Baring your butt on stage for all the audience to see is pretty powerful motivation. Michelle Williams, formerly of Destiny's Child, had to reveal her rear during a scene in The Color Purple. She worked with a trainer to get her body in shape so that if anyone was shocked, they were shocked at how great she looked.

Williams kept up the workouts after her run in the play was over. Good thing, too ... I'm sure her fitness level will come in handy while performing songs from her new album, Unexpected. Besides the rigors of her performing schedule, Williams just plain feels proud of her physique. She says "I'll be brushing my teeth, see my arm in the mirror and think ... cool."

Even if your job isn't as revealing as Williams' (and I certainly hope it's not), you can take some tips from her workout. Her strength and toning routine uses resistance bands and dumbbells.

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The Obama family has a Christmas tradition of visiting the President-elect's home state of Hawaii. This year is no exception. And, while Barack Obama is ridiculously busy selecting cabinet members and preparing for his transition to the White House, I'm glad to see he's keeping a family tradition intact.

Daily Mail has a photo snapped of President-elect Obama while on vacation, and he's looking kind of ripped. Not surprising, really. We already knew how important fitness is to the Obama family. What is surprising is when you scroll down the Daily Mail article and see the photo of Barack Obama that was taken on his vacation last year.

When you compare his abs from 2007 to 2008, it appears that in the midst of his hectic and stressful campaign, Barack Obama has toned up. Whatever your opinion of our up and coming President is, you have to admit that's inspirational. If he can find the time to get more fit while campaigning to be President of the United States, than surely the rest of us can find time, too. And, as Barack Obama certainly knows, physical activity is the healthiest way to manage your stress level.

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Kim Kardashian has vowed to eat better -- she loves junk food -- but she just can't seem to shake her bad eating habits. Even boyfriend Reggie Bush has been pushing her to take better care of her famous body. What will it take for Kardashian to get her butt in gear? Training for Dancing with the Stars, that's what.

Kardashian is already in rigorous rehearsals for the show, and she hopes it's going to do her prized "booty" some good. She wants to firm it up, shape it up, tone it up. And she wants to sport the sexy thing in dance costumes that show a little skin. The better shape she's in, the more risqué her attire will get. Her first outfit is not so crazy -- it's just a ball gown, elegant and a little bit more covered up -- but it shouldn't be long before she's baring more and more. She's dancing eight hours a day with pro partner Mark Ballas and already, she's noticing changes in her figure.

Stay tuned. Dancing with the Stars premieres live on ABC at September 22 at 8 PM.

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I wish it were simply in my genes to be sleek, slender, and fit. It's not. I have to work for my body. If I work at eating a lot and exercising not a lot, my body responds -- with extra pounds. If I work at eating right and exercising with a vengeance, my body rewards me with a more toned and trimmed look. That's just the way it goes, for most of us anyway. Not for Oscar winner Hilary Swank, who recently credited her slim, toned body to nothing more than good genes. Damn her!

"I think I've been blessed with my father's metabolism," says the 33-year-old actress who does enjoy some benefits of working out. She really loves power Pilates, and uses the exercise primarily for stress relief. Ultimately, though, it's dad who gets the credit.

"I try and get out as much as I can," she says, "but I think in the end I really have to give it up to my genes."

Ah, to be Hilary.

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Tired of working out and not seeing results right away? Waiting for your body to show off your hard work at the gym can be frustrating, but there are steps you can take to look your best in a hurry. Here are a few tips from Oxygen Magazine:

• Cut down on sodium
• Up your cardio to 30 minutes 5 days a week
• Cut down on sugar
• Cut out alcohol
• Up the intensity of your workouts, including weights
• Think positive and believe that you will see results
• Be realistic about how quickly you can expect to see results.
  

So if you've got a big event coming up (high school reunion?), follow these tips and chances are, you'll see some changes in your body. What do you think?

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Summer may be coming to a close but now is as good a time as every to work on getting beautifully toned and sexy arms. With the weather getting cooler and routines starting to take shape again after all the summer craziness it just might be the perfect time to start a new goal. And since you can get buff arms in just 4 moves it can't be too hard to work it into your existing workout, right?

I know I need to work on this area because I always end up working my legs during cardio while my arms get almost completely neglected. Not any more!

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One of the biggest physical issues people wish they could change about themselves is their midsection -- everybody wants a flatter and more toned stomach. But somehow even though it's one of the most desired physical changes it also seems to be one of the most elusive. Part of it is that even the slightest layer of fat can cover up a toned tummy and make it look flabby, and the other part is probably not having the time to work on it. But like anything, having the time is all about priorities and about how bad you want it, and if you're looking for a fast way to squeeze in some ab work these exercises may make it easier to get started. eDiets has tailored common moves like sit-ups, leg raises, and others into a fast and efficient ab routine.

Happy crunching!

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Guys with muscles are sexier, a study posted on Diet Blog has found. Built and toned guys were rated by women scored better on overall desirable than guys who are brawny, slender, chubby or average. And yet, the same study found that chubby guys rated best in terms of commitment. Does this mean that women think that the less attractive a man is, the more likely he is to be unfaithful in a relationship?

Moreover, slender guys are least likely to be dominant or volatile. Built guys, however, were seen as dominant and volatile, so does this mean we find men who exhibit these traits attractive? The study is pretty interesting, in that it shows that women do apply personality traits to men based on their appearance. Does it show that we women do judge a guy by his appearance, even if we don't realize it? I think so.

As for why we find muscles more appealing, I think perhaps it is an evolutionary trait. Our instinct is to find a mate who can provide for us. What do you think?

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.We're constantly bombarded with information on how to get a great body in only 5 easy exercises, with the help of the magic pill, and so on. Some of the information is not helpful or even effective, but some is useful and can lead to major results. So how do we tell the difference? Well, for starters, we could decide to follow the information of real people who have made big changes to their body -- they should know what works because they've been through the journey, right? Liz Caravia, author of this article, is one such source of information. She transformed her body with the help of pilates and lost 42 pounds.

Check out the article and let me know what you think of Liz's tips.

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I'm a bit of cardio-holic. When I go to the gym, my time is usually spent on the elliptical trainer, treadmill or bike. That other half of the gym, the one with the weight training area, goes neglected. It's not that I'm afraid of weights, don't know how to use them or don't know their benefits -- it's that they're, well, boring. This is something I thought I was largely alone in until I read a post by regular reader Crabby McSlacker. She dislikes lifting weights too. Do you too? For this week's feature I'm going to suggest some things that will give you the benefits of weights but without the drawbacks.

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In my world, right after 'tight abs' comes 'sculpted arms' on the list of the most "impossible to attain," and the most "impossible to maintain," fitness goals. But maybe I've just been missing out on some secrets? Hm.

This article has 5 tips to getting beautifully sexy arms, including things like using antagonist workouts, perfecting the timing between sets, perfecting your form when you're doing toning moves, and making room for "specialization days" in your workout. Of course you'll also have to lower your overall body fat, but I think we all knew that one already.

Some of these do sound like helpful tips, and I'll definitely give them a try. But I still think my main problem is something else: discipline discipline discipline!

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Cellulite is the worst! And lots of other people must think so too because the "anti-cellulite" industry is absolutely enormous -- I've contributed my share of dollars buying creams and treatments along with everyone else. But the real trick to getting rid of cellulite, and I think I knew this somewhere in the back of my mind all along, is really just to lose weight.

But not all ways of losing weight are equal, especially when it comes to reducing the appearance of those horrible dimples. Crash dieting won't help because your skin loses elasticity -- and what you want is healthy stretchy skin that doesn't show every little bump and lump hiding underneath. It will also help a lot if those bumps and lumps underneath are not only smaller (dieting) but firmer (toning and strength training). See here for an entire workout plan specially designed for helping to tone up and reduce the appearance of cellulite.

Be patient, stick with it, and good luck! (I know I'll need it)

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I don't know if there's any scientific proof to back it up, but to me it always seems like the more muscular you are the more weight you gain the minute you stop working out. But whether it's fact or fiction, it certainly seems to be what happened to Army specialist Maggie -- as soon as she was no longer in the military the pounds started packing on big time.

This article actually a pretty inspirational story, whether you go for the diet plan side of it or not. It's a good reminder that even the buffest of people have to work hard to stay that way!

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I've said it before, and I'll say it again -- spring and summer are almost here! (Can you tell I'm excited?) But along with warm weather and sun comes those summer sleeveless tops. Yeah, I might be ready for spring, but I'm not ready for those just yet. And even though it's "never too late" to start working on toning up your body, the good news is that if you start now you'll probably have some happy arm results before the sleeveless season really gets going this year.

And if you've been working on it already, but feel like you've stopped seeing results, remember that it's important to switch things up regularly so your body doesn't get "used to" the routine. Doing something as simple as a slightly different sculpting move could be just the thing to get you back on track.

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