• In an average lifetime of 72 years, the heart will beat 2.5 billion times.
• The heart beats around 60 times per minute when at rest but can beat as many as 200 times a minute with heightened activities such as running.
• Each beat pushes blood around the body - 1,440 times a day.
• In one hour, the heart works hard enough to produce enough energy to raise almost one tonne 3ft off the ground.
• In an embryo, a heart cell beats for the first time about 6 wks after conception.

By adopting a few good lifestyle habits and dropping some bad ones, we can help keep our hearts healthy.

The major risk factors for the heart are:

• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• High blood cholesterol
• High levels of stress
• Low levels of physical activity
• Being overweight

Smoking
If you do smoke, give up. If you don't smoke, don't start! The good news is that quitting cuts the risk of heart problems dramatically - no matter what your age. Even if you already have heart problems, you can still benefit from quitting.

Blood pressure
Keep your blood pressure low by losing weight if you are overweight and cutting down on fat, salt and alcohol. Don't add table salt to your food, avoid canned vegetables and processed foods and get into the habit of checking labels for salt (try not to exceed 6g a day) and fat content. Remember, just because something says it is 85 % fat free, it doesn't mean it's low in fat - low fat foods should generally be less than 10% fat (that's 90% fat free or more!). Eat potassium rich foods such as bananas, as well as beans and vegetables.

Cholesterol
Keep your cholesterol levels under control. Avoid saturated and hydrogenated fat which is found in beef, lamb, pork and dairy foods. Eat more omega-3 essential fatty acids - these help to maintain normal fasting blood concentrations of triglycerides. Omega-3 is found in oily fish such as salmon and tuna.

Stress
People often deal with stress by smoking, drinking or overeating, which are all clearly bad for your heart. Avoid drinking too much caffeine - it increases stress levels and can raise your blood pressure.