I [heart] hearts. The heart is above all, my favorite symbol and a frequent guest in my artwork. I know some people are turned off by hearts in the same way they're annoyed by the color pink or teddy bears. But I have always felt so connected to this symbol and for me, it's very powerful. I've been thinking about my own heart a lot lately. It gives me so much and it amazes me that it can keep going 24/7 the way that it does. I enjoy giving back to my heart with ample exercise, yoga to reduce stress and a diet rich in fish, nuts, olive oil and whole grains. Here are some fun facts about the heart:
- A normal heart beats about 80 times a minute
- If you placed the annual production of conversation hearts back to back across the United States they would stretch from New York to Los Angeles and back again, equal to 5,924 miles
- An adult heart is about the same size as two of your fists
- The aorta, the largest artery in the body, is almost the diameter of a garden hose. Capillaries, on the other hand, are so small that it takes ten of them to equal the thickness of a human hair
- The heart pumps about 1 million barrels of blood during an average lifetime--enough to fill more than 3 super tankers
- When you sneeze, your heart stops for a millisecond
- Richard Cadbury invented the first heart-shaped Valentines candy box in the late 1800s
- The term, "to wear your heart on your sleeve" originated in the Middle Ages when young men and women drew names to see who their Valentine would be. They then pinned this name to their sleeves and wore it for a week
- Proper balance of potassium helps maintain a normal heart rhythm
- Listening to music (fast or slow) can influence your heart rate
And of course, one of my favorite facts is that wine promotes good heart health. Here's to your heart!
