Keep Your Heart Happy
Most kids are born with a healthy heart and it's important to keep yours in good shape. Here are some things that you can do to help keep your heart happy:

• Remember that your heart is a muscle. Just like you need to exercise your leg and arm muscles, you need to exercise your heart, too. Regular exercise is a great way to keep your heart in shape. At least 15 to 20 minutes of exercise each day will give your heart the workout it needs to be the strongest muscle it can be.
• Eating a variety of healthy foods is great for your heart. Avoiding a lot of fatty foods will keep your heart happy, too.
• Stay away from smoking! Smoking is bad for every part of your body, and especially your heart. Your heart and blood vessels hate cigarettes, because smoking makes their jobs much harder.

So your heart isn't what makes you feel happy or sad, and it doesn't say Be Mine on it - but it's still one amazing body part. Without it, there would be no way for your blood to move around your body. Without it, there'd be no lub-dub. Without it, you wouldn't be able to live! It started pumping blood for you before you were born, and will continue pumping throughout your whole life. So take good care of your heart and it will take good care of you!

Reviewed and updated by: Kim Rutherford, MD
Date reviewed: November 2001
Originally reviewed by: Lisa Zaoutis, MD

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