That's Fit

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

This week I got to sit down on a beautiful sunny day, in The Swamp with the very sweet, smart and athletic ESPN College GameDay Analyst Mr. Kirk Herbstreit. No, we weren't knee deep in mucky water. We were in the heart of Gator Country enjoying the breeze after Kirk completed his workout, running zillions of steps at the University of Florida football stadium, The Swamp. Kirk retired from playing football more than 15 years ago, after four years at quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes. But now, he's one of the major faces of college football. Pandemonium strikes college campuses across the country when he -- along with host Chris Fowler and analyst Lee Corso -- set up shop outside the biggest games of each week.

Kirk brings something unique to the team. Every time the GameDay crew heads to the University of Florida, I find more than just the expected crowd of rowdy football fans swarming their booth. There is always an unusual amount of females in a frenzy to get as close a look as possible into Kirk's pretty blue eyes. He's definitely worthy of the attention. From my interaction with Kirk, I think he's a genuinely nice and genuinely thoughtful person. Before we started talking fitness, Kirk shared concerns over all the violence taking place on college campuses. He's a protective father and husband who tries to excel in his career while taking care of his family. He is just plain old sweet! And even though his professional life has been built around sports, he works hard to squeeze in fitness and manage nutritious eating just like the rest of us. Kirk seems to be an expert juggler of life and shares some great tricks for staying fit on the go. He also dishes a few doozies on football.

Fitz: What types of things do you do to stay in shape?

Kirk: It's kind of a lifestyle really. As an athlete I worked out so hard, I could eat anything without paying the price for it. As I got older, I still had that appetite and I was not able to work out as hard as I did when I was playing football. What I really try to do is control my portions, and mix in cardio and strength training workouts four to five days a week. If I can do that, I feel like I'm in a pretty good place. It's just about doing it though!

Fitz: What do you do while you're on the road?

Feel like you hit a plateau on your runs? I can relate -- I feel like I've been running at the same pace since I've started. I know I've gotten marginally faster but I'm having trouble pushing myself further -- I feel like I'm already going at my max intensity.

But becoming a faster runner only take 10 seconds, according to this article from Runner's World. The secret? Run uphill as fast as you can for 10 seconds each run. It will help you develop the necessary speed and muscle power in no time at all. Plus, after running up a hill, running on flat ground seems like a breeze, right? And an added bonus? Running uphill will also help you tone your legs.

So next time your running, don't run away from the hills -- head for them!

Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Kristi Hill

Age:33

Occupation: Realtor

How often do you exercise? Monday - Friday for 1 to 1.5 hours at 8am.

What type of exercise do you do? Weight lifting (legs, biceps, triceps, back, chest), abs & cardio.

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? Knowing that I always feel better afterward, and the fear of having to buy bigger clothes!

Watching my kids' milestones warms my heart. When they first walked, talked, fed themselves, brushed their own teeth, I was one proud mama. Today, I'm bursting at the seams with pride, all because my six-year-old hopped on his bike -- he's only been riding for few months -- and accompanied me on a six-mile trek.

With aching legs and labored breathing, we rode over flat terrain, and up hill, and down hill, and when we arrived at our half-way destination -- my sister's house -- we took a break. Then it was back on the bike for the return trip home. Joey said mid-way home, and mid-incline too, that he wished his Daddy would arrive -- Daddy has a truck, and Joey thought he needed rescuing. He didn't, though. He muscled his way through our journey and even announced at one point, "Can you believe a little guy is riding all this way?" I could believe it. I was witness to it. And it was grand.

Riding his bike this morning was so good for Joey. It was physically good, and mother-and-son good, and most of all, it was self-esteem good. Joey is proud, amazed even, that he accomplished such a task today. It makes me want to ride with him again, after he recovers from this fitness feat. When I told him, "Joey, I think we should do this every weekend," he replied with pure fatigue, "No! How about every 10 weeks?"

Every weekend, every 10 weeks. It doesn't matter to me. I'm game either way.