Sometimes, context is everything. My indoctrination into the world of Xtreme Cardio happened on a cold and rainy New York morning. Jaana Kunitz, the program's creator, was in town and had set up a special workout session to familiarize grumpy, desk-bound journalists like me with her own brand of "sexy, feminine" dance workout.

Kunitz, herself an award-winning dancer, has lately been making her mark behind the scenes training pros on FOX's "So You Think You Can Dance" and ABC's "Dancing with the Stars." She co-created the Core Rhythms exercise program, but Xtreme Cardio Dance is her first solo exercise franchise. A boxed set of four fitness DVDs, each promises an experience geared around a dance style: Hip-Hop, Disco, Latin Cardio -- and the ominously titled "Sexy Sculpt."

It's tough to think of a less ready-to-be-sexy crowd than the bleary-eyed assortment of writers and editors assembled for this event. (I also think that a tactical error may have been made in putting the refreshment table in the same room as the class.) So I'm going to give Kunitz major points for effort here. Also above-and-beyond were the moves themselves. They were driven and targeted, for one thing. Even between dance interludes she had us moving our lower bodies forward and back to the music to keep our core working.

Marie Osmond, the only girl out of nine children from a famous musical family, has always stood out. From singing that she's "a little bit country" with her brother on "Donny & Marie" to wowing the crowd at "Dancing with the Stars," it's hard to miss the 49-year-old celeb's appeal.

While Osmond's dazzling white smile and hearty laugh make it easy to like her, she admits she did not always like herself. From the early days on "Donny & Marie," Marie Osmond was made to feel self-conscious about her body. Weighing only 110 pounds at the time, producers told her to lose weight or the show would be canceled. From then on, Osmond faced an ongoing struggle with body image and a healthy lifestyle.

Marie Osmond admitted that she tried everything to drop the pounds including diet pills, bulimia and starving herself. She also spent many of her younger years worrying about her weight. After giving birth to her last child, the mother of eight said the weight just kept coming. Caring for a large family, trying to save a struggling marriage, enduring the death of her parents and battling postpartum depression had taken its toll. The once skinny public icon had gained 45 pounds and was in the worst shape of her life.

It was her oldest son who served as a much needed wake-up call.

Marie signed up for NutriSystem, started walking and eventually got herself in good enough shape to start dancing again. She was on "Dancing in the Stars" in 2007, which helped her with her weight loss.

Marie lost most of the 45 pounds by eating right and working out. Now a svelte size-two and spokesperson for NutriSystem, the country icon maintains her figure by hitting the gym and performing with brother Donny at a dance competition in Las Vegas. Donny Osmond has also followed his younger sister's lead and has shaped up with "Dancing with the Stars."

If you want to steal more get-fit secrets from Reality TV stars, check out what we've learned from The Biggest Loser.

Melissa Joan Hart wowed the "Dancing with the Stars" judges last night with her Charleston, but how does this former "teenage witch" get her body prepared to tear up the ballroom floor? Hart and her dancing partner, Mark Ballas, sat down with That's Fit to dish on the exercise and eating habits that get them ready to score perfect 10s.



Hart isn't the first "Dancing" contestant to share how shaking it changed her body. Lil' Kim opened up about how hitting the dance floor helped her slimmed down, too.

Happy news for Dancing with the Stars co-host Samantha Harris: One year after having daughter Josselyn, she's looking rockin' hot -- and she's on the cover of Muscle & Fitness Hers magazine, flaunting what she's got.

It's possible, new moms: You too can get your pre-baby body back. Samantha says, "I really wanted to show moms out there that you really could get that body back." Just incorporate baby into your routine, like she does. You know, do some baby squats or climb stairs with your kid strapped into a Baby Björn. For some reason, I think it took more than a few squats and climbs to get the body that landed her on the cover of a magazine. Still, there is hope. Check out this Health.com link to learn more about getting fit with baby.

For more revealing Samantha scoop, take a peek at this magazine interview.

Photo courtesy of muscleandfitnesshers.com.

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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.

Want to eat right but don't think you have the time? Chris has tips for eating healthy in a pinch.

L.A. kids get a sushi robot. Now someone tell me where I can get one.

Oh no, they didn't. DWTS men called these women fat. What do you think?

Are your phobias keeping you from exploring the back country? Find out how to overcome them.

Faith Hill -- not afraid of a bikini cover at age 41.

Need a new tote for going to and from the gym? We're giving away a Palie bags Harison tote. Get your comment in by Wednesday, October 29th.

Trying to get more exercise? Why not try parking your car and walking? Here's how it worked for me.

Fitz doesn't want you to eat candy. But if you must, here's what she recommends.

Have a great week everyone!

I don't know anyone who doesn't like (and admire) Kristi Yamaguchi. She's an incredible athlete and she seems totally likable. Who wouldn't want to try one of her workouts? I mean, one of her workouts that don't involve ice skates, anyway.

Kristi shared her Pilates workout with Fitness magazine, so now we all have the opportunity to exercise like a champion. You would never have guessed that Kristi ever lacked definition in her stomach, but until she started doing Pilates, that was just the case. So, if these moves made a difference in Kristi's already toned body, just imagine what they'd do for many of us!

Check out the article here for pictures and instructions for several moves, plus a video of Kristi demonstrating some of her favorite moves.

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It's official. Dancing with the Stars pro Cheryl Burke is fat, announces this blogger, who shares photos of an apparently curvier Burke in a pretty skimpy bikini and cautions that while it's pretty obvious Burke has put on a few pounds, Hollywood fat is not exactly regular-people fat.

According to this blog, Burke, 24, sometimes does gain weight. When she's dancing on the show, she works her butt off. When she's on hiatus, she indulges -- chips and guacamole are favorites. Still, she's healthy. Still, she's a size four. Fat? I don't think so. Her DWTS pals agree -- they told co-host and E! News gal Samantha Harris that Burke is extremely sexy and beautiful.

Burke herself says she did in fact gain some weight over the summer -- her whole story will soon appear in PEOPLE magazine -- but all the mocking she's encountering has left her in tears. In the words of Burke's dancing friends who speak to the masses about their weight watching: Lay off!

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She says she wants to get her booty into shape for Dancing with the Stars. But Kim Kardashian will have to get a lot of exercise -- because she ain't gonna diet, according to a recent Interview with OK Magazine. 'I don't ever really diet because I don't want to be miserable. I love food,' says the 27-year-old star and self-proclaimed junk food addict, despite vowing to eat healthier in 2008.

And eat she does. At a recent photo shoot, she apparently wolfed down a taco, a cheeseburger, a hot dog, KFC and two donuts. She defends her eating habits by saying, 'I'm not your typical stick-skinny model. There are super-skinny girls doing ad campaigns and I don't think it's realistic. I don't like that [skinny] body image.'

I think it's great that she's showing the world that real women have curves, but her junk food-laden lunch menu is less than impressive. Yuck.

(Via Celebrity Diet Doctor)

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How much will Kim Kardashian dare to bare on Dancing With The Stars? That all depends on how the show's rigorous training affects her booty.

Ashley Jensen of Ugly Betty doesn't think she's all that pretty, but she doesn't think she's unattractive, either. She's confident in who she is, and has a problem with the way so many women bend over backward to achieve the Hollywood standard of ideal beauty. Don't expect to see her at the plastic surgeon anytime soon!

Movie stars often are required to gain weight for a role, as Beyonce did recently in order to portray Etta James. While she enjoyed packing on the pounds (and being paid to do so), she was a little less thrilled when filming was over.

Jennifer Love Hewitt might have a body that many of us envy, but she sees a big difference between her body now and when she was younger. She even went so far as to say she wishes she had been nude from 12 to 28!

Pregnancy is tough on all bodies, and Laila Ali had a concern that many moms to be experience -- she was afraid that, since she was already a "big girl," that pregnancy would make her huge! That's not exactly the case, though -- check out how she's handling pregnancy right here.

If you're not watching Burn Notice on Thursday nights, you're missing out. Not just because it's action-packed and witty, but because Gabrielle Anwar plays one kick-ass character. To get ready for the role, she made a few changes to her diet, and many other celebs have made similar dietary changes.

See you later, Kerri Walsh -- it looks like beach volleyball superstar Misty May-Treanor will be trying out a new partner ... at least for this season's Dancing With the Stars. She's not only content to be the winningest beach volleyball female of all time, or to have two beach volleyball gold medals -- she wants to be the best dancer, too!

I'm a little biased, since I'm a huge fan of Misty to begin with, but I have to say this is the most excited I've been for DWTS. While I enjoy seeing celebrities out there dancing, I like watching the athletes on the show even more. Seeing people with quick feet on the court or field translate that talent to dancing footwork is fascinating, and is a big reminder that athleticism comes in many forms.

Misty will be joined by fellow gold medal winner Maurice Greene, a sprinter, and retired football player Warren Sapp, along with Brooke Burke, Kim Kardashian, Susan Lucci, and others. Will you be tuning in?

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While Laila Ali has certainly been in the public eye through her boxing, appearance on Dancing With the Stars, and her job hosting American Gladiators, she's not under quite the same pressure as some Hollywood starlets to stay thin throughout her pregnancy. However, in an interview with Pregnancy, Laila spills about her stresses, and I think many of us can easily relate.

"I always thought I was going to gain a lot of weight because I'm a big girl naturally," said Laila, who, at 5'11' normally weighs in at around 175. "I thought, 'Oh God, I'm going to be like 250 lbs. and huge.' I know a lot of women have that fear. But, because I'm already a big girl, I was just imagining myself to be giant."

Her concern doesn't really stem from vanity -- she's mainly worried about having a big baby. She has a big sweet tooth, and she's working hard to control it, especially now that she's in her third trimester. She continues to hit the gym four days a week for cardio on the elliptical and light upper body weights, and it sounds like she's appreciating her body through her pregnancy. I bet she'll follow a sensible plan after the baby to get back to her fighting weight!

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When the first season of Dancing With the Stars started, I thought it would be terribly cheesy. Kind of like this decade's version of Circus of the Stars. (Do you remember that? Or did I just age myself terribly?) Well, Dancing With the Stars is terribly cheesy, but it's also oddly enjoyable. If you've watched the show, you've probably seen celebrities like Joey Fatone and Marie Osmond lose weight during the season. All their hours of rehearsal and hard work paid off on the scale.

Dancing is a fun and effective way to exercise. It adds variety to your routine. You can join a dance class if you'd like, or, if you're a bit shy about dancing in front of others, try one of the many dance fitness DVDs on the market. There are options ranging from hip-hop to latin to bellydance to ballroom.

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Pop star Melanie Brown (aka Mel B) may have a fitness DVD in the works. After the Spice Girl appeared on Dancing with the Stars, her body is more toned than ever. She states that she works out three times a week and incorporates a lot of weights into her fitness routine.

"I've devised my own workout that hopefully I'll be sharing with people soon," says Mel B.

After her stint as Scary Spice, Mel B released two solo albums. Her second-place finish on Dancing with the Stars wasn't her last TV run, either. She's reported on Access Hollywood and is scheduled to host a singing competition with Joey Fatone this summer.

Check out AOL Body for more celebrity fitness news.

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Mario Lopez showed the world he could do a little dancing on Dancing With the Stars, but who expected this? Our beloved former A.C. Slater has taken his act to Broadway, joining the cast of A Chorus Line!

Mario will be playing Zach (no, not a nod to his former Saved By The Bell BFF, Zack Morris), a demanding director in charge of casting the chorus roles for a new musical on Broadway. He debuts this Tuesday, so you'd better get your tickets fast -- if these promo pictures are any indication, this is going to be one hot show!

Or, at the very least, Mario will be looking hot, and that's enough for some of us. I'd have to say Broadway agrees with him. Wouldn't you? Check out the gallery for proof!

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