The best way to get fit? Doing something good for the world.

Eddie Izzard photographs himself running with an English flag. Photo: eddieizzard, twitter.com

We all run for our own reasons, but lately, more and more people are running to support a cause. Plenty of celebs have gotten in on the act, and currently, actor, comedian and (warning: following link has video with graphic language) executive transvestite Eddie Izzard is running around the entire United Kingdom to raise money for Comic Relief.

Comic Relief is a charity that envisions "a just world free from poverty," and works toward that goal using those in the entertainment industry to encourage folks who otherwise might not volunteer and work and give for charity. Izzard is harnessing the power of social media to get people to donate to his cause -- if you follow him on Twitter, you'll get constant updates, comments and pictures (like the one to the right).

Of course, regular people take on incredible challenges for charity, too. Katie Visco's run across the United States is an effort to raise funds for Girls on the Run, and Nick Irons swam the Mississippi and biked 10,000 miles for his father, who has multiple sclerosis.

Ideally, hearing stories like these will motivate you to reach in your wallet and help out the charity of your choice. But, does it make you want to lace up your shoes and challenge yourself physically, too? Are you inspired to do an event for charity yourself?

You've probably been approached by multiple friends soliciting donations as they train for marathons in support of their beloved charities. You respectfully send what you can afford, secretly wishing you had the courage to try running, walking, cramping past that Wall to finish 26.2 miles. Raising funds for charity has taken marathon racing by storm, but is this trend better at setting the physical stage for lifelong running or churning out one-time charity marathoners at greater risk for injury?

That's one question being raised over at the Chicago Tribune. One notable Chicago running expert thinks first-time runners should try shorter races before a marathon. Poor charity training and preparing too intensely too soon begs injuries and a marathon one-off experience, instead of mentoring novices toward lifetime participation. He's witnessed charities paying more attention to fundraising than properly training runners.

What are charity marathoners saying? I just posed this question to a friend who finished two charity marathons with Team in Training (TNT). In his experience, TNT was invested in proper training, walking, running or run/walking. He acknowledged it's possible charities could abuse their fundraising fleet, but his experience has shown otherwise.

Over 100 comments to the article were mixed. Some elite marathoners criticize that slow-paced charity runners have no business attempting a marathon -- it's a race, not a fun run. Many philanthropic finishers bristle at that claim, retorting they train right, deserve their bib number and have fallen in love with the sport. After sifting through the comments, marathon snobs should unlace their running shoes in shame. If the charity training program is responsible, you line up right and the race has no time limit, who cares if you run, jog, walk/jog or walk/crawl to the finish by dusk? You've got more guts than me, and have raised major cash for an important cause. Oh, and it's OK to take a double-digit score on a Par 3 teeing off with an orange ball, too.

Your charity marathoner thoughts?

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The summer season is just around the corner, which means that the calendar of events in your community is quickly filling up with fundraising runs, walks and sporting events. Last summer, Reese Witherspoon walked for breast cancer -- maybe you should consider putting your name down for something too.

Thing is, it's a win-win situation. You're doing something good for your community, and you're doing something good for yourself. You'll need to start training soonish, which means you'll be getting a regular workout from now until the event.

Make sure to challenge yourself, but within reason -- if you regularly run 5Ks, sign up for a 10K run, for instance. If you're used to walking a few miles at a time, maybe you want to pick up the pace and start training for a 5K run? Or maybe an easy fundraising walk is more your pace -- whatever the case, just give it your best.

It takes a hard-core fitness buff to run in the frigid winter weather. It takes just a touch of insanity to run in the winter ... in a Speedo ... wearing a Santa hat.

Need a little inspiration? Or maybe just a time-out from all the holiday hoopla to look at some hard bodies in Santa wear? Then check out this Santas in Speedos gallery over at Holidash.

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Gavin Rossdale -- aka Mr. Gwen Stefani, famous musician in his own right and subject of many of my high school daydreams -- has a brand new addition to his own family but still managed to hit the tennis court to support a good cause. Rossdale recently participated in the Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic, a charity sports event that raises money for the fight against child abuse, drug abuse and homelessness.

Gavin had some worthy opponents at the match -- Greg Norman, Chevy Chase and Jon Lovitz, to name a few.

The tournament, which has been happening since 1989, has helped raise over $16 million for troubled kids over the years.

(via Chatterbox)

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Olympians Kerri Strug and Brandi Chastain obviously know how to train for and commit to a sport -- Kerri took home a very memorable gold medal in gymnastics, while Brandi is a gold medalist in soccer. This year, the two partnered up to serve as ambassadors for ING's Run for Something Better program, which encourages kids to live healthier and more active lives.

This cause is something both really believe in, with Chastain saying, "I learned the value of physical fitness early on in life. I also know that being healthy as a child can lead to good habits as an adult." She hopes her participation will "encourage thousands of children ... to embrace physical activity and create their own personal fitness goals."

Still, going from playing a team sport to spending hours training alone has been a big adjustment for the soccer star. By the time the training period was over, though, she learned to love it and finds peace in those long runs.

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You probably already know that Queen Latifah has dropped a bit of weight, but did you know that she's not doing it alone? Her whole family is in on it, and they've gotten some great results!

Some celebs seem to always have energy, which is amazing considering their schedules. Jacki's got the scoop on how several stars stay motivated. And, aside from staying energized, lots of stars find the need to slim down, fatten up, or get toned for a role -- check out which eight celebs made the list of great transformations here.

Running for VP is stressful, so it's lucky that Sarah Palin has this custom yoga routine to help her destress.

Ryan Reynolds has been an observer of the New York City Marathon in past years, and says he was amazed by the "guys coming in to finish with bleeding nipples ... People were crying. People were limping, hobbling, screaming, crawling. But most importantly, people were experiencing a sublime rapture that I couldn't even hope to understand."

Add to that statement the fact that Reynolds, who has described his early morning runs as "nothing short of horrifying," has chosen to run the marathon after speaking with Michael J. Fox in an effort to raise money for Parkinson's Disease, which his father has battled for the last 15 years, and whoa -- he's starting to sound awfully serious. Did his recent marriage to Scarlett Johansson rid him of his funny bone? Nope, not at all. The funnyman wrote the following:

"Not since the discovery of Junior High School has a torture been so effective. It's my hope the story of my father combined with my own goal of becoming the first person in history to sob uncontrollably for 26.2 miles straight, may inspire you to give something, too. ... [C]ome on down and watch. Feel free to bring a smile, automated defibrillator, or a fresh set of nipples."

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We all work out for a cause. Maybe it's to look better in that little black dress, or perhaps it's to cut cholesterol. Or, maybe you're just trying to live the healthiest life you can -- those are all fantastic reasons. And now, I've got one more reason for you -- supporting breast cancer research.

Shape magazine is once again sponsoring Pilates for Pink, an event benefiting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). This past weekend the kick-off was held in Union Square Park, NYC, with Pilates being taught all day and lots of other fun things going on.

If you missed the NYC event, don't worry -- you still have plenty of ways to get involved. Pilates studios and fitness centers throughout the nation are participating, hosting classes to raise funds for the BCRF. You can see if your area is hosting one here, or, you can look into hosting your own event. If none of that works for you, there's still a live auction with some fabulous items to bid on.

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Jennifer Lopez's much-anticipated triathlon occurred this weekend, and the singer/dancer/actress/new mom completed the race in two hours, 23 minutes, and 28 seconds, smiling the whole time. She wasn't the only celebrity taking part in this year's Nautica Malibu Triathlon -- Matthew McConaughey and Anna Kournikova also competed in the half-mile ocean swim, 18-mile bike ride, and four-mile run.

Lopez received plenty of encouragement -- she was cheered on my hubby Marc Anthony as well as McConaughey. However, the cause she was running for might have been encouragement enough, seeing as how she raised $127,000 for the Children's Hospital of L.A.

But, if you know JLo, you know that drama tends to follow her, and this is no exception. She pulled out of a guest judging stint for the finale of Project Runway the day it was set to film, just days before the triathlon. Her excuse? A foot injury. I'm thinking (well, hoping, actually) that she was just experiencing a little pain and wanted to get it in the best shape possible for her race. And, she obviously did -- not only did she finish the race, but later that night, she was dressed to the nines for her husband's birthday bash ... in New York!

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Fall is a popular time for charity walks and runs. There are several Susan G. Komen marathons scheduled to benefit breast cancer research. The Alzheimer Foundation has Memory Walks scheduled around the country. Step Out Walk to Fight Diabetes has many fall events. And that's just naming a few!

Participating in a charity walk or run is a great way to get in shape. You have all the traditional perks of training for an event, plus you have the added motivation that your actions are a benefit to a worthy cause.

If you're planning to sign up for a charity walk or run, it's time to start training. You can consult a personal trainer for a customized training program. Or, check out the web site for your charity race. Many, such as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, have training programs designed for their participants.

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow is lending her famous name and face to a good cause -- breast cancer research. The star is joining with Saks Fifth Avenue's and the Entertainment Industry Foundation's Key to the Cure. Key to the Cure raises money for research and brings awareness to the issue of women and breast cancer.

Paltrow will appear in the ad campaign in a t-shirt designed by Karl Lagerfield, which will debut at Saks Fifth Avenue on October 1st. The shirt retails for $40 and nearly all of that will go to Key for the Cure. During the week of October 16-19, customers who shop at Saks or saks.com will see 2% of their purchase go to the organization as well.

So if you find yourself in need of a new t-shirt, or just need some new back-to-school clothes of your own, when you buy from Saks in October, you'll also be lending a helping hand to breast cancer research. Win-win!

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Carrie Underwood recently displayed the best kind of fitness -- fitness of the body as well as the spirit. She took part in the 8th Annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge, showing off her batting skills while raising money for City of Hope, "an innovative biomedical, research, treatment, and education institute dedicated to prevention and cure of cancer and other life-threatening illness." Judging by the pictures, it looks like Carrie might really have some skills!

Janet Jackson is once again relying on a hardcore workout regiment to get into superstar shape before her comeback tour (scheduled to begin September 7). Six days out of the week, she spends an hour working out in the morning, loosens up for a bit, then dances ... for eight hours!

I remember reading about her fitness routine the last time she got her body into completely amazing shape -- it was really tough, but incorporated all kinds of fun things that she loved to do, like dancing and playing basketball. What a smart way to approach fitness!

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Looking for a fun way to support your favorite cause? FiveHumans makes fashionable t-shirts with hip designs, all based on common diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, asthma, and even autism.

Their goal is to raise awareness about these conditions and to also raise a little cash for research. For instance, if you buy one of their asthma tees, 10% of the purchase price is donated to the American Lung Association.

The company hopes to expand their designs to include Alzheimer's, and then branch out into other causes such as hunger, global warming, and homelessness. Read more about FiveHumans and the humans behind the scenes here.

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