moore, Rachel Weisz, and singer Avril Lavigne, who have all called on Holistic Fitness to help them reach their better-body goals.

Joujon-Roche and his experts walk you through their exclusive, results-guaranteed program:

• High-intensity cardio training five days a week for a minimum of 30 minutes. They advise full-body cardio activities where you use both upper- and lower-body sculpting, such as kickboxing, flowing power yoga and rowing.
• High-intensity weight lifting with free weights or machines three days a week. Lift on non-consecutive days, so your muscles (chest, back, arms, legs, abs) can recover in between. This also means at least 15 minutes of targeted ab training three days per week.
• A lower-fat diet of 1,500 calories per day [for women], and health-promoting habits from the start. "From day one, we encourage you to maintain an exercise-diet journal, take a multi-vitamin, and drink 10 glasses of water and green tea daily," says Joujon-Roche. "Plus, start eating a high-fiber, protein-packed diet that fuels your body, sustains willpower and revs up your metabolism."

Photo: Andrea Cross

While everyone knows 43-year-old Dara Torres is a five-time Olympian, here are two other amazing facts about her: On August 1, 2007, just 15 months after giving birth to her first child at age 40, Torres won the gold in the 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. Nationals. Then three days later, she twice broke her own American record in the 50-meter freestyle that she had originally set 26 years before. I caught up with her in the midst of her latest project, BP's Younger for Longer Challenge, to find out more about it and to learn how she stays in such stellar shape.

That's Fit: What was your impetus for this project?

Dara Torres: I've always maintained that age is just a number, and we should never put an age limit on our dreams. This is a contest that perpetuates that message. It reaches out to both men and women encouraging them to share their ideas in an essay about what keeps them young and healthy. (The winner wins $10,000 worth of BP gasoline with invigorate, a new formula designed to help keep cars running longer, and a one-on-one with Dara. Click here to enter.)

TF: What's the single most essential aspect of your life that you feel keeps you youthful?

DT: Fitness. It's always been a part of my life. My daughter's only 3, but I already have her taking gymnastics, dance and swimming classes. It doesn't have to be a purposeful workout, you just need to get out there and move, even if it's just a brisk daily walk. Exercise not only makes you feel younger, it relieves stress, and you automatically look better. It's a win-win.

Everyone, no matter how rich, or how famous, is affected by smoking. The most recent public figure to fall prey to a smoking-related illness is Courtney Love. The singer was recently ordered by her doctor to quit, after he discovered pre-op nodules in her throat.

In a message on her Web site, Loves writes that the doctor "guessed exactly how much I smoke," and that "I need to stop unless ... I want surgery in a year."

Her choices were either quit now, or take time off from touring to undergo the procedure.

Fortunately for Love, nodules are a benign growth on the vocal cords. However, cigarettes are the primary cause of throat cancer, which would almost certainly be the end of her singing career -- if not her life.

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One of the most prominent stars singled out for having an unhealthy obsession with staying trim is Nicole Richie. Now the socialite has caused even greater controversy after word was leaked that she'd organized a Memorial Day party for only her skinniest friends.

Her email read: "There will be a scale at the front door. No girls over 100 pounds allowed in. Start starving yourself now."

The public is already bombarded with unrealistic, unobtainable, and downright unhealthy ideas of what it means to be fit and attractive. Whether she likes it or not, Richie and her unnaturally slender frame are contributing to that. She's since claimed the email was a joke, but -- especially for someone in her position -- I can't imagine how it could've been funny.

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Anyone who's seen the recent photos of scantly-clad Britney Spears is thinking two things: a) what is she wearing? and b) how did she lose all that weight so fast?

According UK gossip rag, the Mirror, the former pop star has lost 14lbs -- going from a size 14 to a size 10 in a matter of weeks.

So how does she do it? While I'd love to tell you there's an insider secret, the truth is, she's losing weight the only way possible -- eating right and exercising, a lot. Not only is she off the alcohol (which will pack on the pounds fast), she's eating a low calorie diet full of fruits and vegetables, and sticking to low-fat protein -- like fish. Britney is also working out up to 4 times a week, 2 hours a day -- all with the guidance of a personal trainer. This is in addition to all the time she spends training at the Millennium Dance Studio in North Hollywood.

In essence, if you want a body like Britney Spears, the secret is work, work, work.

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If you're someone who looks to celebrities for weight-loss inspiration, get set for the new season of Celebrity Fit Club, featuring b-list (or c-list?) celebrities like Warren G, Dustin Diamond from Saved By The Bell (huh? isn't he skinny as a rake?!), Maureen McCormick aka Marcia from the Brady Bunch and Kimberley Locke from American Idol. The show follows overweight celebrities as they race to lose weight, with proceeds going to charities. They are helped by health experts, psychologists, trainers and even a hypnotherapist, and most celebrities from past seasons have kept all or most of the weight off.

I've never seen this show, so I'm not sure if it would inspire me to lose weight and eat healthier or not. What do you think?

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Jennifer Aniston's on it. Rene Zellweger and Charlie Sheen have done it. Have you? It's the Zone, one Hollywood's most well-known diet. Actually, it's no so much a diet as a lifestyle change. Basically, the Zone follows an eating plan that is made up of 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat. That sounds fairly straightforward, but I think once it comes down to measuring every portion of every food of every meal, it could get a bit confusing, not to mention frustrating. Especially for those of us who can't afford to buy pre-made Zone-friendly meals. Also, I understand cutting carbs, but 30% of your daily intake being fat seems a bit high to me. I guess it's okay, though, if you're talking about healthy fats like nuts, olive oil, etc., and not just whipping cream and steak.

Have your tried the Zone? What do or did you think of it. And if you haven't, does it sound like something you could master?

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