This past weekend, I was among the millions of TV watchers who winced as Tiger played at the U.S. Open, nursing what we now know was a torn ligament in his left knee.

Golf-related injuries, understandably, are on people's lips. It's not really an issue for me. (I only play mini-golf.) But if you're a golfer, here are some tips from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons on how to avoid getting hurt:

• Practice on real turf instead of rubber mats, when possible.
• Wear the appropriate golf shoes: ones with short cleats are best.
• Do not hunch over the ball too much; it may predispose you to neck strain and rotator cuff tendinitis.
• Avoid golfer’s elbow – which is caused by a strain of the muscles in the inside of the forearm – by performing wrist and forearm stretching exercises and not overemphasizing your wrists when swinging.

When's the last time you had a good belly-achin' laugh? The kind that makes you feel like you just worked out?

Well, more folks in the health community are saying that "laughter is the best medicine." (Laugh track here, please.)

A practice known as laughter yoga is becoming increasingly popular. There are more than 6,000 Laughter Yoga clubs in 60 countries. It hasn't caught on as fast in Maine; I found just one club based out of Boothbay Harbor.

Here's a list of the health benefits of laughter yoga, also known as hasya yoga, from the University of Michigan Health System:

• Helps to reduce stress
• Enhances the immune system
• Strengthens cardiovascular functions
• Oxygenates the body by boosting the respiratory system
• Improves circulation
• Tones muscles
• Helps with digestion and constipation

The following is a Discovery Channel segment on how Indian physician Dr. Madan Kataria invented laughing yoga. Apparently Dr. Kataria got together a group of people who told jokes to one another. They ran out of jokes after a few days.

Then, he came up with other ways that people could make each other laugh. One involves pretending to be a lion, by making googly eyes, and pawing at the air.

Another one has people acting like they are taking two imaginary glasses of milk and pouring milk from one glass to another, while making unintelligible sounds.

Exercise is not a one-size-fits-all type of deal, according to a study released today in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Different people have to work out at different intensities to burn the most fat, to reach what researchers call the "Fat Max."

For overweight 12-year-old boys studied by the researchers, moderate exercises can go a long way toward weight loss.

They figured this out by having 30 boys – 17 of them overweight, 13 of them skinny – do cycling exercises.

The results showed that the overweight boys reached their "Fat Max" at lower intensities than the healthier boys. Working out harder did not burn more fat for them.

Why does this happen? The researchers give a couple reasons:
1. If you are overweight, your muscles don't have as good a capacity to use fat as fuel.
2. Your weight affects the type of muscles you have. Leaner people have a higher proportion of type 1 muscle fibers that burn off more fat. Heavy people have more type 2 muscles that burn off more carbohydrates.

What's your Fat Max? Michael Stefano, author of The Firefighter's Workout Book, has worked out a formula.

So this is what I know about triathlons: they involve swimming, running and bicycling, and talking about it makes the few slow-twitch muscles I have ache.

Still, I'm intrigued by an event being billed as Maine's first all-women's triathlon. It's called Tri For A Cure, and it's a fundraiser for the Maine Cancer Foundation.

The race at Southern Maine Community College in South Portland is an abbreviated triathlon, or a “sprint” – a 1/3 mile swim, 12-mile bike and 3-mile run.

The event isn’t until Aug. 9, and the foundation hasn't even started its formal marketing campaign, but spots for this short-course, or "sprint," triathlon are filling up fast. More than 270 women already have registered to participate, leaving just 300 or so spaces.

Over the last two decades, women have become increasingly drawn to the challenge, says USA Triathlon, which reports that female membership has increased from 11 percent in the early 1990s to 29 percent in 2005.

But all-female triathlons aren't that commonplace, and the ones out there usually have to do with raising money for a cause, said race organizer and triathlete Julie Marchese.

Marchese, whose first triathlon was the all-women’s Danskin event in Webster, Mass., recommends female-only races for first-timers.

The atmosphere is a lot warmer and more relaxed, says Marchese. Lots of high-fiving going on.

“In a regular race, people are trying to win and trying to place in their division, and it’s much more goal-oriented,” Marchese said.

But hard-core competitors don’t have to stay away, Marchese adds. Just bring your novice friends along with you.

"I think triathlons are not as difficult as everyone assumes," encourages Martha Deprez, who has already signed up. "That makes it nice because you get a lot of credit for doing something that is possible."

You can sign up on-line here.

Registration is $75 or if you want to do a relay with two or three of your friends, it’s $50 a person.

Go ahead, jump!

When I first heard that ChiRunning combined running with Tai Chi, I envisioned someone doing the Repulse Monkey on a morning jog.

As it turns out, ChiRunning doesn't look that different from running. But it does draws inspiration from the most zen of martial arts.

ChiRunners are taught to relax their limbs and let gravity pull them forward, so they don't expend any unnecessary energy.

ChiRunning isn't the only technique out there. With the number of recreational runners in the U.S. topping 10 million, there is a thirst for advice on how to develop the best running style and prevent injury.

The Pose Method, invented during the 1970s by Soviet running coach Nicholas Romanov, also stresses a forward lean in running, as well as short strides.

There is debate in the running world about whether these techniques actually work, but plenty of devotees are out there.

See for yourself. Here is a clip from the Discovery Health channel on the basics of ChiRunning. Watch how the ChiRunning expert casually runs into the frame right ... on ... cue.

And here is a video of the Pose Method being demonstrated on a beach on the Virgin Islands. Note: You might want to skip to the 2:00 mark to see actual running.