Bootylicious pop star Beyonce Knowles has one of the most coveted bodies in Hollywood, so just how does she do it? Beyonce, 28, dances her butt off -- literally. When she's not performing her high-intensity shows, Beyonce is rehearsing for hours at a time. In fact, prior to touring, rehearsals will regularly last for 12-hours, and she spends the entire time dancing in high heels to prepare for the concerts. But that's not all -- Beyonce also admits to doing "regular" workout things like running on the treadmill and doing squats. She reportedly keeps her abs in shape with numerous crunches, bicycle crunches and planks.

But perhaps Beyonce's best workout secret is that she fits exercise into whatever she does. She admits that she tones her butt and glutes by taking the stairs whenever she can, and she spent a recent vacation with her husband Jay-Z jumping on trampolines and jet-skiing in the tropics. But she's not afraid to take some downtime when necessary too. "Either I'm doing absolutely nothing and relaxing -- reading a book, sitting by the ocean and not answering any questions -- or else I'm hands-on and giving 100 percent, working really hard," she says.

And, of course, Beyonce watches what she eats, even trying controversial juice fasts (for which she apologized later) when she needs to slim down in a hurry.

Photo: jupiterimages

How many of us do thousands of crunches in search of elusive six-pack abs or still believe that muscle can turn into fat? The truth is, you could do 5,000 crunches a day and not see any improvement because there's no such thing as spot reduction. And muscle turning into fat? Impossible. They're two totally different types of tissue and can't be interchanged. Yet, these are just a few fitness myths that are still alive and well in many people's minds. However, AOL Health is here to set you straight and give you the skinny on the most common fitness myths.

Interested in debunking more fitness myths? That's Fit explains the top seven strength-training misconceptions.

Photo: anyeetx, Flickr

School's back, and though many will weather this season of change by developing a protective layer of fat called the Freshman 15, you don't have to be one of them -- make fitness a priority this semester, after studying of course.

And while I'm willing to bet your school has a decent gym, you don't even need one -- there are plenty of great workouts you can do in your dorm room, no matter how big or small. Amie Hoff, master trainer for New York Sports Club, recommends a few simple -- and free -- exercises you can do in the comfort of your own space, like:

• Push-ups -- from your desk, but make sure your desk is against the wall for these. If it's not, take them to the floor.
• Bicep curls -- using your text books as weights.
• Tricep dips -- off the bed.
• Squats and lunges -- using your chair for stability.
• Crunches -- with your text books adding extra weight.
• Cardio blasts -- a couple quick sets of jumping jacks and stadium runs will help burn off that cafeteria food.

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Are munching and crunching adding too many calories to your daily diet? Here are some ideas for curing those cravings naturally.

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Having strong abdominal muscles not only looks good, it's a hallmark for good health. But if you want to get six-pack abs, your daily 100-crunch routine may not only hinder your progress, it could hurt your lower back by putting stress on its weakest part.

We're always told to bend at the waist and lift with the legs when picking up something heavy to prevent a back injury. Well, a crunch is the same kind of motion, only you're lying down instead of standing up. Repeatedly bending over during crunch sessions slowly breaks down spinal disks, creating a disk bulge or herniation, which can cause back pain, weakness and tingling. "There are only so many bends or a 'fatigue life,' in your spinal disks," Stuart M. McGill, a professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo, told Newsweek. "When people are doing curl up over gym balls and sit-ups, and this kind of thing, they are replicating a very potent injury mechanism on their back," says McGill. "Every time they bend it they are one repetition closer to damaging the disk."

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.

Suffering from crunch fatigue?

You might want to try a stomach-slimming move that doesn't actually involve exercising -- just add these flat-belly foods to your diet. Our favorites? Avocados, dark chocolate and peanut butter. Or, here are snacks, desserts and meals that target ab flat. Plus, if you've heard about the "Flat-Belly Diet," and are curious about how well it works, check out this photo gallery of before and after photos of successful flat-belly dieters!

When it comes to flatter abs, does diet help you, or exercise. Or a little of both?

When it comes to strength training, I tend to make my moves relatively slow, controlled, and deliberate. But according to a post on Women's Health, there can be benefits to adding a little speed when you're doing crunches.

A recent study on the subject was published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. The lead researcher of the study says that fast crunches -- where the up and down movement is completed in one second -- make your external obliques do some of the work.

If you want to try some fast crunches, think of it like interval training for your core. Do your regular ab workout -- at a regular speed -- and add a few fast crunches for good measure.

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Funky machines at the gym are cool and all, but what I really love is a super simple device that allows me to do complex exercises and get a complete workout. And, with the STOTT Pilates Mini Flex Ball, that's just what I get.

To look at the Mini Flex Ball, you might not think there are all that many moves you can do with it. My first thought was to use it as a tool for crunches and honestly, even if that's all it could do, that would be enough. But, it comes with a DVD and mini poster to help you really enhance your workout.

The DVD leads you through 26 exercises over the course of about 40 minutes, moving you from abs to glutes, to back, arms, and thighs. It's easy to follow because the instructor talks you through the exercises in addition to showing you. I don't know about you, but I find that really handy because I don't want to have to stare at the screen the whole time I'm working out and with this video, I was able to get a great workout on the first try.

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Kelly Ripa looks pretty darn great. Kelly's fit frame has graced the cover of not one, but two fitness magazines. (Though I don't understand why Shape magazine air-brushed Kelly's cute outie belly-button and made it an innie.)

Now, you can try these six moves that help keep Kelly in shape:

• Triceps can-can. Like Kelly, this move is a little quirky and a lot of fun. But it definitely works your triceps, quads, and abs, too.
• Leg raise. You'll need a counter or tall chair for balance with this move, which works your butt and outer thighs.
• Thigh dancing. Definitely unusual, Kelly swears this move works her quads, butt, and abs. We've even got her on video doing this move.
  
• Pretzel. You'll need some balance and flexibility to do this move, which works your butt, thighs, and abs.
• Squat with ball squeeze. If, like Kelly Ripa, you're a parent, you probably have more than your fair share of sports balls around the house. Put one of them to use with this move that works your legs, butt, and inner thighs.
• Rolling crunch. Put a new twist on the standard crunch with this move.

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If you missed our daily postings this past week, we invite you to take some time to catch up on our prior week's news and gear up for a new week of healthy living information and inspiration.

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Have a great week everyone!

I used to be one of you. I'd slave away, doing set after set of crunches, knowing I was working my abdominals, yet seeing minimal results. I'd heard that during Alias, Jennifer Garner did 1000 crunches everyday. Sure, I wasn't doing that many, but I was pretty fit ... and pretty discouraged.

Pilates has changed my point of view on sit-ups, and it has also changed my shape for the better. My posture has improved, my tummy is flatter, my waist is cinched in -- all because I do crunches the Stott Pilates way.

Want to know the secret?

Who wants to sit on the sidelines? Exercise is for the actively-minded, not for wallflowers. So protect your workout routing and stay injury-free with these five moves.

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This video holds the secret to getting you to commit to your workouts for good.

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So you're exercising regularly and really making it a priority. That's great! But make sure you don't fall into some of these exercise traps. You want to make sure you're following good technique so you can get the most out of your workout. AOL Health shares some common bad exercises techniques:

• Weight overload. Lifting too much weight can, at worst, cause injury and, at a minimum, cause the move to be ineffective. When you're lifting too much you may not be isolating the muscles properly.
  
• Biceps only. The bicep curl is a great exercise, but don't spend all of your strength training time on one muscle. Be sure to work out your shoulders, triceps, legs, core, and glutes as well. When strength training, you want to strengthen all the muscles of your body.
  

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There are dozens of great exercises that can be made even more effective when performed on a Swiss ball. The traditional floor crunch, for example, is a mediocre ab exercise. But, done on a Swiss ball, the exercise is made almost 45 percent more effective in recruiting muscle fibers throughout your core.

Similar benefits can be obtained from other exercises performed on this fitness orb. Rather than list a few and do my best to explain the movements with words, I thought a much better idea would be to find some video demonstrations of a variety of Swiss ball exercises. To that end, here is a great website (from the University of the Pacific) that offers .mpeg video of a very wide variety of moves and techniques.

So go ahead, join the ranks of the Swiss Army and start experiencing the fitness results you've been working toward. Each new recruit also gets a free multi-tool knife -- complete with toothpick and can opener.

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