Lots of people have lots of different feelings about yoga. Some absolutely love it, and can't go a week (or a day) without it. Some people enjoy it, but only find time for it once in a while. And, quite a few others might not have tried it, but are definitely curious about it.

Regardless of where you find yourself on the yoga spectrum, this Saturday, you can join in the history-making celebration of yoga -- Yoga Day USA.

Yoga Day USA is an annual event in which hundreds of yoga teachers and schools all over the country offer free or extremely affordable yoga workshops. Sometimes the classes raise money for a local charity, and sometimes they're just used to introduce the joy of yoga to the community. Find a Yoga Day USA class near you on the official website.

Yoga is a great way to look and feel your best, but be sure to check out America Takes It Off for more fitness tips!

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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I love participating in races. I love the training (well, most of the time), I love the adrenaline, I love the camaraderie. Probably I'd love winning, if I ever did, but as it is, I just love being a part of the event. However, I don't love the impact these events generally have on the environment.

Think about it -- races create a large amount of trash (paper cups, water bottles), cause large numbers of people to travel, and what do you do with all that swag? Maybe you keep it and use it, but lots of people just throw it away. Races can be really wasteful.

Fortunately, they don't have to be. Event organizers have a couple of options if they're hoping to "greenify" their event. Both Athletes for a Fit Planet and the Council for Responsible Sport have several ways to help organizers make their races more environmentally responsible, plus they provide information to athletes who want to make informed choices about their races.

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I packed my 38-pound five-year-old into a jog stroller this morning and pushed him up and down six hills in my neighborhood. It felt good -- the early-morning workout, the time with Danny, the extra effort it took to heave him up incline after incline. It was peaceful too. We were the only ones braving the hills at the time so no one was in our way. We didn't bother anyone either. Jog strollers can be problematic, though. There's a certain etiquette, actually, for these exercise contraptions.

As long as you're walking, jogging, or strolling through parks and on sidewalks, you have nothing to worry about. But head into a race event with your jog stroller and beware. You may be shunned as you crowd out fellow participants and shout "on your left" declarations as you pass your opponents by. Runners just don't want to be beaten by strollers and worse yet, tripped by them. USA Track & Field race directors don't even allow them.

The message here is this: Think before you stroll. Make sure your kid and your apparatus are appropriate for the setting you seek. And before you register for your next race event, check to make sure it's a stroller-friendly event.

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When Jacksonville, Fla news anchor Donna Hicken was diagnosed with breast cancer, she decided she wasn't just going to fight the disease by and for herself, choosing instead to both battle cancer and raise money for a cure. Now, after surviving two occurrences of the disease, Hicken has organized America's first marathon that is solely dedicated to fighting breast cancer.

Hicken, who relates the battle to deal with and beat cancer to running a marathon, has founded The Donna Hicken Foundation, which aims to help under-served women in the Jacksonville area who have been diagnosed with breast cancer deal with everything from financial needs to psychological ones.

26.2 with Donna The National Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer takes place for the first time on February 17, 2008 at Jacksonville Beach. Activities at the weekend-long event include a marathon, a half-marathon, a kid's marathon, a pasta dinner, a concert and a health expo. 100% of the monies raised will go to the Donna Hicken Foundation, which has pledged that the majority of the funds will be donated to the Mayo Clinic's Multidisciplinary Breast Clinic.

Approximately 200,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. If you would like to be one of the thousands helping to find a cure, visit the website for 26.2 with Donna The National Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer and find out more about running in the event as well as being a volunteer.

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So you used a big event to motivate yourself to lose those last stubborn pounds, and whether it was a sleeveless dress for your friend's wedding or a vacation involving beaches and a swimsuit the whole deal has now come and gone and you're ready to relax.

What?! No!

Well relaxing is fine, as long as you don't relax yourself right out of that wonderful diet and fitness lifestyle that got you into this beautiful shape in the first place. If you're not careful you'll balloon right back to where you were, miserable and unhappy with yourself, giving up everything you've worked so hard for and perhaps worst of all finding yourself back at square one.

So stick to your guns, and remember that healthiness is a lifestyle choice, not a temporary fix. If you need some ideas on how to stay on track our friends at FitSugar have some good ones to get you started.

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Vacation planned this summer that involves a beach and a bikini? Or maybe it's a wedding and a sleeveless dress? Whatever it is, most of us have at least one, if not several, events planned during the summer that cause anxiety strictly because of a dress code that involves some flabby body part getting exposed. Crash diets (tempting as they may be) are both unhealthy and ineffective, so in order to really look and feel your best you'll need another plan. Women's Health says they have the perfect thing, called the Deadline Diet, and it has different plans based on how long you have before the event "deadline." Be it one week, one month, or 3 months, they give you cardio regimens, strength training moves, and even meal plans to get you to where you want to be.

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Ok, so the title of this post might be a bit misleading. I believe that losing those extra pounds is never a bad thing, but sometimes people start working out for the wrong reasons. Fit Sugar has weighed in on what they think are bad reasons to go on a diet, and I have to say I agree. They are:

-Because celebrities do it
-Because you want to look good for an ex
-Because you have to lose weight for an event ... that's in the next couple of days (Two words: ain't happening!)
-Because you've been taken in by promises from a fad diet or quick fix
-Because someone who is not an expert says you should

What bad reasons have you lost weight for?

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