Exercise makes your heart work efficiently. On average, an aerobic conditioning program will decrease a person's heart rate by more than three million beast per year.

According to a recent Gallup poll, fifty-four percent of Americans are at risk of heart disease or stroke because they have a family history of these problems; 50% because they don't exercise; 43% because they're overweight; 40% because they smoke; 38% because they have high cholesterol; and 35% because they have high blood pressure.

The following are four good reasons for exercising during pregnancy: It can ease or prevent lower-back pain, supply you with energy, prepare you for the demands of childbirth, and make it easier for you to get back in shape after you give birth.

Eat an energy bar at least one or two hours before you exercise. You could get cramps if you eat the bar immediately before you work out.

High-heeled shoes, especially those with narrow-pointed toes, can cause bunions, corns, calluses, misshapen toes and feet and lower-back pain. Wearing them regularly can also reduce flexibility by shortening calf muscles and Achilles tendons.

You can cut your risk of heart attack by as much as 70% by making the following lifestyle changes: reducing blood cholesterol, avoiding weight gain, exercising regularly, quitting smoking.

Nuts may be high in fat, but they're not necessarily all bad for you. Nuts, especially peanuts, almonds and walnuts, are high in beneficial mono-unsaturated fat and fiber.

People who suppress emotional problems could be harming their hearts. Researchers have found that people who hide psychological distress show an unusual jump in heartbeat and blood pressure when they're stressed.

In humans, most research indicates either no change in food intake with moderate exercise of extended duration, or a slight decrease with vigorous exercise of shorter duration. The latter effect (i.e., appetite suppression) is due, in part, to the increased release of creation hormones in response to vigorous exercise.

Frozen yogurts made from whole milk (or that contain added fat emulsifiers) can contain as much fat as ice cream.

A report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, based on 26 years of data on nearly 180,000 Harvard alumni, found that only vigorous exercise was associated with lower mortality, and nonvigorous exercise did not reduce mortality rates.

A study of college students offered a meal of cold cuts and cookies ate 375 calories when alone, but more than 700 calories when eating with others. It seems that people have a tendency to consume more high calorie foods when with friends.

A 10-year study by the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research showed that men who were out of shape, but exercised their way to physical fitness, had about half the number of deaths from all causes of those who stayed inactive.

Americans spent $32.7 billion on weight-loss products and programs in 1994. Diet soft drinks accounted of $15.5 billion; fitness clubs, $8.4 billion; weight-loss programs, $3.3 billion; diet foods, $2.5 billion; artificial sweeteners, $1.4 billion; and "other," $1.6 billion.

According to the American Journal of Epidemiology, men who smoke cigarettes are nearly twice as likely to be impotent as non-smokers.