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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Yesterday, I published a post citing the fact that 95 percent of those who successfully lose weight somehow go on to regain the unwanted pounds within a few years. Now I've happened upon this statistic: 50 percent of people who start an exercise program quit within the first three to six months.

Hey, it happens. I know. In my combined 37 years on this planet, I've cycled in and out of exercise programs more times than I care to count. And while I seem to be doing OK right now -- I do something fitness-related every day -- there's just no telling what might throw me off my course. That's why I always try to remember why I exercise.

I exercise for energy -- even when I'm tired, I force myself to do something. Inevitably, I feel recharged when I'm done. I exercise for strength -- I want strong bones, strong muscles, arms powerful enough to hoist my littlest growing boy into the air on occasion. I exercise for a lean body -- I've seen results, and I don't want to lose them. I exercise for a healthier heart -- my low resting heart rate always tips off my doctors that I'm challenging myself aerobically. I exercise for peace of mind -- I need to escape the madness of my family unit now and then, and I always feel invigorated when I return home. I exercise to boost my mood, ease my worries, diminish my stress, refocus my thoughts, recharge my spirit, and perhaps most important: To keep breast cancer from paying me a return visit. Recent research links five weekly hours of strenuous exercise to a pretty significant cut in breast cancer risk. That's reason enough for me to keep huffing and puffing.

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Does it ever seem like on those nights you're stuck lying awake you're also getting up to use the bathroom more often? Well it's not your imagination, and we have Danish researchers to thank for understanding the science behind why. They recently did a study looking at men and women and how much urine their bodies produced while sleeping overnight versus while kept awake overnight, and they found that although both sexes made more urine while awake the effect was much more pronounced in men.

Lucky you. A very random bit of information, but we all need those sometimes, right?

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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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