One of the best days of my life has to be when I got my own phone line in junior high school and was finally able to chat away to my girlfriends without the watchful eye of my parents -- or worse -- my little brother. 'Girl talk' is a favourite pastime among females of all ages. I know men probably wonder what women can talk about for hours at a time but the answer is -- everything. From major-life changes to issues as small as what brand of toilet paper is best, girls can make it seem like the most important topic in the world.

But girl talk can be harmful too -- especially to adolescent females. A recent study shows that excessive chatting young girls can lead to anxiety and depression. I believe it; in my early teens, a large part of the time I spent chatting to girlfriends was spent gossiping about other girls and verbally tearing them down. When I wasn't talking to friends, I was worried about what they were saying about me. I wouldn't go back to that time in my life for the world -- young women can be horrifically cruel.

And yet talking to friends can be a source of comfort and inspiration. What do you think the solution is here?

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Here's something that I suspect a lot of people do: They put aside a certain amount to time, say an hour or so, for the gym. But of that time, they don't take in to account the time they spend changing, chatting to other members, showering, resting and so on. The amount of time that they actually spend working out is actually pretty short and ineffective. Maybe it's a subconscious thing, but regardless, it's taking precious time away from your all-important workout.

WebMD has created a list of what are the most common time-wasters at the gym. If you've noticed that your time at the gym is easy and fun, check out the list and consider the things that you might be doing to avoid the hard work.

Reading, chatting and resting are big things for me ... what about you?

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