That's Fit

Kim Cattrall has no problem showing off her body as Samantha Jones in Sex and the City, so you might assume that she has a naturally fabulous figure and that keeping her body perfect would be the most important thing in the world to her. However, the star shared with Good Housekeeping her best beauty secrets, and you might be surprised at what she had to say.

Her secret has nothing to do with painful treatments or fancy workouts. Instead, the 51-year-old star says, "I've exercised and dieted most of my life, because I'm a big girl -- I'm not a tiny little thing. But I've realized that the most important thing I can do to look good is just treat myself well ... Having my priorities in order has really helped me look better, fresher, and more relaxed."

Kim had more to say about age and the SATC movie. To read more, check out the Good Housekeeping article here.

Not only are Victoria's Secret FitFlops not likely to pump up your fitness level, they're actually prone to throwing you off your stride, causing pain in your lower legs and feet. This, according to a study released last week and presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Indianapolis, comes after experts observed 39 college-age men and women walking on a special platform wearing flip-flops and then walking across the same platform wearing athletic shoes. The platform measured stride length and vertical force.

The bottom line: Flip-flops, unlike sneakers, cause shorter strides and require heels to hit the ground with less vertical force. This altered gait explains some lower leg and foot problems in people who often sport flip-flops, like college students.

If you're worried about pain in your own legs or feet, take this common-sense advice: Limit the use of flip-flops. Replace them every three to four months too, just like you'd do with athletic shoes. And perhaps rethink your trip to Victoria's Secret for those Fit, and albeit very cute, Flops.

"Pretty Boy Floyd" is not known for mincing words or sugar-coating anything. In fact this elite fighter who has won six world championship belts in five weight classes and has gone undefeated as a professional says it straight. He describes himself as the "greatest athlete ever," and honestly ... has done a lot to back that up.

He's featured in the book, Men's Health Celebrity Diet Secrets 2008, and I think one of his quotes is both poignant and hysterical. I encourage you not to read any further if you're easily offended though. He wasn't vulgar, but his thoughts on maintaining flat abs isn't for children either.

Before I go there, I just want you to know that Floyd not only walks the walk, but he has made it possible for his team (those who bust their butt to keep in at the top of his game) to get and stay fit as well. He's purchased memberships to 24-Hour Fitness for all of his employees. "I want to keep everyone around me healthy and in shape," he says.

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.

As if last week's Celebrity Fitzness Report with Anthony Field video wasn't cool enough....we're back with a new video that will literally chisel you and your abs up like Roman statues. Oh my! Think you're doing everything you can to slim down, build muscle and cut up? Only if you're doing this stuff!

Read more.....

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Fitz, For about a year now, I've been doing exercises for my obliques. I've done them about three or four times each week and have done a variety of different exercises each workout. I'm also a naturally thin person who recently lost 10 pounds (so I'm really thin now) and I still have those awful love handles! How do I get rid of them? Emily

A. Ugh Emily! This is a question I've answered before, but since it's such a tremendous source of frustration for so many...I believe the topic of love handles is worth visiting again. You're actually the perfect example of how annoying they can be. You are a trim person who does a variety of abdominal exercises frequently. Most folks would believe that would be enough. Unfortunately for some people, it is not.

Love handles often have to do less with abdominal muscles and more with body type. For example. I'm a pretty trim chic, but when I have gained weight...it's all gone to my boobs, belly and thighs. In fact, I used to be 40 pounds heavier than I am today, but I've never had love handles. Some people get it all in their hips. Even if they achieve their ideal weight, some of those people are still stuck with dreaded 'saddlebags'. Your issue is the same. Great fitness. Lean body. One or two annoying pockets of fat.

Last week, I tuned into the Victoria's Secret fashion show on television. Wow! What fun they have with bras and panties! And watching the models strut up and down the runway with their enormous angel wings and teeny underthings made me want to do some crunches at ten o'clock that night.

Now, of course the girls are ten feet tall and they are quite trim. But they are not the anorexic looking waifs we see on other runways. In fact, these chicks are fairly curvy and mostly resemble women. NOT THE TYPICAL WOMAN, but they look womanly.

It's not so hard to talk to kids about nutrition, fitness, and overall health. But when it comes to informing them about sexual health, not-so-hard can become oh-so-scary.

Before you draw a blank about what to say to your kids about sex education, head to the bookstore for a little advance preparation on how to tackle the "where do babies come from" questions. Experts recommend parents pick up a few books, read them, and then begin discussing the "birds and bees." Here are the books they suggest:

It's NOT the Stork by Robie H. Harris
What's the Big Secret? by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown
What's Happening to My Body by Lynda Madaras
The Boy's Body Book by Kelli Dunham

Most supermarkets may appear like straightforward places, but you may be surprised to learn what goes on behind the scenes. Like when it comes to how your meat is packaged and priced, and why you have those few items in your cart at the checkout that weren't on your list when you walked in. Grocery stores and supermarkets are big business, and there's a lot of planning that goes into seemingly simple things. Like did you know that cartoony packages and other kid-friendly items are usually stocked at children's eye level, while healthier items are put in harder to reach locations that may require inconvenient bending and stretching?

That's just the tip of the ice berg -- for the rest check out this list of the 10 things supermarkets don't want you to know. Shifty bunch, those supermarkets.

When personal trainers get together and give advice it's usually a good idea to listen. And so here's a list of 13 fat burning "secrets" from some of America's top trainers (I guess they're not secrets any more!):

• Warm-up before a strength training session (not just before cardio). Just 5 minutes can get your blood flowing and give you better muscle contraction and therefore better results.
• Vary your cardio. Switch regularly between 2 or 3 different exercises .
• Use several cardio techniques, such as continuous, interval, circuit, and speed play training styles.
• Schedule workouts in phases, meaning a few weeks at longer lower intensity sessions followed by a few weeks at shorter but higher intensity sessions.
  
• Circuit train, with cardio and strength training.
• Choose strength training moves that work more than one joint at a time.
• Workout first thing in the morning.
• Eat a small balanced meal prior to working out for more energy and more fat burning.
• Exercise intensely. Push the limits (safely) of what you're used to -- break out of the box.
• Stay hydrated!
• Perform bursts of activity throughout the day, i.e. sprint to the mailbox for the mail.
• Journal -- writing, tracking, and documenting both your goals and your progress is a proven way to get results.
• Get an exercise buddy, and stick it out together.