What's your reason for training for a marathon? Personal sense of achievement? A bet with your buddies? To get a hot body? To improve your heart health? If you answered yes to that last one only, you might consider re-thinking your motivation after recent studies that showed marathoners aren't as heart-healthy as you might think.

In fact, marathoners tend to have higher levels of calcium build-up in their arteries, which can lead to plaques and ultimately heart attacks. The reason? Unknown. What is known is that these findings contradict everything we know about regular running -- it's been shown to reduce cholesterol, lower blood pressure and help in the maintenance of a healthy weight.

The bottom line? I wouldn't stop running just yet if I were you -- it seems the benefits greatly outweigh the risks. But all the same, if you feel compelled to scale back your running routine to, say, half marathons, go for it. Any amount of running is better than none at all.

(Via CalorieLab)

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On Sunday, a marathon will take place in my city. There will also be a half marathon, a kids marathon, and a 5K. I've got a handful of friends of who will challenge themselves in the name of fun and fitness by running in these races and while I won't be one of the competitors this year, I may entertain the idea next time around. Part of me is intrigued by the physical accomplishment I could make by conquering more than 26 miles. Part of me just wants to participate in an event that has the power to save lives in five different ways.

The Five Points of Life races, sponsored by LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, are designed to raise awareness about the need for five life-saving donations -- blood, apheresis, bone marrow, organs and tissue, and cord blood. Some event participants and volunteers are donors, some are recipients, and some are both. Donors are asked to wear an orange ribbon on race day. Recipients: a blue one (we're Gators here, hence the orange and blue). The ribbons will serve as reminders of the importance of saving lives.

Should I run next year, I'll be wearing a blue ribbon, in honor of the several units of blood I received while hospitalized three years ago with chemotherapy-induced low blood counts. What a thrill it would be to publicly acknowledge the gift I was given. What a thrill it would be to run all those miles.

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Do you know what kind of arch you have? Want to find out? Just dip your foot in water and step on a paper bag. Then look closely at your footprint.

If you're flat-footed or have a low arch, you'll see your entire footprint. If you have a high arch, you'll see a thin line between the ball and heel print. If you have a neutral or normal arch, your print will look like a half moon.

So what's your type? Whatever it is, make sure you use this information next time you go shopping for the perfect workout shoe. Different shoes support different arches -- so be sure to find the shoe that's just right for you.

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Eating healthy, low-calorie foods all the time isn't much fun, nor is it very realistic. Who wants to eat salad without dressing or pizza without cheese? Not me, that's for sure. Unfortunately, it's also not a good idea to always go overboard on tasty but fatty items. I think that a balance of the two is a reasonable compromise so was excited about this piece that recommends mixing your favorite high-calorie, fatty or sugary foods with healthier alternatives.

The five half-and-half suggestions are:

• Mix fruit juice like pomegranate or blueberry with sparkling water to cut calories while still getting nutrients from the juice.
• Combine grated, full-fat cheese with the no-fat variety to keep the calcium while getting rid of 50% of the fat and calories
• Add half a cup of All-Bran, or another high-fiber cereal, to your favorite sweet one and decrease sugar while increasing daily fiber intake.
• Enjoy a creamy salad dressing but lower the fat by mixing Ranch or Blue Cheese with vinegar.
• Keep the protein but get rid of fat and calories by mixing ground beef with soy "veggie meat" when making lasagna or burgers.

Can you think of any food combinations that would keep the flavor while cutting fat, sugar and calories?

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I think it would be really nice if these "studies" they keep doing didn't constantly contradict themselves! Case in point: back in January there was a study that said putting milk in your tea eliminates all the health benefits. But now, mere months later, we have new information that shows milk doesn't in fact affect the healthy qualities of tea at all.

So does it or doesn't it? I'm going to go with doesn't, since that's the latest news and I happen to like milk in my tea. What I'd also like is to see the researchers of both studies compare notes and see how and why they got such drastically different results. Get it together people!

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