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Parents of future female Olympians: Relax. The intensive training young athletes engage in won't stunt growth or retard sexual maturation. So says a review of nearly 20 studies in the February 2002 British Journal of Sports Medicine. Although female gymnasts tend to be smaller than their peers, and basketball players tend to be larger, their size is not a result of training. Small girls are simply more likely to become gymnasts, while bigger girls become basketball players. Athletes "select themselves, or are selected by coaches and sports systems, into their specific sports," Nicola Maffulli, MD, and Adam Baxter-Jones, MD, write. Girls "can train five or six days a week," says John Brewer of the National Sports Centre in Shropshire, if "they have a proper rest and recovery period--and are well-nourished."

IT'S 6 p.m. on a Wednesday night, and you and your man have a hot date. It's one of those standing appointments, the time and place understood. You don't have to worry about your hair (not really, anyway), your clothes aren't that important and it's actually good if you break a sweat.

That's right, your hot date is at the local gym or health club, and you and your man have the couples' workout down to a science. After all, fitness experts say, the couple that plays together, stays together. What better way to play than by exercising your way to a healthier, happier lifestyle?

Whether you spend time together at the gym, on the tennis court or in a salsa class, getting together to exercise as a couple lays a firm foundation for your lives together. "It does help them [couples] to build a closer relationship," says Lisa Taylor, owner of Taylor Made Fitness in San Diego. "It helps them to keep each other motivated and accountable to their workout and to each other, and it gives them quality time they wouldn't normally have throughout their busy day."

Before you even consider running side-by-side with your soul mate, here are a few important ground rules to make sure the ride goes as smoothly as possible.

MAYBE YOU LOST OUT ON THE GOOD-GENES SWEEPSTAKES. You've got a schnozz with its own seat in Congress. Or you've got a lace and bod like Brad but a fashion sense that is truly the Pitts. Maybe you wish you could look half as good as Danny DeVito. Whatever. You can still move from not to hot without having the Queer Eye guys ripping you to pieces like hyenas on Animal Planet.

Start with these tips, our definitive list of everything you need to do to improve your looks: from what to wear and how to work out to what to eat and health dos and don'ts. In three months, when the paparazzi are hounding you 'cause you look like a star, just turn toward the camera and wink. We'll take that as a "Thank yon."

CLOTHING

SUIT YOURSELF: When shopping for suits, worry more about fit than price: A $400 suit that fits perfectly flatters you better than a $4,000 ensemble that doesn't.

GET SHORTY: If you're under 5'10", stick with suits and jackets that have a "short" cut. They're better proportioned and won't make you look like David Byrne in Stop Making Sense.

PLAY YOUR HEAVY HITTERS. Better to own a few swanky clothing items you love than a closet full of cheap, ridiculous items you won't even wear.

MAKE AN UNDER STATEMENT: Wear a white undershirt in the office (under your outer shirt, Einstein). It soaks up sweat, plus that little bit of white poking out helps you look more put-together.

GET LOOPY: Wear a belt. Always. It's the follow-through in your backhand, the whipped cream on your Frappuccino. Plus, it gives the gals something to do (or undo) while you're kicking off your shoes.

TEE OFF YOUR WARDROBE: Everyone's real impressed by your muscles. But outside the gym, an armless muscle tee says "Clueless" before it says "Call me."

STRIPE A POSE: It's still true: Vertical stripes make you look slimmer, Fact: Rockers Jack and Meg White are actually 240 and 370 pounds, respectively.

COLOR SCHEME: Never pair a brown belt with black shoes (and vice versa). You're not a Doberman pinscher.

HANG UP YOUR TIGHTS: When your tighty-whities are no longer white, burn them. (That goes for your pit-stained tees, too, Casanova.)

PLEAT GUILTY: Take your pleated pants and donate them to the Salvation Army. Same goes for ones that taper at the bottom. They make you book top-heavy, fat, and, well, like you're trapped in 1985.

MORE African-Americans are learning the benefits of swimming, whether it's for overall fitness, weight loss and toning or for rehabilitation after surgery. And some African-Americans are becoming competitive, joining swimming clubs and masters programs and participating in national tournaments. For the past 10 years, more African-Americans have gotten into the water for more than just recreation, says Byron Davis, a 31-year-old former University of California swimmer who continues to swim on the University's adult club team.

Enthusiasts like Bernard Lyles, sports coordinator for special events at Chicago State University, are increasing that exposure in a number of ways. Lyles not only swims as part of his training for Ironman Triathlon events, but he is also a member of the Chicago Masters adult swim club and coach of the Tri-Masters youth swim club, which also swims out of Chicago State. "We have more swimmers now," Lyles says. "We now have good programs for the kids who want to swim, and that's been our whole thing. [Black] kids are not exposed to swimming like others."

African-Americans are realizing that swimming is a total body workout that improves cardiovascular condition as well as works and tones muscles simultaneously. And for those looking to slim down and tone, swimming provides a more efficient exercise than lifting weights by attacking every muscle in different ways. "When you lift, you're lifting on a two-dimensional plane because you're just pushing or pulling," Davis says. "The results will plateau. Swimming is on a three-dimensional plane. You're pushing and pulling, but you're attacking the muscle in different angles at different points. No two strokes are the same."

Q I am a 47-year-old Black female who exercises regularly and tries to eat right. My problem is that sometimes my heart, for no apparent reason, begins to beat faster than normal, to the point that it's scary. Sometimes it lasts for just a few minutes, but other times I have to sit down and try to relax before it will slow down. If you're wondering, I'm not overweight. What is going on with my heart? And is this something that I should really be concerned about, or is it one of those things that pass? L.E., Denver

A If you haven't done so already, immediately make an appointment to see a doctor, who can assess your condition and provide any necessary treatment. Whenever there is a question about your heart, it is wise to seek medical attention at once.

Without knowing more about your case, it sounds like your irregular heartbeat is what doctors call tachycardia (heart beating too fast). Normally, the heart beats at a rate of about 60 to 100 beats per minute at rest. Although most people experience rapid heartbeats as a response to anxiety, excitement, stress, exercise and drinking a lot of caffeine-containing beverages, these circumstances don't necessarily indicate underlying heart disease. But if tachycardia occurs at rest or without a logical cause, it is considered abnormal and sometimes life-threatening.

The symptoms can include palpitations, light-headedness (sometimes resulting in fainting), shortness of breath and pain in the chest or neck.

"Since it runs in my family, what can I do now to prevent or delay diabetes?"

PREVENTING OR DELAYING DIABETES

Q There are several members in my family who have been victimized by diabetes, and they have had to find ways to deal with the disease that affects so many Black people. I have a grandmother, uncle and two cousins who are affected in different ways by diabetes. I have heard that there are ways to keep diabetes from becoming a part of your life. Since it runs in my family, what can I do now to prevent or delay the disease? K.W., Atlanta

A With the disease being so prevalent in your family, you are wise to do what you can to avoid the effects of diabetes.

In answer to your question about prevention, there are many scientists who believe diabetes, both Type 1 and Type 2, can be prevented. Type 1 diabetes, which usually affects children and young adults, is believed to be caused by an allergic-like reaction--possibly to insulin, the pancreas or some substance in the pancreas. If so, doctors say that giving the affected person small injections of insulin could prevent the disease.

A Medical authorities say Type 2 diabetes is more prevalent among African-Americans and adults over 45, accounting for up to 95 percent of cases. It may be associated with an inherited defect that reduces a person's sensitivity to insulin. New medications and lifestyle changes (including routine exercise and a balanced diet) may reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes.