Ensuring your blood flows freely through your body is a factor of health that many take for granted. Many of the activities we partake in throughout the day are counterproductive to a healthy circulatory system. With a small amount of effort, you can keep your blood pumping and your body in tip top shape.
What Works
Proper blood circulation allows the body to absorb all the necessary nutrients and eliminates waste. Free flowing blood reduces your heart’s workload, adding years to your life. When working a 9-5, stress isn’t the only thing that can break you down. Jobs that require you to sit or stand for long periods of time causes blood to pool which could eventually lead to clotting; a very serious health condition. Here’s how to keep your blood flow in movement at work:
- Take a break- Even while you’re on the clock, something as minor as walking down the hall to the restroom stimulates your circulation.
- Put your feet up- Elevate your feet while sitting at your desk. Propping them up on a small stool helps to keep your blood pumping.
- Get active at lunch- Take a walk on your lunch break. A trip down the block or a few laps around the building can help circulation in your legs and double as a quick, easy exercise.
- Take the stairs- It may not be your first choice, but your legs and glutes will thank you later!
- Loosen up- Restrictive clothing and undergarments obstruct leg circulation. However compression hose, similar to panty hose, are designed to increase circulation and stabilize leg tissue.
Choose Your Fuel
A healthy diet provides your body with the necessary vitamins and nutrients to perform at its best. Steering away from red meat and limiting your salt intake both will provide your body with the proper fuel. Stocking up on fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and other high-fiber foods assist in maintaining a healthy body weight, another valuable factor in improving leg circulation.
Fish oil and ginko supplements provide that extra boost in nutrients in areas where your normal diet may be lacking. Cayenne pepper and birch bark tea are said to open the blood vessels and stimulate the circulatory system. A cup a day goes a long way!
Pick Your Poison
Of course nobody needs to lay out a laundry list of reasons why tobacco smoke is harmful? Peripheral artery disease can be brought on by the love of cigarettes. It causes the arteries in the legs to hard and prevents them from circulating blood. If you already suffer from poor circulation, the risks of using tobacco products are not worth the sacrifice!
Get Moving
A committed exercise routine poses numerous health benefits. Power walking, biking, tennis, swimming, and even the occasional Zumba class are all examples of ways to get your feet moving and your blood pumping. As little as 30 minutes a day is all it takes to proactively improve your circulation.
A short yoga session after a warm shower is an awesome way to stimulate the flow to your legs. Contrary to popular beliefs, yoga isn’t reserved only for the slender and bendable. There are many novice-friendly poses that greatly aid in circulation to the legs. The mountain pose, chair pose, and downward dog are all simple postures that promote healthy legs.
Poor circulation leads to other problems including fluid retention and painful swelling in the legs. At times, suffering from poor circulation may be out of your control. But if you have the ability to better your health, a few small changes will go a long way.
Dr. Ian S. Goldbaum is a Podiatric Physician and Surgeon serving patients in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach.
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