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Circulation in the Heart

The heart is a muscle that makes blood flow possible in the body.

The blue side or left side of the heart is pulmonary, and the red side or right side of the heart is systemic. Familiarize yourself with the circulation in the heart:

  • Blood flow is made possible by the heart, a strong, multi-layer, hollow muscle that pumps blood throughout the body.
  • The blood is circulated throughout the body by two circuits called the pulmonary and the systemic circuits.
  • The systemic circuit (the left side) pumps blood to and from all the body tissues in the body. This circulation provides nutrients and O2 to the body and removes wastes and CO2.
  • The pulmonary circuit (the right side) pumps the blood from the heart to lungs and back to the heart. This circuit is where the blood is rejuvenated by exchanging CO2 with O2.
  • You must read over this additional information: Heart and Circulatory System from Teens Health.
diagram of the human heart
© iStock

Keeping Your Heart Healthy

Tips to help you keep your heart healthy:

  • exercising
  • eating a healthy and nutritious diet
  • maintaining a healthy weight
  • no smoking or quit smoking
  • getting regular checkups
  • being aware of any heart problems in your family history

 

Monitoring Your Heart Rate

You can measure your own heart rate easily using a watch and one of the techniques below:

Measure heart rate at your wrist:

  1. Find your radial artery in the wrist.
  2. Lightly press the index and middle fingers of one hand on the opposite wrist.
  3. Count the number of beats in 60 seconds, or count the number of beats in 6 seconds and add a zero to the end of the number.
checking pulse at the wrist for 60 seconds
© iStock

Measure heart rate at your neck:

  1. Find the carotid artery in the neck.
  2. Lightly press the side of the neck, just below your jawbone.
  3. Count the number of beats in 60 seconds, or count the number of beats in 6 seconds and add a zero to the end of the number.
checking pulse at the neck for 60 seconds
© iStock

Heart Rate

Your heart rate or pulse is the number of times your heart beats in one minute.

Characteristics of a resting heart rate are:

  • Measured right when an individual wakes up.
  • Usually falls between 60-80 beats per minute.
  • Lower in athletes.
  • Increases with age.

To reach your maximum or target heart rate you should exercise. When you exercise the heart pumps faster, so that your muscles get more oxygen and can work harder.

Maximum Heart Rate

Maximum heart rate is calculated using age (Maximum HR = 220 − age).

Example:

Let's calculate the maximum heart rate for a 16-year-old.

Maximum HR:

220 − age = Max heart rate

220 − 16 = 204

Target Heart Rate

Target heart rate is the goal for workouts. The target heart rate is 65% to 85% of one's maximum heart rate.

Example:

Let's find the target heart rate for a 16 year old.

Maximum HR:

220 − 16 = 204

204 × 0.65 = 133

204 × 0.85 = 173.4

EBZ (exercise benefit zone) = 133 − 173 beats per minute

Physical Activity

Heart Rate Awareness

You are learning about heart rate awareness. Your heart rate will increase as you exercise and will change depending on the intensity of the exercise. Your physical activity will be the same as previous lesson- walking and/or jogging for 35 minutes. Your goal is to try to walk faster than you did before. This gradual increase in intensity will help you walk further than previously. You can add jogging to the walking if you can. Through this activity, you will learn:

  • How far you can walk and/or jog in 35 minutes.
  • How you feel after you complete this 35 minutes of exercise.
  • What your heart rate is after each workout.

Walking or Jogging

You will complete thirty-five minutes walking and/or jogging. Exercising at different intensities will elicit different effects on your heart rate. An example is walking faster. Record your heart rate after each workout. To measure your heart rate manually, you will:

  • Select which area you can best obtain a pulse using your index and second fingers. The two places most often used to count pulse are in the neck near the carotid artery and the wrist near the radial artery.
    • The carotid artery, located in the neck, is usually easy to find. Place your index and middle fingers below the point of your jawbone and slide downward an inch or so, pressing lightly. Apply light pressure as excessive pressure may cause the heart rate to slow down by a reflex action.
    • The radial artery extends up the wrist on the thumb side. Place your index and middle fingers just below the base of your thumb.
  • Press lightly and count the number of beats for 60 seconds, or count the number of beats in 6 seconds and add a zero to the end of the number. The total is the number of heart beats per minute.

Stretching

We will cover warm-ups and cool-downs in more detail in future lessons. For now, it is very important for you to know that you never stretch cold muscles.

You will use walking or jogging as your warm-up. After completing your 25-minute walk/jog, complete 10 minutes of cool-down stretches.

Here are some basic cool-down stretches to try this week.

Stretching Handout

Hamstring Stretch

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Butterfly Stretch

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Side Stretch

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