The Heart

The heart is a muscular organ about the size of a fist, located just behind and slightly left of the breastbone. The heart pumps blood through the network of arteries and veins called the cardiovascular system.

The heart has four chambers:

• The right atrium receives blood from the veins and pumps it to the right ventricle.
• The right ventricle receives blood from the right atrium and pumps it to the lungs, where it is loaded with oxygen.
• The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to the left ventricle.
• The left ventricle (the strongest chamber) pumps oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. The left ventricle’s vigorous contractions create our blood pressure.

Facts about the human heart

• A human heart is roughly the size of a large fist.
• The heart weighs between about 10 to 12 ounces (280 to 340 grams) in men and 8 to 10 ounces (230 to 280 grams) in women.
• The heart beats about 100,000 times per day (about 3 billion beats in a lifetime).
• An average adult heart beats about 60 to 80 times per minute.
• Newborns' hearts beat faster than adult hearts, about 70 to 190 beats per minute.
• The heart pumps about 6 quarts (5.7 liters) of blood throughout the body.
• The heart is located in the center of the chest, usually pointing slightly left.

Effect of Exercise on the Heart

1. Improving cholesterol and fat levels,
2. Reducing inflammation in the arteries,
3. Helping weight loss programs, and helping to keep blood vessels flexible and open.
4. Reaching and maintaining heart-healthy levels of fitness and weight.
5. Improve cardiovascular (heart) health, and can even reverse some heart disease risk factors.
6. The heart becomes stronger as a result of exercise, so it can pump more blood through the body with every beat and continue working at maximum level, if needed, with less strain. 
7. The resting heart rate of those who exercise is also slower, because less effort is needed to pump blood.