Cara Kempf is a certified personal trainer with the Fitness Zone in Carmel and a group fitness instructor with NIFS in downtown Indianapolis. She can be contacted at fitnessblog@theindychannel.com.

I am completely into exercise and healthy eating, obviously. What I'm not into is obsessing over your weight to a point that it becomes a matter of vanity, as well as unhealthy thinking. What are we trying to measure up to? Well, Hollywood, for one thing:

So many actors are pressured into feeling they must look perfect -- well, who wouldn't feel pressured in the public eye, surrounded by people who are constantly judging them? From larger actresses like Kirstie Alley, to tiny ones like Nicole Kidman ... "she's too fat, she's too skinny" is a common statement made by people today. Many stars even try to downplay their hard work because of such judgment. Kelly Ripa has stated that she does not work out. I'm sorry, she may have some good genes, but to have a body like that at her age, she has to be doing something.

I have a feeling that most stars will do whatever they have to do to get that next role, fad diets included. Current trends in fad dieting in Hollywood are the coconut diet (no vegetable oils), the raw foods diet (no animal or dairy products, or anything heated above 110 degrees Fahrenheit), the Hamptons diet (no processed dairy or bacon), and the macrobiotic diet (no processed foods or excessive amounts of meat). You simply cannot receive the nutrients that you need from doing a fad diet -- taking in enough calories a day is essential to make it through the day, let alone work out at the end of it.

Do we really want to get caught up in such a vanity fair? Check out these facts:

Did you know that the average model is 5 feet 11 inches and 117 pounds? And did you also know that the average woman is 5 feet 4 inches and 140 pounds?

Marilyn Monroe was a size 10 in the 50s, but now the sample size worn by actresses in 2004 is a size zero.

The number of liposuction operations has jumped from 1994's 51,000 to 2003's 320,000!

The number of people hiring personal trainers since 1994 as jumped from 2,000 to 10,000 -- not that I mind that, of course, but only for the right reasons!

Your health is important. You must exercise regularly and eat healthily to maintain a sound mind, body, and spirit. However, don't fall into the hole that so many celebrities have fallen into. Don't begin to obsess to the point of vanity -- I guarantee it will not be healthy.