OtterKnow Kids EncyclopediaYour heart is a muscle about the size of your fist, and it sits in the middle of your chest, leaning a little to the left! Its job is to pump blood to every part of your body. Your heart is one of the hardest working parts of your body.
Each time your heart beats, it squeezes and pushes blood through tubes called blood vessels. The blood your heart pumps carries oxygen and nutrients that your body needs to work properly. When blood drops off the oxygen, it comes back to the heart to get refilled. You can feel your heart beating if you put your hand on your chest!
When you run or play, your heart beats faster because your body needs more oxygen. Keeping your heart healthy means eating good food and staying active. A strong heart helps you run fast, play hard, and feel great every day!
- Your heart beats about 100,000 times every single day, even while you sleep!
- If you could stretch out all your blood vessels in a line, they would wrap around the Earth more than two times.
- Your heart started beating before you were even born!
