“The heart”The heart is a very important organ of the body. It's what keeps your blood circulating and your organs functioning. It is a tireless muscle that pumps more than two thousand liters of blood every day. The blood that is pumped is full of nutrients and oxygen (Columbus 7). It travels through your body in less than sixty seconds. So it must be looked after with utmost care. When you put abuse on the body, the heart's performance is not at its best. The heart is an important organ that needs love and care. Everyone has only one and by abusing it, they gradually reduce their lifespan. People can live their lives freely, but how they choose to live their lives could mean the difference between life and death. The heart is a pump with four chambers made of a special muscle called cardiac muscle. Its intertwined muscle fibers allow the heart to contract or tighten automatically (Columbus 7). It is about the same size as a fist and weighs two hundred and fifty to three hundred and fifty grams (Marieb 432). The size of the heart depends on a person's height and size. The cardiac wall is enclosed in three layers: superficial epicardium, middle epicardium and deep epicardium. It is then enclosed in a double-walled sac called the pericardium. The terms Systole and Diastole refer respectively and literally to the periods of contraction and relaxation of cardiac activity (Marieb 432). As the doctor measures a patient's blood pressure, he listens for contractions and relaxations of the heart. He also listens to them to make sure they are progressing in one rhythm, to make sure there are no arrhythmias or complications. The cardiac muscle does not depend on the nervous system. If the nervous s... middle of paper... initiative to live longer by taking a few extra steps, or eating cheerios instead of a thick, juicy donut. It may not seem like much, but it is. The heart is an important organ that needs love and care. Everyone has only one and by abusing it, they gradually reduce their lifespan. People can live their lives freely, but how they choose to live their lives could mean the difference between life and death. By eating healthily and exercising, people can live longer. People who smoke, drink and do not exercise normally have to undergo numerous tests such as: CT scans and X-rays. They can undergo surgeries, such as: Bypasses and stents. Eventually doctors will no longer be able to do anything but put them on machines that will continue the work of the heart. Why not choose to live life to the fullest and take care of one of the most important organs in the body.