The sun was just peaking over Oak Grove Road when 84-year-old John Uebelein stepped onto a treadmill on a recent Wednesday morning.
His view from the seventh floor of Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center reaches all the way to Wappapello on a clear day, but that's not what keeps bringing Uebelein back.
His visits to the cardiac rehab floor, three mornings every week, are all about heart health.
Uebelein was less than a month away from a double bypass at this time 17 years ago. Doctors went in on Valentine's Day 2001 to ease blockages which had caused shortness of breath and the early symptoms of a heart attack.
On this day, Uebelein had already finished a stationary bike ride to boost his heart rate and it was barely 6:30.
He has made morning exercise a priority since his surgery.
"I just decided to keep doing it and here I am 17 years later," Uebelein said, before setting a steady pace on the treadmill.
A healthy heart sends Uebelein home each day to his wife of 60 years, Pat, and a family that includes two children and 19 grandchildren.
The heart is a muscle like any other, and how well it performs dictates the health of many other systems in the body, explained Kim Jinkerson, the cardiovascular care coordinator at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center.
"All of your systems in your body are connected," said Jinkerson. "If you have a healthy heart, it's going to help your lungs and also your renal or your kidney system."
People often believe they are too young to worry about heart health or too old to make meaningful change. Neither is true, Jinkerson said.
"There's always something we can do, no matter what age we are," Jinkerson said.
Both children and adults spend a lot of time behind devices today, and less time active, she said.
Her prescription for a healthy heart is at least 60 minutes of play every day.
Jinkerson doesn't like to use the word exercise.
Dancing to a good beat or playing with your children offer as much benefit for a strong heart as running or other activities, she believes.
Monitoring blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar will help track heart wellness, she added.
Jinkerson also recommends taking any medications ordered by doctors as prescribed. Adjustments should be made by a doctor, to ensure the medication works as intended, she said.
PBRMC also has resources available on its website at www.poplarbluffregional.com/cardiac-care, to help make heart healthy changes, or find out your heart age.
It takes just five minutes and a few questions to receive an evaluation of your heart's health and a report that can be shared with a doctor. On the web: www.PoplarBluffHeartAge.com
Managing blood pressure and cholesterol, reducing blood pressure and eating better are items discussed in Seven Small Steps to Big Changes. On the web: heart.org/MyLifeCheck.