Home •

How Does The Heart Work?

Cycling, jogging, skiing, aerobic dancing, walking or any of dozens of other activities can help your heart. Whether it’s included in a structured exercise programme or just part of your daily routine, all physical activity adds up to a healthier heart.
  1. The heart is the centre of the circulatory system. If blood is the body’s fuel, then the heart is its engine.
  2. The heart is a hollow, muscular organ divided by a vertical wall called the septum.
  3. The right side of the heart receives blood and pumps it through the pulmonary arteries to the lungs.
  4. Blood vessels that return blood to the heart are known as veins which generally carry de-oxygenated blood to the heart.
  5. Reduced risk of heart disease.
  6. The circulation is divided into two principle systems known as the general or systemic circulation that is the circulation around the body, and the pulmonary circulation to and from the lungs.

Physical activity in your daily life

A minimum of 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per day on at least 5 days a week is all that is required. There is also growing support for heart health benefits of accumulating exercise in shorter bouts of 10 minutes or more, interspersed throughout the day. This means if you are too short of time to fit in one 30 minute block, you need only exercise for three periods of 10 minutes throughout the day.
Keep in mind that the heart benefits of exercise are lost as soon as you stop exercising, so it is important that you make a lifelong habit of regular physical activity. As long as you remain fit and active, your risk of dying from coronary heart disease is half that of an inactive person.

Did you know?

Most adults heartbeat is 72-80 beats per minute whereas most babies have a beat of 130 times a minute.

Did you know?

In one lifetime, a heart will beat approximately 2,700,000,000 times.

The benefits of cardio exercise