© 2007 Kaiser Permanente. All rights reserved.

© 2007 Kaiser Permanente. All rights reserved.

Used by permission of Dr. Alvin & Virginia B. Silverstein.©2002, American Heart Association. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.

What is the heart? Why isit so important? What does itdo in the body?

You probably think youknow what the heart looks like.But you probably are wrong.The heart does not look verymuch like the shapes peopledraw on Valentine’s Day. Andit certainly isn’t flat, like apaper valentine. A real, liveheart is shaped somethinglike an ice-cream cone, witha pointed bottom and a roundedtop, like two scoops of icecream. It is hollow and canfill up with blood. A grown-up’sheart is about the size of a fist.It weighs a little less than apound.

When you pledge allegianceto the flag, you place your handover the left side of your chest.Do you know why? That issupposed to be where the heartis. Actually, the heart is in themiddle of the chest. It fits insnugly between the two lungs.But the heart is tipped over, sothat there is a little more of it onthe left side than on the right.The pointed tip at the bottom ofthe heart touches the front wallof the chest. Every time theheart beats, it goes thump

by Dr. Alvin & Virginia B. Silverstein

Heart

against the chest wall. You canfeel the thumps if you pressthere with your hand. You canhear them with your ear.

The heart is a pump. Itswalls are made of thick muscle.They can squeeze (contract) tosend blood rushing out. Theblood does not spill all over theplace when it leaves the heart.It flows smoothly in tubescalled blood vessels.

First the blood flows intotubes called arteries. The arteries that leave the heart arethick tubes. The biggest one,called the aorta, is an inch wide.But the arteries soon branchagain and again, to form manysmaller tubes. These bloodvessels carry blood to all parts

of the body. The farther fromthe heart, the more bloodvessels there are, and thesmaller they are. The tiniestblood vessels, called capillaries,are so small you would need amicroscope to see them.Capillaries join to form largerblood vessels. These tubes carryblood back toward the heart.The bigger ones are calledveins. The closer to the heart,the fewer the veins there are,and the larger they are. Thelargest veins empty blood intothe heart.

So the blood vessels of thebody carry blood in a circle:moving away from the heartin arteries, traveling to variousparts of the body in capillaries,and going back to the heartin veins. Scientists call theheart and blood vessels thecirculatory system. They saythat blood circulates in the body.And the heart is the importantpump that makes this happen.

Are you an after-school, glued-to-the-tube-type dude? If thisdoesn’t describe you, it probablydescribes someone you know. Let’slook into the future of these couchpotato people. You certainly won’tsee them on TV as the next greatathlete. Of course, not everyonegrows up to be a world-famousathlete. Even if you don’t earn thebig bucks for being fit, there arestill rewards for exercising.

PUT YOUR HEART INTO IT

Physical fitness helps yourbody to be strong. Being fit alsostrengthens your heart, which

helps it to pumpblood with less effort.The heart then is able tomove your blood throughyour body with fewerbeats. This gives yourheart a chance to restbetween beats.

Sometimes your heart beatsfaster, like when you run or jumprope. That’s because your musclesare using oxygen. So what doesthat have to do with your heart?Well, your heart pumps blood.Blood is what carries oxygen toyour muscles. Oxygen is used tohelp your muscles contract. Afteryou stop exercising, your musclesdon’t need so much oxygen, andyour heart slows down to normal.This is called your resting heartrate. The faster your heart returnsto normal, the better it is for yourheart. The more you exercise, the

F I T F O R F U N

quicker your heart rate will returnto its resting rate.

To really help your heart getstronger, you need at least 30minutes of aerobic (´r o´ bik;

exercise that conditions the heartand lungs) exercise three to fourtimes a week. This means thatyou need to get your heart beatingfaster than normal and keep itbeating faster for at least 30minutes. So, how do you do that?You start by getting off the couchand moving. Any kind of movingwill help. You can in-line skate,

jog, hike, bike, or swim. Get afriend to get fit with you. Howabout joining a soccer team, orbasketball? You can sign up for adance class, gymnastics, tennis, ortrack. You can do something assimple as mowing your lawn ortaking your dog for a brisk walk.He needs exercise, too!

WORK THOSE MUSCLES

Taking care of your heart isa great reason to exercise, butthere are other good reasons, too.Keeping fit improves the strengthof your bones, muscles, and joints.Those with stronger musclesusually sit, stand, and walk withbetter posture (pos´ch´r; theposition of the body). Goodposture makes you look healthierand more attractive. To make yourmuscles stronger, you need to

work them. For instance,climbing and bicycling

strengthen your leg muscles.Pull-ups and push-upshelp to strengthen yourarms, and sit-ups helpto strengthen yourstomach muscles.

IT FEELS GOOD

So you still have to sit in frontof the TV for your favorite show?Why not spend that timestretching your muscles? Stretchinghelps you to be more flexible(flek´s´ b´l; able to bend withoutbreaking). Stretch your arms, legs,back, stomach, and neck. Do itslowly, without jerking. It is goodfor your muscles, and helps youto relax.

Get your whole family to joinin and have a family fitness stretchand strengthen night. Do somesit-ups together. Do some easy

exercises together, like marching inplace. Take turns being the exerciseleader. What’s important is thatyou aren’t just sitting there. Andremember: Always warm up beforeand after exercising.

Now that you know why youneed to be fit and how to be fit,go find a friend to get fit with.Remember these steps to fitness:warm-up, aerobics, musclestrengthening, flexibility, andstretching. So, make a deal withyour friend to turn off the tube,and get energized with exercise.

Reprinted by special permission from Weekly Reader Corporation. Current Health®, ispublished by Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved.©2002, American Heart Association. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.

fit for learning

YMCA of Santa Clara Valley

UNIT: HEART HEALTHY BODY Grades: 5-6

Objectives: Endurance Equipment: Boundaries, whistle and start/stop signalAsset Categories: Constructive Use Of Time Positive Values Empowerment

P.E. Standard: Grade 5 – 3.3 – Aerobic Capacity Grade 5 – 4.11 – Changes in Heart Rate Grade 6 – 3.4 – Aerobic Capacity Grade 6 – 3.6 - Heart Rate

ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS TEACHING OPTIONS

Card Run -Participants walk/jog/run around pre-determined area for 12 minutes.

-Determine the starting and finish lines.

-Jog, run, walk at a steady pace. This is not to see how fast you can run.

-Jogging and walking are slower than running and with less competition.

-Try to jog / walk for the entire activity period.

-You can jog / walk with a partner. Please do not stop and wait for a friend. If a friend falls behind, have them jog to catch up.

-The object is to have the highest points at the end of the run.

-Each time you complete the area, the leader gives the participant one card.

-Participants hold onto the cards until the run is over.

-At the end of the run, add up the numbers on the cards. (Face cards can be any point value that you decide).

-Participant with the highest point total wins.

-Practice proper form: 1. Landing on heels and rolling on

your toes 2. Slightly lean forward. 3. Relax arms and shoulders. 4. Look straight ahead.

-Run at an even pace -Run around the area at the same pace each lap. -Keep a comfortable stride.

fit for learning

YMCA of Santa Clara Valley

UNIT: HEART HEALTHY BODY Grades: 5-6

Objectives: Endurance, technique Equipment: Boundaries, whistle and start/stop signalAsset Categories: Constructive Use Of Time Positive Values Empowerment

P.E. Standard: Grade 5 – 3.3 – Aerobic Capacity Grade 5 – 4.11 – Changes in Heart Rate Grade 6 – 3.4 – Aerobic Capacity Grade 6 – 3.6 - Heart Rate

ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS TEACHING OPTIONS

Speed Walk & Jogging

-The goal is for everyone to be able to speed walk / jog for 12 minutes.

-Jog, run, walk at a steady pace. This is not to see how fast you can run.

-Jogging and walking are slower than running and with less competition.

-Try to jog / walk for the entire activity period.

-You can jog / walk with a partner. Please do not stop and wait for a friend. If a friend falls behind, have them jog to catch up.

-Check your heart rate before and after the activity.

-Practice proper form: 1. Landing on heels and rolling on

your toes 2. Slightly lean forward. 3. Relax arms and shoulders. 4. Look straight ahead.

-Run at an even pace -Run around the area at the same pace each lap. -Keep a comfortable stride.

fit for learning

YMCA of Santa Clara Valley

UNIT: HEART HEALTHY BODY Grades: 5-6

Objectives: Locomotor skills, endurance, evading Equipment: Boundaries, whistle and start/stop signalAsset Categories: Constructive Use Of Time Positive Values Empowerment

P.E. Standard: Grade 5 – 3.3 – Aerobic Capacity Grade 6 – 3.4 – Aerobic Capacity

ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS TEACHING OPTIONS

Jumpstart My Heart

-Establish the boundaries in the space that will be used and inform the players that they may go in any direction, but must stay within the boundaries.

-Designate 4 to 5 players to be “taggers”.

-Players can be spread out within the boundaries.

-When a player is tagged, they must jog in place with both hands on their heart, saying “Jumpstart My Heart!” This lets others know to come save them.

-A player is saved when another player exercises with them, (5 jumping jacks, push-ups, etc.)

-After 2 to 5 minutes, remember to change players that are “it”.

-Taggers may not tag players while they are exercising.

-Heart disease is the #1 killer in the U.S.

-Risk Factors: 1. Physical Inactivity 2. Smoking3. Poor Nutrition 4. Stress5. Overweight6. Genetics

-The idea is that physical activity helps prevent heart attacks.

fit for learning

YMCA of Santa Clara Valley

UNIT: HEART HEALTHY BODY Grades: 5-6

Objectives: Locomotor skills, running, endurance, cooperation

Equipment: Bean bags, small balls, balloons, whistle and start/stop signal

Asset Categories: Constructive Use Of Time Positive Values Empowerment

P.E. Standard: Grade 5 – 3.3 – Aerobic Capacity Grade 6 – 3.4 – Aerobic Capacity

ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS TEACHING OPTIONS

Fat Wars -Place 4 hula hoops in the corners of the play space.

-Place 10 total balls in the center of each hula hoop (5 of one kind and 5 of another).

-Divide the group into 4 even groups (1 group per hoop).

-On the start signal, players take a heavy fat from their hoop and place it in any other hoop. Players also take a light fat from another hoop and deposit in their hoop.

-Players pick up 1 ball at a time

-Change the movement pattern after 2 to 3 minutes.

-On the stop signal, we will identify the heavy fat and light fat in each group’s hoop.

-No throwing or tossing the balls (Players will place the ball in the hoops).

-Please do not defend your hoop.

-In this game, ball A will be light fat, and ball B will be heavy fat.