Your
heart, quite simply, is a pump. But it is one of the most fascinating
pumps you'll ever learn about. First you must understand that every
cell in our body - from the cells in our hair to the cells in our
toes need OXYGEN and NUTRIENTS to survive and keep us alive. Since
they can't get these nutrients themselves, blood is used to deliver
them right to the cells. (sort of like room service)
The
basic job of the heart is pump that blood through your body so that
the blood can deliver the oxygen and nutrients right to the cells.
The heart keeps your blood pumping at all times as it picks up oxygen
from your lungs and nutrients from your digestive system and sends
them to all cells of your body. Your heart is the power behind the
delivery system.
Inside
the heart is four chambers. Two of those chambers send the blood up
to your lungs to get oxygen, then the other two chambers send that
oxygen rich blood to the rest of your body. Valves inside of the heart
make sure that the blood only moves in one direction.
The
younger you are, the faster your heart beats. A baby's heart beats
about 90 times a minute. A twelve year old heart beats about 78 times
a minute and an adult heart beats about 70 times a minute. Of course
the more active you are, the more your heart beats, since the cells
need oxygen faster to keep you moving.
