1. Author of Frankenstein Mary Shelley kept her dead husband’s, poet Percy Shelley, heart wrapped in silk until she died. Imagine how that smelled!

2. You can purchase the largest model of a human heart for a small price of $5795.95 US dollars. Um huh, I said five thousand. It is 8 times the size of an anatomical heart at 100×90×70 cm. Wow, that is a lot of money!

3. The smallest person believed to ever have open heart surgery was just over 25 weeks gestation and about 1.4 lbs. This was back in 2002 and I think it to still be the smallest baby to have open heart. I searched and searched. If you know different, shoot me a hello.

4. Throughout your life your heart contracts about 70 times a minute and pumps about 5 liters of blood each minute. That is amazing!

5. You heart muscle, or myocardium, is unique to just that… your heart. It is not found anywhere else in your body!

6. When you are in love, you really do “feel” with your heart. Yes, it is true. Your heart, more than any other organ, feels and senses emotions and responds accordingly. Everybody now… awwwww!

7. During an average lifetime, your heart will beat over 2.5 billion times. Seriously, that is one hard working muscle!

8. About 1.2 million Americans have heart attacks every year and over 400,000 of them will never make it to the hospital.

9. The word heart, meaning soul or feeling, is termed cor in Latin.

10. The cardiovascular system is my favorite by far, and always has been. Anatomy, micro, nursing, physiology, biology, chemistry, psychology… the heart is so fascinating in every capacity! I am absolutely amazed by it and at times can not even wrap my brain around the fact that it’s muscle never, ever gets a break and keeps us going from the time we are born till the time of our death. Wow!!!

Post from: Blisstree

10 Hearty trivia facts…

2. Even though we are taught to put our hand over our heart on the left side of our chest, it is actually tucked away between our lungs in the middle of our chests. Think of it as being protected.

3. When you are exercising, it takes about 10-12 seconds for your blood to go from your heart to your big toe and back again. That is fast!

4. A child’s heart has to push blood through 60,000 miles (roughly 96,500 km) of blood vessels. That would be long enough to circle the Earth 2 and a half times. Holy potatoes. Amazing!!!!!

5. Your heart beats about 100,000 times a day which would mean an average lifetime would work out to be… over 2 and a half billion times! Now that’s a big ol’ fact!

This is why we must teach our youth to exercise and eat a healthy diet. We have to keep the ol’ tickers in tip top shape ’cause we’re gonna need em!

Post from: Blisstree

Facts that are fun…

The researchers found that throughout the course of the races, the runners’ heart rate increased in a very controlled way, which appeared to be scaled to the distance of the race. When the heart rate response was scaled to the proportional distance completed, the results across races of different lengths were virtually identical. These findings support the notion that athletes actively manage the increasing strain on their body, in anticipation of reaching the finish line, constantly reassessing their levels of fatigue.

So they train their main muscle- heart- and all other peripheral muscles to climb slowly and then keep on truckin’ towards the finish line without hitting-the-wall.

to read more in detail…

Post from: Blisstree

Marathon runners learn to control their hearts as well as minds

I checked my bloodsugars more frequently this week. Even though I have had great bloodsugars recently I was still feeling a bit ‘out of control’.  So… I have been 100, 91 and 88 today. I ate fruit for breakfast, 1/2 cup spaghetti noodles with olive oil and cheese, and then a sandwich for dinner. I also had a peach and a sugar free popsicle for snack today. I drank many glasses of water, a cup of coffee and a diet coke.

Here is to a good day tomorrow!

Post from: Blisstree

I am checking my bloodsugars more often- Journal 8/14/08

In a new study older people who did endurance exercise training for about a year ended up with metabolically much younger hearts- and women fair better then men.

Our hearts suck up glucose while in a high energy activity- thus protecting our heart against an ischemic attack or lowered oxygen that would occur during a heart attack or similar event.  Think of it as protection. Get yourself on that treadmill and go, go, go!

to read more 

Post from: Blisstree

Endurance training protects our hearts over time

Optimism is good for heart health, at least among men, a new study shows. University of Rochester Medical Center researcher Robert Gramling, M.D., D.Sc., found that men who believed they were at lower-than-average risk for cardiovascular disease actually experienced a three times lower incidence of death from heart attacks and strokes.

The same results were not found among women but the study was started in 1990- which was a time before heart disease became so prevalent among women. There just wasn’t as many women in the study to begin with.

Perhaps we should concentrate on the fact that we have so many tools to help prevent a heart attack instead of worrying ourselves sick over if we will actually fall victim to one.

via Science Daily 

Post from: Blisstree

Optimism today keeps a heart attack away…

The American Academy of Pediatrics, however, believes that the drugs, which are used by millions of adults worldwide, could benefit thousands more children who are already obese, or showing signs of high blood pressure or type II diabetes.

Many UK docs do not agree with this decision and state that this is being used in place of a good diet and exercise. What do you think- would you place your child on a statin or is your child already taking a cholesterol lowering medication?

via BBC 

Post from: Blisstree

Children being prescribed statins in US as young as 8

For the week- my bloodsugars were very very very low. Did I mention that they were low? Like 62 and 53 low. Usually stress affects me the other way but for whatever reason my sugar checks were in the toilet and I would definitely rather be high then low.

Low is no good! I ate my regular foods and did exercise for most of the week- which consisted of walking and swimming. I do need to get back on track with my weights and situps/pushups.  Desperately.

So on to a better week- I hope!! Honestly- it can not get much worse.

Post from: Blisstree

Journal 6/14/08- On to smoother waters!

As India becomes more developed so does it’s social habits…

The risk factors in India were the same as elsewhere and included tobacco use, high levels of lipids in the blood due to diets rich in saturated fat, and hypertension, the study said.

The major complication that goes along with such a rise in heart disease across India is the fact that the estimated time it takes one to reach a hospital in a time of emergency is 300 minutes! Scary.

As the Indian economy grows there will be an even sharper increase in heart disease before we reach the plateau.

via BBC 

Post from: Blisstree

Over 60% of heart disease housed in India in the next 2 years