Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Our fitness expert Fitz sits down with the stars and digs out their great and not-so-great methods for staying healthy.

Olympic swimmer Dara Torres is more fit at 40 than she was at 20, and if you think you can't be über fit too, you should definitely read on. Dara is the perfect example of what exercise can do for you. Here is what the new face of the Got Milk? campaign and author of "Age is Just a Number" has to say about the new book, her body and motherhood.

Fitz: What's your favorite part about being so fit?

Dara: I love the way it makes me feel and how I look.

Fitz: Are you ever critical of your physique?

Dara: Yes, I have my weak parts on my body, but we all have our problem parts. I would like a better rear end!

Fitz: You recently flashed a group of reporters while promoting the Got Milk? campaign. Why?

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.

Nastia Liukin was the darling of the U.S. gymnastics team this year as she conquered Olympic Gold in the All Around competition and proudly added to her collection four more medals. That would be three silver and one bronze; I personally would kill to have just one in any color. She's Russian born, American bred and now working with the Secret Sport Challenge to help make other athletic dreams come true. I scored this interview this week while she was promoting the Challenge and bringing attention to the twenty $5,000 scholarships being given away to help others achieve their sporty goals. Nastia is ridiculously fit and has some great advice to help you look better, feel stronger and live longer.

Fitz: How many hours a week do you train before a competition?

Nastia: Before the Olympics I trained for about seven hours a day. It included about two hours of warming up and conditioning, and the rest of the time was spent practicing routines and skills on the events.

Fitz: If you weren't a professional athlete/gymnast how do you think you'd pursue fitness?

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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.

Travis McGriff is an elite athlete who broke records as a wide receiver at the University of Florida and then went on to play football in the NFL for both the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons. He's trained with the best coaches and trainers one could wish for and has maintained his level of fitness since retiring from football several years ago. In fact, he says he's still "game ready." Fitness is, and always will be, part of his life. He has a bunch of neat NFL stories to share, and some fantastic suggestions to get you in great shape too.

Fitz: What is training like in the NFL?

Travis: It's a lot different than one would think! In the off-season, for example, players are basically left to do their own thing. The few programs offered are OK, but not the killer workouts one would imagine. And! In the fall, the training is nill. We were basically just playing ball.

Fitz: That is weird! Most people would expect pro football players to be challenged year round.

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Ever wonder why cross-country isn't an Olympic event? It was in 1904, 1912, 1920, and 1924, but it was dropped because it wasn't considered a summer sport -- huh? -- and because it was too tough to standardize.

Seems there's too much variety in course length and difficulty to establish across-the-board standards and records. So it's not likely cross-country will make an Olympic appearance anytime soon.

If you're a fan of the sport and want it to make a come-back, write to the International Olympic Committee, Chateau de Vidy, 1007 Lausanne, Switzerland.

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I was watching the Olympics the other day and saw a piece where a reporter went and received acupuncture treatments. It was interesting to hear about this particular practitioner who was influential in acupuncture's acceptance into Western culture. After the piece, the reporter mentioned that Nastia Liukin, gold medalist in the women's all-around gymnastics competition, has weekly acupuncture treatments.

She's not alone. Acupuncture is widely used as a method to aid and speed healing from sports-related injuries. Though the thought of multiple metal needles being inserted into your body is daunting, to say the least, proponents of the traditional form of medicine sing its praises. In addition to aiding in healing, acupuncture is said to help athletes by boosting energy, improving circulation, and ensuring the body gets the most out of nutrients. In addition, acupuncture is said to help improve the quality of sleep and boost immunity.

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When it comes to fitness opportunities China is doing something right. I recently read a blog post that discusses the public fitness centers that are available there and how many of the people that frequent the sites are older. In some cases -- like for one 82-year-old woman -- they spend hours each day taking advantage of the free community fitness equipment.

When I think of the public parks in my community, they're very kid-oriented. Which isn't a bad thing, of course, but what about the adults that live in this community? There are basketball hoops which are obviously appropriate for any age, and there is a sidewalk running around the perimeter of the park for running or walking. Other than that, the equipment is of the playground variety.

This makes me wonder, if fitness equipment geared toward adults was provided in local parks, would you take advantage of the opportunity? I know I would. When my son and I visit our favorite park in the area, I often circle around the park to try to squeeze in a little fitness while he's playing.

[via SmarterFitter]

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Not only will the combined competitors, coaches, and staff at the Summer Games be consuming 800,000 eggs, they'll also be throwing down more than one million apples, 936,000 bananas, 312,000 oranges, and 684,000 carrots. Courtesy of the Olympic food provider Aramark, here's what else the group dining at the Beijing Athletic Village will be ingesting.

• 93,000 pounds of seafood
• 260,000 pounds of meat
• 38,000 pounds of pasta (dry)
• 134,000 pounds of rice (dry)
• 70,000 gallons of milk
• 400,000 boxes of cereal

In total, 28,000 Olympic folks will eat 3.5 million meals. Now, that's a lot of food. Fortunately, most of the crew will be burning their fair share of calories.

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It was a one-two win for American gymnasts last night at the women's all around. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to watch these powerhouse athletes perform. Graceful and athletic Nastia Liukin took home a well-deserved gold. But I have to admit that my personal favorite was young Shawn Johnson. She's so powerful and seems to pack every move with just a little bit of attitude. It's no wonder the silver medalist has a lot of power behind her moves; she trains 4 hours each weekday and 5-6 hours on Saturdays.

Unlike Michael Phelps' astounding calorie intake, Shawn Johnson strives for a bit more balance in her meals. She doesn't follow any specific diet, but just aims for good nutrition and a healthy balance. She also tries to stay away from sweets. Johnson says, "A normal breakfast for me is yogurt and scrambled eggs, lunch might be a wrap or salad with some fruit, and for dinner I eat a lot of fish or chicken and fresh vegetables."

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Have you looked at the body of Olympic swimmer Dara Torres lately? I mean really looked at it? Lean, mean, and 12 pounds lighter than she was at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, this 41-year-old medalist and mom of a two-year-old, is in better shape now than she was 20 years ago, at age 21. What exactly has she done to her body to achieve such physical greatness and beat her 1998 Olympic 100m speed by 2.47 seconds? She's worked her butt off, that's what. She's pumped up her weight training regimen by practicing a resistance stretching and flexibility and strength-building program that uses her own force to work out muscles -- while most strength-building exercises involve contracting muscles, her program contracts and stretches muscles during a repetition. It makes her lighter in the water, she says, and makes her stroke more efficient.

Some want to know not what Torres is doing to her body. They want to know what she's putting in her body. Nothing that isn't approved by the USADA, she says. In fact, she switched her asthma medication to a lower dose because it relieves symptoms without increasing lung capacity. She wants no unfair advantage and takes only an amino acid supplement for muscle recovery and strength. Doubt her? Don't. She'll submit to any test available -- urine, hair, DNA -- to prove she's the real deal.

Dara Torres is certainly doing something right. Check her out in the gallery below and see what you think. Then hop over to this article and find out from Carl Foster, professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse and past president of the American College of Sports Medicine, how exactly Torres is making it as an aging athlete.

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Every day I swim, I end up with two ears full of water. Stuck water. Water that won't drain on its own. Water that makes me feel like I'm in a tunnel. I've found a remedy -- a little bottle of something from my local drugstore that works wonders. I insert a few drops into each ear and instantly, I feel a warm sensation, followed by a release of that water, which runs promptly onto the side of face and smells a lot like ... alcohol.

Alcohol. That's the exact ingredient in my perfect potion. Nothing magical about it. And nothing I need to buy from the store.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Natalie Coughlin tells Real Simple magazine (August 2008) that she has a do-it-yourself method for freeing the water that fills her ears. Here's what she does.

• Combine equal parts rubbing alcohol (to dry ears) with white vinegar (to disinfect).
• Place in an eye dropper.
• Put a few drops in the ear canal.
• Wait 30 seconds.
• Drain.
  
  

Nothing complicated about that. Nothing I can't do. How about you?

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In just a couple of weeks we're going to be watching some of the world's most elite athletes compete. From beach volleyball players to swimmers and almost every sport in between, one thing you're sure to see on your TV screen are some rock-hard abs.

Core strength is so important to many sports. Women's Health Magazine got some tips from Olympic trainers on developing those gold medal abs. Some of the moves are:

• Hanging Straight-Leg Raise. This move is no joke. (My abs are aching just reading about it.) You'll hang from a pull-up bar then, keeping your head and back straight, slowly raise your legs until they're parallel to the floor.
  
• Walking Lunge Plate Twist. Hold a 10 to 25-pound weight plate in front of your chest and stand with your feet hip-width apart. Lunge forward with your right leg until it's parallel with the floor. Twist your upper body 90 degrees to the right. Return to the starting position and repeat on the left side.
• Twisting Windmill. Lay on your back with your arms out to the sides. Raise your legs until they're perpendicular to the floor. Slowly lower your leg to the left side of your body. Lift and repeat on the right side.

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In the spirit of the Olympics -- they start on August 8: are you ready? -- parents.com features recipes for a bunch of healthy meals you can have ready in record time.

How about a Beijing Chicken Stir Fry you can have on the table in a mere 27 minutes? Can't beat that. Well, maybe you can -- these Athens Veggie Burgers can be ready to go in just 18 minutes. Mexico City Beef & Bean Burritos: 20 minutes tops. Torino Turkey Sausage & Penne -- serve it up in 25 minutes flat.

There's more. Check out the whole lot here. And let us know about any Olympic recipes you've got up your sleeve.

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Those who work their butts off physically often enjoy a bit of added protection against cancer. And sometimes they don't. Just ask Olympic swimmer Eric Shanteau, who was just recently diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Shanteau, 24, won't let cancer stop him from going for Gold in the 200-meter breaststroke -- he plans to delay his surgery until after he competes. Don't worry. The swimmer will be closely monitored and will drop out of the Olympics should his cancer appear to spread. "By no means am I being stupid about this," says Shanteau, who has high hopes for a successful recovery.

According to the American Cancer Society, testicular cancer, one of the most curable forms of cancer in the United States, will strike about 8,090 U.S. men in 2008. Because treatment is so successful, the risk of dying from this cancer is very low: about 1 in 5,000.

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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.

I recently had the opportunity to spend time with Mr. Michael Weiss while visiting him during one of his show stops for the Smucker's Stars on Ice tour. He comes from a wildly successful family of athletes (we're talking Olympians here) and has lived up to the Weiss expectations perfectly. Of course he trains like a workhorse, but it was neat to hear how sports and fitness were ingrained in him from ..... birth! He also tells about about the weight-loss-ish type competition he's engaged in with the other guys in the show. Sasha Cohen will decide the winner. Enjoy this interview. The guys got medals coming out the yin-yang and offers some fantastic fitness tips. There is a lot to learn!

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One elite athlete downs 12,000 calories per day just to keep from dropping weight, reported The Today Show's Matt Lauer the other day. Considering that the average man consumes 2,600 calories per day, this is big stuff. But hey, that's what it takes to keep some Olympic bodies in fighting shape.

What Olympic athletes eat can make the difference between a gold or a silver win. Food is fuel after all, and these folks require top-grade fuel (and lots of it) in order to compete -- and win.

It's up to U.S. Olympic Committee Executive Chef Jacque Hamilton to make sure the 600-athlete delegation gets tasty, healthy food free of butter, trans fats, and lots of sodium. Now that' a high-pressure job. But she's got it down to a science. Check out some of her favorite dishes, made with nutritious ingredients, fit for the finest athletes -- Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Chicken Stir-Fry, and Baja Chicken Salad. Right here they are.

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