The heart is an organ that supplies blood and oxygen to all parts of the body. It is located within the chest cavity, weighs approximately 10 ounces and is about the size of a man’s clenched fist. It pumps on average between 50 and 70 times per minute unless we’re physically fit athletes, 86,400 times a day, more than 31 million times each year, and so it goes. It has four chambers – two upper and two lower. Oxygen-rich blood is pumped away from the heart through arteries and returns for re-oxygenation through veins. A cardiac cycle is a two-cycle sequence of events that occur each time the heart beats. The first, known as the diastole phase, indicates a relaxation period when blood flows into the atria and ventricles. The second, known as the systole phase, is one of contraction forcing blood throughout the body. By the way, that vascular system away from the heart and back again is about 60,000 miles long.
We take so much for granted in our lives, in part to hope our own hearts will last 80 or more years in most cases. Americans are living longer than ever before and our hearts just keep on beating without us doing anything. That’s simply amazing.
We awaken in the morning to a good cup of coffee or tea and hopefully a healthful, nutritious breakfast We brush our teeth to prevent decay. We may exercise to remain limber and stay healthy. We dress warmly in the winter time to hopefully prevent getting a cold. However, when we run late we may pass up breakfast for a calorie/cholesterol laden donut and latte at the corner store. We hit the vending machines at our place of work during break time – not for a fresh apple or banana but for a candy bar or fast-food pastry loaded with all the bad things we love so much. We take the elevator because it’s faster and easier, rather than using the stairs for an easy cardio workout. We park in a garage or on the street as close as possible to our places of employment rather than leaving home five minutes earlier each morning and enjoying a brisk walk in the fresh air. And still, we expect our hearts to keep on pumping. So, what do we collectively do to keep our hearts working like a well-maintained electrical system? In some instances, not a whole lot.
February is heart health month. Let’s take the time to make better choices, even if it’s only for one month. The act requires minimal planning and can make a great deal of difference in the big picture. Let’s awaken with sufficient time to sit down to eat a balanced breakfast. We’ll pack a few snacks such as an apple, pear, orange or banana to cover periods in the work day when we get hungry. We can include raw vegetables such as carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, celery, broccoli and peppers for a late-day healthful snack. Let’s save the money we would feed into those vending machines and put it in a piggy bank. Who knows, with time it might pay for that monthly parking pass or grow to be a down payment on a new car or vacation. We’ll review those stressful periods we face daily and attempt to find better ways of dealing with them than we have done in the past. Let’s pass by the elevators and opt for the stairs instead. It’s a good workout, we might drop a little unwanted weight, and it’s free.
Visit a physician annually for an examination and other testing he or she might deem appropriate. We have all been brought to our knees when a doctor tells us we weigh too much, have too high a cholesterol level, or that we have abnormal blood tests. This will likely require the use of medication we might prefer not to take. Some things we have no control over, but if we do everything we can to take charge of our health, we will be better off in the long run. Who knows, the next month might be a permanent life-saving measure we can all be proud of.
