It often seems like Hollywood's leading ladies get sucked into the "thinner is better" mentality, but not Charlize Theron. The A-list actress gained almost 30 pounds for her Oscar-winning role in Monster, but she also lost nearly the same amount for a different role in Sweet Sixteen, and she didn't like either extreme.

Charlize said, "I hated being fat but I also hated being so thin. I went down to a size six and just felt completely uncomfortable." She recalled feeling ribs and bone when wrapping her arms around herself, which made her feel "totally unsexy."

Despite the pressures of Hollywood, Charlize remains insistent that her curves belong on her body, and that "women have to work out what makes them feel comfortable, whether it's about their weight or their clothes." And, while it's not like Charlize's curves are out of control by any means -- she's always looked very slender to me -- it's still refreshing to hear her say that she prefers healthy curves to skin and bone.

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Katherine Heigl's beach body might start with good genetics, but the girl works hard to keep her torso long and strong. Her trainer, Missy Beaver, shared some of her secrets with People magazine, and let me tell you -- she's not doing anything fancy that you can't do, too!

Katherine uses kettleballs for 20 minutes, two or three times weekly which gives her long, lean muscles. Her trainer also suggests doing dumbbell back rows and tricep extensions to "help with improving your posture, lifting your boobs up."

Obviously she does a lot more than that, but if you haven't tried those exercises before, there's no time like the present to give it a try. Because, really, who couldn't use a free boob lift?

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The body is an amazing piece of equipment. I am in awe every day, really, when I think about how my body -- even after an attack by cancer -- is able to survive, even thrive. Wired for sustaining life, our bodies give and give and give. It's only after a whole bunch of abuse or a whole bunch of disease that it generally gives out. Simply amazing how our bodies last for as long as they do.

Here are some amazing body facts featured in Laura Lewis' book 52 Ways To A Healthy You -- yes, our very own That's Fit blogger, Laura Lewis. She's a wealth of knowledge, a fountain of wisdom, and while I've only just skimmed her book so far, I plan to dive right in very soon. And then I'll be back with more. For now, though, take some time to marvel at these six human body feats.

• The human body has 45 miles of nerves.

• A nerve impulse travels at the speed of light.

• Each square inch of human skin consists of 20 feet of blood vessels.

• Your tongue print is as unique as your fingerprints.

• Twenty-five percent of all the oxygen in your body is constantly being used by your brain.

• The average human heart beats about 100,000 times every 24 hours.

With all of its potential, just think how great our bodies would work if we treated them like they deserve to be treated, if we ate right, exercised right, slept well, minimized stress -- you know the drill. Think about it. And see what you can do to let your amazing machine serve you the best it can.

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