Carrie Ann Inaba has become a celebrity thanks to her candid critiques as a judge on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars. The paddle-wielding former dancer is always caring but lets the stars know where she stands.

Her stern remarks come from a knowledgeable place: In the early ’90s, she performed as a Fly Girl on the TV series In Living Color and danced for Madonna on her Girlie Show World Tour.

Carrie Ann, 39, has also been a choreographer for such shows as American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. Now she’s looking forward to her next challenge on ABC’s new show Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann. In a recent interview, she comes out from behind the judge’s table to discuss her diet, workout, and how dancing can help people be fit and healthy. Here is an excerpt from that interview.

How does dancing help people stay in shape? A person’s age is determined by the flexibility of their spine; that’s how youthful you feel. I think what’s good about dancing is that you’re constantly moving all parts of your body. Your spine is always moving and you’re keeping it flexible, but you’re also building up the muscles around it, so your core becomes very strong.

What size do you wear? I’m between a 4 and a 6. I don’t weigh myself. I know where I feel comfortable. I know when I’m gaining weight and when I’m in a heavy stage or a light stage by the way my clothes fit, and that’s all I need to know.

Carrie Ann Inaba’s Diet and Workout

Find the time “When I’m not on the show, I try to work out two to three hours a day. When I’m doing the show, I only do three hours a week. I take one jazz class when my schedule permits, which is not nearly enough! When I was training at the height of my career, I took 10 to 14 classes a week.”

Kickboxing “I do yoga and Bio Think, a Pilates program where you’re getting a massage while you stretch. I do a kickboxing workout that is so intense, a lot of guys can’t take it because they can’t keep up!”

Salad city “I don’t eat breakfast because it makes me sleepy for the rest of the day. For lunch, I love plain salads with chicken and balsamic vinegar. For dinner my boyfriend cooks something light for me. I stopped eating beef recently, so I eat a lot of fish, chicken and vegetables. My splurge food is nachos from 7-Eleven or the movie theater!” [via]