You know, I've never been all consumed with American Idol like lots of people. But I must admit I'll tune in here and there throughout the competition. It's decent entertainment, and I kind of think Simon Cowell is sexy. Nonetheless! I just tucked my healthy babies into bed and plopped down into mine with the old laptop to write about fitness with the television on here in my room.

American Idol is in the middle of their Idol Gives Back program, and they seem to be making a great case for helping children in the U.S. and abroad. Feeling fortunate that my two angels do not have to deal with any of the horrors some other children are suffering from.....I logged on to AmericanIdol.com and made a donation. Partly because of guilt, but mostly out of hope.

If you're a lucky parent like me or just someone who loves children, maybe you can call or log on and donate too. 1-877-IDOL-AID or AmericanIdol.com

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In the past 20 years, cancer incidence in young adults has doubled. The grand total: 70,000 diagnosis each year. Ouch. How about some salt for that wound: Cancer survival rates in young adults have not improved over the past 30 years, mostly due to delayed diagnosis. Want more?

The medical community at large is grossly uneducated about how to effectively communicate, treat, and follow-up with young adults. And the number one social issue faced by young cancer survivors is isolation. In a nutshell, young adults are a critically underserved population whose needs (fertility, education, sexuality, peer support, financial aid, insurance, employment) are so different than the needs of other age groups.

How do I know all of this? Because I just grabbed these facts and figures from young adult cancer survivor Matthew Zachary's website I'm Too Young For This -- or i[2]y -- which happens to offer the latest and greatest information for the under-40 population grappling with cancer health issues. It's a place Zachary hopes sticks around for a very long time.

For seventeen months now, Zachary has been hosting this place where young adults can mix and mingle and improve their quality of life. In order to keep his machine going strong, he needs some help. Some financial help.

If you are willing and able to support this growing organization with a tax deductible donation, check out The Stupid Cancer Fund at http://fund.i2y.com. If you can't donate, then I hope you'll still check out i[2]y -- for yourself, a friend, a loved one, or an acquaintance. Anyone young, and touched by cancer, and wishing to be heard.

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FitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.

Aside from a wedding here and there, I haven't really dressed up in seven years -- ever since I had my first baby and decided to trade a professional job for a mommy job. No need for dress pants and tops or suits and fancy shoes.

For all these years, my office attire has been hanging in my closet because all I wear nowadays is fitness gear. Track pants and shorts, short and long-sleeved t-shirts, fleece pull-overs, a ski jacket, and tennis shoes make up most of my wardrobe. I don't even care much for jeans. I prefer comfy clothes for my at-home ventures. They suit me well. My suits? Not so fitting anymore.

My suits are fitting for some homeless folks in my area, says a mommy friend who works with this population. So I'm donating them all. Just packed them up and loaded them in my car in fact. I plan to transfer them tomorrow morning when I see this mommy in our kids' school parking lot.

I feel fit in most areas of my life. I feel physically fit, emotionally fit, and pretty financially fit. Not everyone enjoys my luxury. Some people are busy simply surviving and don't even have physical fitness on their radars. Many are depressed, deep in despair over their life conditions. Most have no money at all. Some live outdoors and spend their hours seeking warmth and nourishment. Not much chance for a fit lifestyle. Yet, despite their misfortune, some are trying to come back to life. That's where my suits come into play.

My friend told me some of the homeless people she serves are trying really hard to get jobs. But they don't have the proper clothing for interviews. That's why I'm donating mine. And why my husband will go through his closet tonight so can donate too. It's the least we can do, in celebration of our fitness and in hopes others find theirs.

There's nothing like cleaning the clutter out of your house in order to clear the stress from your head.

If you're like me, you did it New Year's Day: After chucking the Christmas tree, sweeping up the needles, and putting away the lights and ornaments, you keep going until you've cleared out all the extra crap in the nooks and crannies of your house. If your not like me, you've never thought about the novelty of shifting a historically springtime chore to the middle of Winter. And I'm writing to tell you it's time. Who wants to be in the house when warm temps hit and flowers bloom?

The January purge is one of the most satisfying chores I accomplish each year. It just seems a natural progression from the tree and all. I burrow through each bedroom, closet and file cabinet as well as the basement and take the piles of throwaways to the local Salvation Army. Sometimes I also donate to Purple Heart, which does pickups. Being able to do good with stuff you don't want provides an added feel-good element to freeing your house from the clutter that's stressing you out more than you realize.

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John Filicetti, 53, has given a total of 243 times adding up to over 30 gallons of blood during his lifetime -- so far. He continues to donate every 56 days, which is as often as he's allowed to do so.

It started out originally as a competition with his father, who organized blood drives. After that it kept going when his son was diagnosed with hemophilia, and today he gives just for the joy of giving. He says "It's just such a little bit of your life you're giving, time-wise," and he also says he can't understand why more people don't donate.

It takes less than an hour to donate blood, often 30 minutes or less. When is the last time you gave blood?

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If you or someone you love has had breast cancer so the issue hits close to home, or even if you just want to be part of a good cause while working on your fitness, the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer is a perfect opportunity to do that. With walks scheduled all over the country for different weekends from now through summer and into next fall, you have the option of jumping right in this month or training and fund raising for a few weeks first.

Of course participants have the option to walk as much or as little as they want, but the "full walk" is the length of 2 marathons (but you'll be walking, not running!) or just over 39 miles spread over a weekend (2 days). I think this would make the perfect "weekend getaway" for a few friends -- a chance to travel to a fun city, get physical, spend time and bond with each other, and of course contribute to a good cause.

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The first thing you should do if you've lost a significant amount of weight is toss your old clothes. Sure, it's fun to flaunt your new bod around the office with obviously saggy slacks, but you need to get rid of them and fast!

Why the urgency? You need to remove the ability to grow back into them. Shrinking out of your clothes is an awesome accomplishment and the best way to celebrate is to say adios to all of the things you never want to be able to wear again. I hound my personal training clients about this all the time. Keeping your too-big sizes around is literally a way of giving yourself permission to regain the weight you've lost.

Clothes are costly and you're far better off spending that cash on smaller clothes you are proud to wear. And, they'll keep you in check. If you should slide and start putting a a few pounds back on........pain in the waistband is certain to prove as a sturdy reality check. So run, don't walk to your closet and make a grand donation to your favorite cause. In fact. Run to lots of different closets and burn a bunch more calories. Maybe your new pants will be your old pants soon!

The American Red Cross is feeling the burn from a $4.2 million fine from violating laws which dictate blood safety (like not adhering to test procedures or failing to ask the right questions from donors).

In a sort of a reassuring way, the FDA says that there weren't any consequences of anyone being hurt from these infractions. Now the Red Cross has twenty days to respond, but stated that it "is committed to full compliance with the amended consent decree and all applicable federal regulations."

The good news is that the blood supply is perfectly fine, no one was hurt, and that your donated money won't be going toward paying off the fine. Since hospitals and other facilities rely on their blood so heavily, the Red Cross said they plan on paying the fine via operating funds (that is, selling blood products).

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