Once while having an echocardiogram to test for heart damage from the breast cancer drug Herceptin, my technician asked me if I was a runner. "I do run," I told him, and then asked how he knew. He told me I had a really low resting heart rate, something runners often have. He seemed impressed by my low number. I was flattered.

Many athletes pride themselves on a low resting heart rate. It means they're in good physical shape and their hearts don't need to pump as hard, say the experts from Reader's Digest. Translation: Low heart rate folks have less risk for heart problems. Higher rates mean the heart needs more oxygen, and the cardiovascular system gets stressed.

The best way to reduce your heart rate is to exercise regularly. While working on your fitness, shoot for this healthy resting heart rate range: 55-65 heartbeats per minute.

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Over Christmas, I met up with some cousins I hadn't seen since I was young. I knew we shared the thin blond hair that runs rampant in our family, but I found out we had another similarity--we get dizzy whenever we stand up. I guess it's not an uncommon thing, but I've never met someone who has this as often as I do.

Why do we get dizzy? It's because the blood rushes from our head too fast when we get up. In my case, it's down to a family history of low blood pressure, but there are lots of causes out there, including:

• Blood pressure medications
• An irregular heartbeat
• Dehydration
• Prolonged bed rest.

If you're feeling dizzy too often, try drinking more water. If that still doesn't help? See your doctor and get your blood pressure checked.

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So if today is becoming a world of both computers and health problems, why not combine the two? Yanko Design has a new concept for a computer mouse that reads the user's heartbeat and other vitals while they work. It tracks the information on the computer itself and can, if it needs to, then send that information to family, caregivers, or even to the hospital at regular intervals for monitoring.

Although I'm sure no doctor would recommend bypassing regular vital checks by a professional for this little mouse gadget, it would be a nice way to stay on top of things and possibly even keep tabs on your stress levels while working. I think my productivity might take a hit, though, since I'd probably get all distracted checking the reading all the time and running little experiments!

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