In A Heartbeat
It’s happening all the time, the rhythm of your heart. Stopping for a moment to think about it can be a bit mind boggling.
On average, our human hearts beat about 70 times per minute when we are sitting around at rest. It only takes 0.857 seconds for a single heartbeat. For each of these resting heart beats, about 3 ounces of blood is pushed out of the heart and into our arteries. Doing a little math, 3oz of blood per beat, times 70 beats per minute, equals about a gallon and half of blood moved through the heart every minute. But wait, there’s more!
On average, the heart beats about 100,000 times per day, pumping 2,000 gallons of blood around the body. What if you take a walk? Your heart automatically beats a little faster, and pushes a little more blood out with each beat, or contraction, as the scientist like to say. How much blood do you have to begin with anyway? On average, men have 5-6 quarts (4 quarts in a gallon), and women have 4-5 quarts of blood.
Have you hugged your heart today?