The Heart

Sam Sullivan/ Brennon Hiott
3 October, 2011
Anatomy & Physiology
Mrs. Coyer


Only weighing 11 ounces, a healthy human heart pumps nearly 2,000 gallons of blood through our body.   In each Human body, there is over 60,000 miles of vessels the blood must travel through each day. In order to match this with a kitchen faucet, you would need to turn it on at full blast for a total of 45 years in order the equal the amount of blood pumped by the human heart in an average lifespan. The Human heart is the key component to what makes us function each and every day. Without proper exercise, our heart will weaken and will be more vulnerable to heart diseases. Throughout the duration of this project, we will be experimenting with how exercise affects the human heart. We will be testing subjects from a teenager to an average adult. The goal of this project is to measure your average heart rate during different types of activities.
The best way to sustain a healthy heart during an average lifestyle is to maintain a healthy diet. Stay away from fatty foods or Fast Food. As the doctors always said “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Also it is smart to avoiding hazardous gases or smoking. Smoking decreases the expansion of the lungs. This also fills the lungs with nasty tar that builds up over time making you vulnerable to lung cancer. And most importantly maintaining a regular exercise routine. This strengthens the heart and helps protect the heart from diseases such high blood pressure. When you exercise, your heart rate should increase. The American Heart Association (AHA) says that your exercise should increase your heart rate from 50-75% of your maximum heart rate. The averages or maximum heart rate form an average adult is 220 beats per minute. They also say that you subtract your age from this 220 bpm (Beats per minute). So if a middle aged man at 45 years old should have the heart rate of 175 bpm. Most teens experience a low heart rate because it is easier for...