Couric, Curds and Cancer

I was working out in the dinky, musty gym at my mom's apartment complex this morning - much-needed exercise considering the fact that spending time here in the land of cheese curds and bratwurst does not exactly do wonders for my diet - with an old guy on a stationary bike who was watching "The View" on the gym's lone television. Lo and behold, Katie Couric was the first guest! She was there to talk about Stand Up To Cancer. Hooray!

Okay so I just have to say, first and foremost, that it was so great to see Katie on morning television again. As much as I want her to succeed on the CBS Evening News, because she is truly trying to break a barrier being a female anchor in that time slot and I respect that, she really belongs on morning television. Sigh. Well anyway -

Okay I also have to admit that I only caught her about mid-way through her interview, so I didn't get to hear the whole thing but I'm sure it will be posted on YouTube or the SU2C website later today. But anyway -

It just made me happy. Katie talked about the Constellation campaign, where you can name a star for a cancer survivor for just $1. She talked about some other aspects of the program that weren't news to me, but I was delighted to see her this morning.

What is news? In case you haven't heard, there is a stellar line-up being formed for the TV special. In addition to co-hosts Katie Couric, Charles Gibson and Brian Williams, there will be a ton of other great celebs in attendance. Check it: Casey Affleck, Dana Delany, America Ferrera, Danica Patrick, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Aniston, Sally Field, Christina Ricci, Goran Visnjic, Christina Applegate, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Forest Whitaker, Kirsten Dunst, Neil Patrick Harris, Homer and Marge Simpson (love that they are included in the press release!), Josh Brolin, Salma Hayek, David Cook (whose brother is battling brain cancer), Elle Fanning, Scarlett Johansson, Meryl Streep, Jon Favreau, Masi Oka, and Hilary Swank. Phew! The line-up also includes celebrity cancer survivors Fran Drescher, Robin Roberts, Lance Armstrong, and Elizabeth Edwards.

I'm sure they will have many more celebrities join these ranks, and I can't wait to see this list continue to grow.

Good stuff all around! Now back to my cheese curds...

LIVESTRONG Indeed

As far as I'm concerned, the Lance Armstrong Foundation can basically do no wrong. I deeply admire how Lance has embraced his survivorship and committed himself to helping others through their cancer journeys. Now, the LAF has launched LIVESTRONG.com, a health, fitness and lifestyle site.

This site is fantastic! It includes a variety of articles on every topic you can imagine. You can register with the site to engage in its online community, set goals (or, as they call them, "dares") for yourself, and track your progress. The Dares include everything from "Drink more water" to "Spend time with family" to "Complete a triathalon."

There is also a section called "The Daily Plate" which offers nutritional information for specific foods, an online food diary, and interactive feedback. So cool!

So while this site (and thus, this post) is not directly cancer-related, I am all for *free* resources that help you, as my friend Sarah says (courtesy of Oprah), "live your best life." This is the one shot we get, and this is the one body we get, so we need to pamper ourselves in health, life, and love.