The Heart of the Matter

Put your hand on your heart Hold out your hand and make a fist Why do we wear wedding rings on our

left hand? lub-Dub, lub-Dub. Sound familiar?

These sounds are made by the heart valves as they open and close

Heart Facts

The heart is a strong muscle that pumps blood throughout your body

Your heart provides the power needed for life

An adults heart will beat about 70 times per minute

We have 6 quarts of blood that moves through our body 3 times every minute

Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart

Veins are blood vessels that carry blood toward the heart

Even at rest, the muscles of the heart work hard -- twice as hard as the leg muscles of a person sprinting

Your heart and exercise

The heart changes how fast it pumps to meet your body’s needs.

As muscles work harder, they need more oxygen supplied by blood from the heart.

The heart has to beat faster to keep up with the needs of the muscles.

Problems of the heart

Heart Attack - caused by blockage of a coronary artery.

Damage to the heart muscle can occur if there is insufficient blood supply for more than 20 minutes or more.

Typical Warning Signs

Chest discomfort along with pain that runs down the left arm

Shortness of breath Nausea cold sweat, light headedness

Risk Factors

Family History of early heart attack

before 65 for women before 55 for men Age (heart attack risk increases with

age) Race Diabetes High blood pressure

Blood Pressure

The pressure exerted by the heart in pumping blood away from the heart.

High blood pressure is 140/90 or higher Systolic (top number) is the pressure in

the arteries as the heart contracts Diastolic (bottom number) is the

pressure in the arteries as the heart relaxes

Did you ever wonder

Why a nurse checks your pulse during a checkup or why they check a victims pulse?

Your pulse tells how well your heart is working

Many factors affect pulse rate

fitness level, genetics, stress, diet

Your heart is a muscle

If you want it to be strong you need to exercise it.

Did you know

Heart Disease is the #1 killer of women. 1 in 3 women dies of heart disease Yet women make up only 25% of

participants in heart related research studies

How to take your pulse

Never use your thumb Begin your count with zero locate pulse in your wrist or neck count for 30 seconds multiple by 2 Resting rate is your pulse rate before

you get out of bed in the morning

Target Heart Rate

To get the most benefit from aerobic exercise you need to work out in your target heart rate zone.

220 - your age = maximum heart rate MHR x 60% = lower range of zone MHR x 80% = higher range of zone You should be in this range of 60-80%

Tuesday

In your groups one member of group will complete 3

fitness stations Two minutes of exercise, record pulse

after exercise, 30 seconds, 60 seconds and 90 seconds after exercise

other team members will act as timers, recorder, and pulse taker