The ABC of Weight Loss

How The Heart Works

Your heart is a muscle, and its about the size of 2 fists. This incredible organ is responsible for pumping approximately 5.6 litres of blood right around your body, deep into each muscle, all in about 20 seconds. Each day, your blood travels about 19,200 kilometres. To pump the body’s entire supply of blood a very powerful muscle is needed.

Heart function is incredibly complex, yet can be stated quite simply. The heart works as a pump, forcing blood through your entire body. In the lungs, the haemoglobin molecule in your blood grabs onto oxygen. Blood also contains a range of other nutrients necessary for cell function and metabolism. As the oxygenated blood is pumped out, oxygen is delivered to the body’s cells and organs. The de-oxygenated blood is pushed through the closed circulatory system back to the heart to pick up more oxygen in the lungs. On the way back to the heart, blood travels through the liver and kidney, where is gets rid of waste and harmful substances. To accomplish this, your heart beats about 100,000 times every day.

The valves control blood flow by a set of flaps, which are quite thin, but very strong. The heart valves should open and close fully and only let blood flow in one direction. Sometimes, the heart valves don’t work correctly and when valve problems are noticed at birth, they are called congenital heart defects. Valves can become damaged later on by rheumatic fever, infections such as endocarditis, or by damage over time as seen in the elderly. Damaged valves can be leaky if they do not close completely. This is called regurgitation and if the valve is abnormally narrowed, limiting normal flow, it is called stenotic. This can cause a range of problems.

A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to the heart muscle is blocked. Portions of the heart are damaged and cannot pump, and this can cause an irregular hearth rhythm, or pumping to stop altogether. Immediate medical care can prevent long-term damage to the heart, so it’s important to receive medical treatment as soon as possible.

You should seek immediate medical care if you have any of these symptoms:
Discomfort in the chest: usually in the center of the chest. It is often described as an unbearable tightness, squeezing, pressure, or fullness. This pain lasts for more than a few minutes, and may come and go.

Upper body pain, or a tingling sensation, usually down the left arm, but also may include both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.

You may have shortness of breath, which usually occurs at the same time as chest pain but may precede it.

Other symptoms: cold sweat, nausea, dizziness or light-headedness.

The secret to keeping your heart in good working order is keeping healthy by following an active lifestyle. This does not necessarily mean intense bouts of exercise sessions each day, but moving often throughout the course of each day in a way that increases your heart rate.

If you have concerns about your heart and wish to commence an exercise program you should consult an Exercise Physiologist to help you get started. If you have a history of heart disease you may qualify for Medicare funded consultations.

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