LOVE is definitely in the air...

fierce fun health valentine's day Feb 12, 2019

LOVE is definitely in the air...

~~~~~

and, we associate love with the human heart.

The main function of the human heart is to keep oxygenated blood moving around our body, 24/7. Our heart affects every single function in our bodies and it's no secret that nutritious food, physical exercise, and low mental stress are essential to keeping our heart beating strong.

There's also a lot about the heart we may not know; and while I could go on and on with a bunch of "heart-healthy tips", I thought it'd be more FUN to share some of the lesser known facts about this powerful muscle in the center of our chest.

1. Your heart will beat about 115,000 times each day.

2. The “thump-thump” of a heartbeat is the sound made by the four valves of the heart closing.

3. Most heart attacks happen on a Monday.. today's Tuesday, so we're good!

4. The pressure a human heart generates is strong enough to squirt blood thirty feet across a room.

5. The giraffe has a lopsided heart, with their left ventricle being thicker than the right. This is because the left side has to get blood up the giraffe’s (extremely) long neck to reach their brain.

Couldn't resist this cutie! Doesn't he make you smile!

6. Though weighing only 11 ounces on average, a healthy heart pumps 2,000 gallons of blood through 60,000 miles of blood vessels each day.

7. All of the blood in your body travels through your heart once a minute.

8. Modesty prompted the invention of the stethoscope. Before it existed, doctors had to press their ears directly to each patient’s chest to hear their heart.

9. It’s possible to have a broken heart. It’s called "takotsubo's cardiomyopathy" or “broken heart syndrome” and can have similar symptoms as a heart attack. The difference is that a heart attack is from heart disease and broken heart syndrome is caused by a rush of stress hormones from an emotional or physical stress event.

10. Laughing is good for your heart. It reduces stress and gives a boost to your immune system. The connection is that mental stress (presumably from not laughing enough) is related to inflammation that can lead to fatty buildups in coronary arteries.

Sources: Cleveland Clinic, Healthline.com, Factretriever.com, University of Maryland Medical Center

~~~~~

Take good care of your heart... physically, emotionally, and spiritually. When we treat it well and give it what it needs, it gives us what we need.

May your Valentine's Day be filled with happy moments, love, and chocolate.

~ Coach D. xxoo

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LOVE is definitely in the air...

LOVE is definitely in the air...

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