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Who does Katherine Heigl, one of the most gorgeous stars in Hollywood, wish she looked like? Nicole Ritchie, of all people. The perfectly-proportioned star recently admitted that when it comes to her size, she secretly wishes she were closer to the scary-skinny end of the scale, rather than the beautifully-curvy position she currently occupies. "My own insecurity makes me want to look like Nicole Richie," says Heigl. But she's 5 feet 9 inches tall and says she has "substantial breasts, hips and everything else, so it's never going to happen," even though I think most of us would agree that Heigl's figure is the one we'd rather have.

But the "Grey's Anatomy" actress admits that she doesn't have what it takes to diet like Richie. "What stops me is that I want young girls to look at me and think: 'That's healthy, that's what I want - she's on television and she looks like me,'" she says, adding that she hates dieting and is obsessed with food. Plus, she keeps red-carpet ready by working out with celeb trainer Harley Pasternak, and she even does ab exercises while she gets manicures.

I'm glad she takes her status as a role model seriously -- but by admitting she wishes she were thinner, do you think she's a healthy one?

One celeb who's definitely a good role model is Michelle Obama -- she's in the best shape of her life!

We at That's Fit and AOL Health know you've got a lot going on in your lives besides staying in great shape, and we realize that more than just diet and exercise goes into feeling your best every day. That's why we're sharing some of the exciting reporting going on at AOL Health.

Think you're as protein-savvy as they come? Did you know that a handful of peas or a serving of oatmeal or split peas are good sources of filling, lean protein? Discover more diet-smart protein sources and what amount of protein you should strive to eat each day.

Being famous does not guarantee good skin (See: Brad Pitt), so we went to the experts to see which celeb skin came out on top, and how to steal the famous looks.

Fruits -- fiber-filled, low-calorie, wholesome and healthy. Fruit juice -- well, new research indicates too many glasses could lead to liver disease. Learn the explanation behind the study at AOL Health.

As fabulous as we at That's Fit think this blog is, the truth is there are hundreds of wonderful blogs on healthy living to be seen all over the blogosphere. So in this feature, Fit Links, we'll introduce you to some that have caught our eye.

When's the best time to start worrying about shedding the baby weight? According to the LA Times, before you get pregnant!

Need some motivation to get your behind to the gym? How about fashion? Shape Magazine is counting down the best new workout gear.

It's that time of year again -- road trip season. Stay slim on the road with help from Fit Celeb.

Do celeb weight struggles help or hinder your own slimming abilities? That's what the New York Times Well Blog is talking about.

Thank goodness for this -- Lindsay Lohan is being asked to gain weight for a movie role, and she needs it judging by the recent photos of her gaunt frame.

Apparently, crash diets do work -- provided you stick to healthy foods and aren't just subsiding on diet coke and celery.

Here at That's Fit, we're constantly telling you what we think about things, but sometimes it's nice to know what you think. So from time to time, we'll ask you a question. Don't be afraid to speak up -- we love feedback.

From Valerie Bertinelli's bikini body, to Kathy Ireland's weight loss, to Lisa Rinna's Playboy cover, celebrity fitness stories swirl around the Internet daily. I know that I get inspired when I see Michelle Obama's toned arms and, like most of my That's Fit co-workers, I'm a big fan of Kate Winslet's refreshingly honest and positive view on nutrition and fitness. But I wonder how you feel about celebrity fitness stories?

Carnie Wilson's weight gets around -- the scale, that is. It's gone up, up some more, up some more, down a lot, up again and down again. Gastric Bypass surgery didn't help her keep the weight off for good, but changing her habits has helped her slim down once again. She spoke to OK Magazine about her most recent weight loss -- here are some of the highlights:

• On her cheat foods: "I bake cheesecake for other people and I taste it and spit it out. Every six or seven weeks, I have a tiny bit of dark chocolate and I actually will say, "You can swallow this. You deserve to taste something you love."
• On her favorite healthy foods: "My saviors are baby carrots, hummus, natural peanut butter, baked yams and almond butter sweetened with agave."
• On her husband's reaction: "He's so happy! We had so much fun trying to make a baby last week. We had so much sex."
  

Luckily, sex burns calories -- she probably doesn't even have to spit out the cheesecake every time.

Few can deny that Madonna looks phenomenal, even though she's closing in on 50. Most of us would love to assume that it's all down to plastic surgery or some miracle pill that us common folk can't afford but the Daily Mail recently talked to her personal trainer, who revealed what we secretly suspected: That it's all just down to really hard work. Lots of it. These days she works out daily, but that's not much of a stretch for her -- she's always been into fitness.

Madonna has one advantage over us non-celebs: She can take 2 hours a day to work out. After all, it's her job to look good. But according to trainer Tracy Anderson, re-shaping your body doesn't necessarily take two hours a day -- one hour six days a week should suffice at totally re-shaping your body. The key? Performing cardio and toning exercises at every single workout.

Want to know more? Check out the article for Tracy's workout tips and tricks.

(Via ParentDish)

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How does a celebrity affect a hospital waiting room? It's an amazing thing really, as this Time article points out. Even a minor celebrity can turn the usual unpleasant attitudes (who's ever happy to need medical attention?) into much more positive, trusting, and happy ones. People who would normally be eyeing the doctors and nurses suspiciously are suddenly all too happy to trust whatever they say and whatever they're doing, because after all if they're good enough to care for a celebrity they're good enough for the rest of us, right?

Interesting how fame can suddenly inspire faith in a completely unrelated area like health care, and although it's hardly okay I can totally see how it happens. Celebrity endorsements work for everything else regardless of merit, why not medical care?

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Do you think your workout would be more fun and interesting if you had the same personal trainer as your favorite celebrity and even worked out in the same gym? Do you think they really have it that much better and easier than the rest of us? I'm half torn on that question myself, because although they do have unlimited funds (I would soooo have a personal chef to cook me wonderful healthy dishes for every meal!) but no matter how you scramble it weight loss and fitness are still hard work -- you can't just "order up" a fit physique.

The truth is celebrities go through the same sorts of things we do, and celebrity trainers follow much the same principles for their famous clients as they do their non-famous ones. Concepts like getting into a rhythm and making a habit of fitness, finding things that are fun to do, and realizing that it's a daily conscious effort are key.

Some things are just human, money and fame or not!

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Aretha Franklin does not generally come to mind as a thin or small person, although recently she has successfully lost quite a bit of weight. She refuses to say exactly how many pounds she's shed, but says "I found the magic numbers on the treadmill." It sounds like it wasn't a fast process ("Slowly but surely") but she seems happy with the results. When asked if she did or would ever consider surgery she says absolutely not, stating that she has friends who have had a rough time after gastric bypass surgeries. Plus, she's happy at her current weight so why mess with a good thing?

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After a nearly five-year absence from the big screen, there has been a lot of talk recently about how fantastic Michelle Pfeiffer still looks at nearly 50 years-of-age. Pfeiffer has always been one of the most beautiful women in the world (I don't know of anyone who doesn't think she's stunning), and maybe she still looks incredible at her age because of great genetics and a great deal of attention to skin care.

The fact is though that few people look as fantastic at (nearly) 50 as Pfeiffer, at 40 as Nicole Kidman, at 60-plus as Goldie Hawn or (and I can't even believe it's possible) at almost-70 Tina Turner. So what is their secret? In many cases, it has a lot to do with genetics and none of us can improve on what we're born with.

As this piece points out though, many stars do resort in botox injections or expensive and invasive plastic surgeries to keep their youthful look. Many others go with face creams and treatments that most of us can't afford. So does that mean that the rest of us can't possibly age well? Even if you can't afford any of the products and procedures that celebs go for, you can still stay young by staying out of the sun, wearing moisturizer with SPF, eating healthy and drinking lots of water.

Do you have any tips on how to keep a youthful look?

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So celebrities look great (most of them, anyway), and despite ourselves we love it. It's still nice to see the real thing sometimes, but in today's world of airbrushing and photoshop that makes them look impossibly good, and tabloids snatching up every horror shot that makes them look impossibly bad, we rarely get that chance.

Well here's one of those chances. The Skinny Website has some photos of Jennifer Lopez on the beach in a bikini with her husband and she looks very real. She doesn't look perfect, but she's beautiful all the same. I think it's great.

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