It should come as no surpirse to anyone that the human heart is one of the most talked about portions of the body.
Quick: how many songs have the word “heart” in the title? Remember “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”, “Don’t Phunk With My Heart” or “Heartbreak Hotel” (and here’s a more complete list)?
People are fascinated with the heart and have been for centuries. Did you know that it was the ancient Egyptians that came up with the belief that emotions such as love dwelt in the heart? In fact, they believed that the heart, rather than the brain, was the source of human wisdom, as well as emotions, memory, the soul and the personality itself.
We know now that is not true. But it should come as no surprise that your heart is very, very important to your life and well-being. How many people in America die each year because of failure of the heart? Almost 600,000!
Most of us know that maintaining your heart health is essential and most of us know the basics to keeping it healthy: exercise, eat a heart healthy diet, don’t smoke, decrease your stress level and visit your doctor regularly. Easy!
Yeah right. All of those things are so much easier said than done.
Exercise, for instance, is great but who has time for it? Exactly how much time would you need if you did have the time? Where do you exercise and how do you know if you’re doing it enough?
You should always consult your doctor before you begin to exercise (talk with the doc about medications you’re taking, injuries, or other complications he should know about). But in general, to achieve maximum benefits, you should gradually work up to an aerobic session lasting 20 to 30 minutes, at least three to four times a week.
Dr. James Taylor, a family physician associated with Brigham City Community Hospital, is a big believer in exercise to improve your health. Check out what he has to say about it in this video. He’s got plenty of good advice for the questions about exercise above and much more.
And if you’d like to read more good advice, click here. Take care of your heart and it will take care of you. It promises! Cross its heart!