Kimberly Garrison

THEY SAY you can't keep a good woman down, and this is surely true when you look at courageous Susan Thornton of Pottstown, who has been living with an incurable form of lymphoma (cutaneous T-cell lymphoma or CTCL) since 1991.

The 47-year-old native Philadelphian has undergone chemotherapy and radiation treatments to manage her chronic cancer. But the unstoppable Thornton has taken her condition in stride.

Last Sunday, she competed in the 2nd annual Philadelphia Triathlon as a member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training, completing the race in 3 hours and 21 minutes.

"This was an awesome event, and I feel great," Thornton said of her third TNT competition. Her first event with TNT was the Chicago Triathlon in 1998, shortly after she had undergone a three-month round of radiation.

"Even though I ended up with lesions on the bottom of both of my feet during the training, I wrapped them with a special wrap and happily completed the event, then did a round of radiation when I was done to address the disease. It was an awesome experience," Thornton recalled.

Here's 6 of the worst, and healthy alternatives
EVERY WINTER, a woman I know carefully manages her calories and gets to the gym regularly. Summers, though, she abandons her workouts. By September, she often finds she's packed on a whopping 40 pounds.

If that sounds like you, you might want to start getting picky about picnic pickings this summer. Classic picnic cuisine - fried chicken, ribs, potato salad, macaroni salad, cheese, chips and dips - is loaded with calories and fat. There are tons of excess calories in beverages like iced tea, lemonade, wine and beer, too.

Last weekend, my husband and I went to a friend's cookout, where they had all the typical fixings. We each enjoyed a grilled burger, then focused our attention on having fun with friends instead of eating ourselves into a coma. Unfortunately, our friends only had beer and soda, so that was a reminder for us to always come prepared with bottled water.

To help you keep those pounds at bay, here's my list of the six worst picnic picks - and healthier alternatives for each.

Life on the Eagles rah-rah squad

WHO NEEDS cheerleaders? After all, cheerleading is not a sport, cheerleaders are about as intelligent as a football, and worse, they reinforce gender stereotypes that should have been outlawed a long time ago.

I mean, they are just a bunch of dumb, cute girls with hot bodies shaking their pompoms. Right?

Wrong.

Professional cheerleading in the NFL requires more than a pretty face. You need intelligence, beauty and exceptional athleticism. Not to mention dedication, determination and discipline.

Besides several mandatory, three- to four-hour rehearsals a week, our own Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders work out daily and maintain a healthy diet while holding down full-time jobs and, in many cases, attending college, too.

The Eagles Cheerleaders are a diverse group of 38 young women of various ages and occupations, from chemical engineer to teacher, nurse and aspiring doctor.

Besides performing at all Eagles home games, the Cheerleaders travel internationally to visit troops overseas. They do special events, grand openings, corporate meetings, conventions, trade shows, charitable functions and other sporting events.

Cheerleaders must commit to do the job for a full year. They are paid by the hour for games, appearances and rehearsals, according to Eagles Director of Cheerleading Barbara Zaun. She declined to say how much they receive but said the squad is among the highest paid in the NFL.

Eagles Cheerleaders get national and international television and magazine exposure in publications like Maxim, FHM and Muscle and Fitness. They also are featured in an annual Eagles calendar; the 2007 edition will be released July 20.

Talk about multi-tasking! Whew, cheerleading is no joke - these sisters are holding it down.

Last week, I had the pleasure of talking to Eagles Cheerleader Stephanie (she didn't want her last name used), a 20-year-old junior at the University of Delaware. This determined young lady is plenty busy, as our conversation made clear.

Here's the latest Philly Fitness and Health Podcast. This week Kimberly talks with Sharyn Pak Withers, a certified personal trainer who has introduced some innovations into fitness training such as her mobile fitness enterprise "Bringing Fitness to You!" and her exercise videos for reluctant men. Be fit, be strong and be your best with Philly Fitness and Health.

QUIDAM, Cirque du Soleil's latest touring production, is not just good, it's unbelievable.

Quidam will amaze you with electrifying acrobatics and dazzle you with feats of strength and flexibility, all in one breathtaking performance.

The show, performed under the Cirque's trademark blue-and-yellow Grand Chapiteau (Big Top), at Broad Street and Washington Avenue, continues through Aug. 13.

I love Cirque du Soleil not just because of its extreme display of fitness and artistry, but also because it's proof that dreams do come true and that anything is possible. Just consider the story of Guy Laliberte, 47, the founder and CEO of Cirque du Soleil.

It's hard to believe he got his start playing an accordion for tips on the streets of Montreal and is now the owner of the $1.2 billion empire.

Last week I spoke to Jerome Le Baut, 37, a native of France and a seven-year Cirque du Soleil veteran, who delivers a dynamic duet in his performance piece "Statue-Vis Versa."

Here is what Le Baut said about the skills, commitment, and passion needed to perform at this elite level.

LAST SUMMER I slammed down Amazon Cafe's fruit smoothies daily and by the end of September I packed on more pounds than I'd like to admit. Fruit smoothies, the perfect health food for optimum nutrition and energy, right?

Fat chance.

Take it from me, don't be fooled by the smoothie operator. These frozen concoctions pack a lot of calories. In fact, if you plan on slurping down one of these refreshing, creamy shakes as part of lunch, then skip the wrap sandwich or the salad, because you will definitely exceed your caloric budget for the day.

Don't get me wrong, I love smoothies. The problem is they just don't fill me up. Every time I have one, I find myself still looking for something to nosh on like a sandwich or nuts or something. While I don't have any scientific proof of this, I just don't think you reach a sense of fullness unless you eat something. Drinking my calories just doesn't do it for me.

I know that if I ate the smoothie ingredients whole, I'd be full on a lot less. If I eat two navel oranges I'm full, but I can't say the same is true when I drink a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice (which requires between 2-3 oranges for an 8-ounce serving). Is it the fiber, the sensation of chewing, or both?

Healthy smoothie choices

Yes, you can have a smoothie that's healthy and low in calories, said Dr. Lisa Hark, director of the Nutrition Education and Prevention Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and who is also the host of the new television show, "Honey, We're Killing the Kids," which airs at 9 p.m. on Mondays on TLC.

According to Dr. Hark, "smoothies are healthy and one way to get fruit, and the way to make them healthier is to use low-sugar yogurt or low-fat milk. But you do have to be careful with the calories."

Dr. Hark said smoothies can be great for kids because it is easy to change them to appeal to picky tastes. And by using frozen fruit you can have a smoothie any time of the year.

Buyer beware

"My recommendation is to be leery of smoothies that are pre-made," said Hark, "because it will be mostly made from high-fructose corn syrup and sugar." Take, for example, Dunkin' Donuts' strawberry-banana smoothie. It has 360 calories and a whopping 70 grams of sugar, said Hark.