Exercises For Healthy Circulation

Healthy circulation is important to your overall health, as it transports oxygen and vital nutrients to the brain, skin, and vital organs in the body. Poor circulation can also lead to complications like varicose veins and spider veins, kidney disease, and even stroke. Fortunately, exercise can significantly boost your blood flow to improve circulation.

Do you have poor circulation?

When blood is not properly flowing to certain areas of your body, your body may alert you with certain symptoms. Poor circulation is most common in the extremities, like your legs and arms, and often causes these symptoms:

• Tingling or numbness
• Throbbing or stinging pain
• Dull, aching pain
• Muscle cramping
• Difficulty healing wounds
• Bruising
• Skin cooler to the touch in the extremities
• Slight skin discoloration in the extremities

Exercises to boost circulation

There are many exercises you can start incorporating into your daily routine to get your blood pumping for healthy circulation. Some of the best exercises are ones that will raise your heart rate and increase your breathing. When the heart muscle contracts at a higher rate, the increased volume of blood moves more rapidly through the arteries and veins of the body, which boosts circulation. These include, but are not limited to:

• Walking
• Biking
• Swimming
• Yoga
• Stretching
• Strength training

Poor blood flow and varicose veins

When the tiny, one-way valves within the veins become damaged or weakened, the blood does not circulate properly. Over time, this results in backflow and pooling of the blood, which is often manifested as varicose veins. At Chicago Vein Institute, we offer advanced diagnostic tools to diagnose your vein issues thoroughly and accurately. We also offer a wide variety of vein treatments, and will build a treatment plan catered to your needs to eliminate your problem veins.

Learn more about the services we offer by calling our North Center location at 773-231-9884 or our Downtown Chicago location at 312-234-0750