The circulatory system is one of the primary systems in your body. It is the highway that moves the blood carrying oxygen and nutrients to cells, and carries waste out. The main part of the circulatory system is the heart. The heart is a muscle about the size of an adult fist and works like a pump to keep the blood moving throughout your body. Every part of the circulatory system is important but without a good healthy heart the blood won’t travel through your body like it should. It would be like having a race car but the car doesn’t have an engine.

The heart is a pear shaped organ in our chest. that pumps blood to the rest of our bodies. This organ has four parts or chambers, the right and left atria and the right and left ventricle. The right half of your heart collects blood that has already been used and has little or no oxygen and moves it back to your lungs. Your lungs pump oxygen into the blood and the left side of your heart moves the newly oxygenated blood through your body. This whole trip takes about 45 seconds. That’s right! Your heart is such a strong muscle it can push all the blood through your whole body in 45 seconds. In 24 hours your blood will have taken a 12,000 mile trip and never leave your body. 

All of this means your heart is the strongest and hardest working muscle in your body. To stay healthy you must do some things to keep it in shape.

The heart needs at least 60 minutes of exercise every day. Swimming, riding a bike, playing sports are all good starts, so take a break each day from video games. Make sure you drink lots of water. You need to stay hydrated to help your heart. The less water you drink, the harder your heart, kidneys and other organs have to work. 

Your body needs energy to not just keep it going but to make new blood cells. Without good blood cells you are putting your heart out of a job and it won’t work as well as it should. So eat well to keep things moving like they should.