A round-up of health-related news and trends from sources around the South ...

South Florida fitness on the cheap: In these tough economic times, the Miami Herald looks for cheap or free options for staying in shape. Ask around in your town: Maybe there's a low-cost option to joining the gym or buying workout equipment.

Triathlons for kids are fun alternatives to team sports: This puts me to shame. I'm trying to fit in a walk or two a week. But these kids, profiled in the Dallas Morning News, are doing triathlons.

Nine-year-old Madi Young of Rockwall couldn't contain her excitement after finishing a recent kids' triathlon. "I can't believe I just did that," she said after completing the 50-meter swim, 3-mile bike course and half-mile run. "It was really fun knowing that I could do this and knowing that my family was cheering me on."

Wow!

Coke CEO: Sodas not to blame for U.S. obesity: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears it from the top guy at Coca-Cola, based in Atlanta:

Muhtar Kent: "People need to understand that obesity is not about a beverage or a candy bar or a restaurant meal or a PlayStation game or about working longer hours. It’s a systematic lifestyle issue that we must address individually and collectively as a society.”

Are we, as a society, willing to change our lifestyles for the better?

Heat treatment takes care of varicose veins: Surgery has been the traditional method for dealing with varicose veins. But a new treatment, featured by the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, involves "a local anesthetic, an ultrasound, a radio-frequency catheter and some searing heat (248 degrees Fahrenheit) to seal her veins from the inside out."

Ouch. But the patient walks out in an hour after treatment.

Nonprofit rescues Physicians Reach Out: Good news in Charlotte. The Observer reports that Physicians Reach Out, a volunteer medical organization that provides care to more than 2,000 poor, uninsured residents, will survive. Another nonprofit group is taking over Nov. 1.

It'll be interesting to see how folks make adjustments and take care of themselves in these lean times.

See an interesting health story? E-mail it to us.

---

Related posts:

• Want more news? Subscribe to the Southern Living newsletter.