Your heart does more work than any other muscle in your body every single day. With an average of roughly 10.5 pints of blood in the human body, your heart is beating continuously and pumps the equivalent of almost 2000 gallons through it every 24 hours! That’s a lot of work for one muscle, isn’t it?
The fact is, having good blood circulation in your legs lets the tissues take in nutrients, expels waste, recover more quickly, and keeps your legs healthy in the long run. Today, we’re taking a look at how to improve blood circulation in legs to keep your body in optimal condition. Whether you’re an athlete or have a more sedentary lifestyle, discover how to improve blood circulation in legs and stay healthy!
WHAT IS BLOOD CIRCULATION?
Before we hop into learning how to improve blood circulation in legs, what exactly is it? The term circulation refers to the movement of blood throughout the body thanks to the work done by your heart. Your arteries carry blood away from the heart while veins refer to the pathways returning blood to it for recirculation. Poor circulation most often materializes in the extremities such as the legs and feet because it’s more difficult for the body to push blood against gravity and back up through the body.
Some of the most common symptoms of poor blood circulation in legs include:
- Numbness or tingling in your feet (the “pins and needles” feeling)
- Muscle cramps or soreness
- Cold feet
- Sexual health issues in men
- Problems with memory
- Varicose veins and swelling (known as edema)
While circulation may deteriorate some naturally as we get older, people of any age can experience circulation problems in legs and feet. This is why it’s important to stay active and learn how to improve blood circulation in legs no matter how young or old you are. Aside from general fitness and wellness, poor circulation could also be a symptom of (or lead to) more serious health risks. If you’re experiencing symptoms of poor blood circulation, consult a medical professional to discuss possible causes and treatments.
HOW TO INCREASE BLOOD CIRCULATION IN LEGS AT HOME
While it’s important to speak to your doctor before beginning any new healthcare routines, there are a variety of things to do to improve blood circulation in legs and feet. Many of these lifestyle adjustments you can even do from the comfort of your home! To help you determine what may work for you, we’ve put together this list of simple methods for how to improve blood circulation in legs:
- Do daily stretches to improve blood flow
- Exercise and stay active
- Get a massage for blood circulation in legs
- Wear compression socks
- Try different sitting positions
- Take a warm bath
Daily Stretches to Improve Blood Flow in Legs
Kicking off our journey to learn how to improve blood circulation in legs is daily stretching. Just a few minutes of stretching each day could noticeably improve circulation. Aside from being part of how to improve blood circulation in legs, it also helps carry oxygen and nutrients more efficiently to every part of the body. This can go a long way with athletes needing to recover from sports injuries faster, improving mobility and flexibility, as well as helping those with more sedentary lifestyles enhance their general health and wellness.
Exercise and Stay Active
Learning how to improve blood circulation in legs doesn’t stop at daily stretching. While it’s great to add stretching to your morning routine before you take on the day, making time for daily exercise is also important. Experts recommend getting at least 30 minutes of exercise each day to elevate your heart rate and maintain better circulation.
There are tons of different types of exercises you can do for how to improve blood circulation in legs. For example, playing sports or going for a run keeps your muscles engaged and gets the heart pumping. Doing a workout at home or the gym also elevates the heart rate. You can even do a variety of chair exercises as a method for how to improve blood circulation in legs while sitting!
Regardless of your athletic ability or level of fitness, it’s imperative to have a proper post workout recovery routine in place. This is why many active individuals turn to the massage chair benefits for athletes as a recovery tool they can use regularly. They make an invaluable addition as part of how to improve blood circulation in legs while sitting and maintain optimal health.
Get a Massage for Blood Circulation in Legs
Speaking of massage, next on our list of methods for how to improve blood circulation in legs comes getting massages regularly. Massage has long been accepted by experts as an effective activity for how to improve blood circulation in legs, feet, and throughout the entire body. Unfortunately, however, getting massages regularly can be difficult for busy schedules and hard on the wallet. This is where the benefits of owning a massage chair shine.
Today’s luxury massage chair models have eliminated any differences between using a massage chair vs. human massage. They aren’t the massage chairs your grandparents were using! Instead, you can choose from a wide variety of options like a 3D vs 4D massage chair, frames for S-track vs. L-track massage chairs, and more. Each of today’s full body massage chairs provides a plethora of different types of massage programs to meet your needs.
Other massage chair features like chromotherapy, reflexology rollers, and zero gravity massage chair features could also help with how to improve blood circulation in legs while sitting down and relaxing. There are even AI massage chairs that use two types of body scanning technology to assess your body’s needs and provide a custom experience every time!
If you’re interested in an alternative to a full body massage chair to integrate into your daily routine, there are also tools like electric foot and calf massagers that can work wonders. These smaller devices don’t sacrifice any of the effectiveness of massage for blood circulation in legs. Regardless of your needs, there’s a great massage tool out there for you to use at home.
Wear Compression Socks
Next up as we continue to learn how to improve blood circulation in legs is wearing compression socks or stockings. These are garments you can wear to improve the blood circulation in your legs and reduce any potential leg pain and swelling. They’re especially popular for people who find themselves on their feet all day or sitting for prolonged periods of time. Their aim is to mimic the action of walking by causing the muscles in your legs to continuously contract and relax.
Try Different Sitting Positions
If you do find yourself seated for long periods of time, another method for how to improve blood circulation in legs while sitting is to make sure you’re sitting in a way that facilitates blood flow instead of hindering it. While it sounds simple, many people tend to sit with their legs crossed over one another, which can be detrimental to blood flow to the extremities. Instead, try sitting with your legs spaced apart and touch the floor with your feet.
In addition to your typical seated positioning, there are other ways to use body positioning as part of how to improve blood circulation in legs while sitting. For example, integrating a massage chair with zero gravity reclining capabilities into your routine may enhance blood flow throughout the entire body!
Take a Warm Bath
Last, but not least, on our exploration of how to improve blood circulation in legs comes taking a warm bath. Truth be told, it’s not the water itself that’s the catalyst here, but the benefits of heat therapy, in general. Adding a warm bath to your routine, however, also helps with managing stress levels that could be hindering blood flow to your extremities. If a bath isn’t really your preferred activity, other methods for experiencing heat therapy will work just as well. For example, heated massage chairs present another way the benefits of massage therapy at home can go a long way to improving your overall health!
As you can see, there are a number of methods for how to improve blood circulation in legs. Having good blood flow is crucial to your overall health and wellness and should be a priority at any age. As always, however, consult your doctor before beginning any new health routine. Once you’ve been given the green light, try some of these lifestyle adjustments and see what works best for you. Whether it’s exercising regularly, choosing a massage chair for home use, or a combination of all of them (that’s our pick!), you’ll be giving yourself every advantage possible to maintain your health.
Want to learn more about massage chairs and how they can enhance any lifestyle? Check out these resources:
