If you’ve ever taken a road trip, you know how long a few hundred miles can drag on. What if we told you that upwards of 60,000 miles of blood vessels are inside your body?
It might be hard to believe how complicated your circulatory system is, but it’s necessary when you consider that your blood vessels (teamed up with your heart and some other muscles) are responsible for carrying blood to literally every corner of your body.
That’s why we at Advanced Vascular Solutions care so much about your circulation. Our team of experts has seen how damaging poor circulation can be as it slows and blocks your blood flow, preventing your cells from getting the oxygen and nutrients they desperately need.
So, this blog covers some essential, easy-to-embrace, circulation-friendly health tips to get your blood pumping at full speed.
Nicotine, the active ingredient in cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco, damages the walls of your blood vessels and thickens your blood, making it much harder for your blood to travel around your body.
We recommend all smokers take steps to at least reduce the frequency of their tobacco use — or, better yet, quit altogether.
Hypertension (you may know it as high blood pressure) can cause arteriosclerosis, which refers to the hardening of your arteries. Arteriosclerosis slowly chokes off blood flow and leads to a slew of cardiovascular problems.
Ideally, your blood pressure should clock in at 120 mmHg over 80 mmHg or less, but we can discuss what’s healthy for you. You should check your blood pressure regularly (at least once a month) and follow these heart-healthy tips to decrease your numbers.
Did you know your blood is about 50% water? That means it needs to stay hydrated to keep it moving efficiently. Try to drink at least eight glasses of water daily. Bonus points if your water is fortified with electrolytes and other nutrients!
A sedentary lifestyle is the best way to grind your circulatory system to a halt. If your job requires you to sit for hours or you’re a professional couch potato, your leg muscles weaken, directly impacting blood flow in your legs.
We recommend finding ways to stand and move — even just a little bit — throughout the day. See if your employer will set you up with a standing desk so you can squeeze in some circulation work without skipping a beat.
It’s not just a silly mindfulness practice — yoga engages and benefits your whole body with simple body strength exercises. This low-impact workout can also jump-start your blood flow.
As you twist, stretch, turn upside down, and engage your muscles, your body sends more blood to your organs, and your blood flow gets some help from gravity to travel more efficiently.
Not interested in yoga? No problem. If you struggle with circulation issues, help your body shift blood from the bottom to the top by lying on the floor and resting your legs vertically on a wall.
The best workouts for circulation are aerobic workouts. Aerobic means “with oxygen,” which is beneficial for your circulatory system because the more oxygen you take in, the more your blood pumps, the stronger your heart gets, and the lower your blood pressure drops.
Biking, swimming, and walking briskly around your neighborhood are perfect aerobic exercises to encourage blood flow.
Try adding in strength-training workouts like squats to get your blood pumping.
Make your wardrobe work for you by investing in a pair of compression socks. Compression socks are one of the easiest ways to promote circulation because they add just enough pressure on your legs to keep blood moving in the right direction.
You don’t have to cut your favorite treats and meals completely, but we recommend eating more mindfully. Saturated fats in red meat, chicken, cheese, and other animal proteins and even too much salt wreak havoc on your health and cardiovascular system.
Do your best to limit your salt intake and swap in plant-based proteins whenever possible.
These are just some of the ways you can support your circulatory system, improve your current cardiovascular health, and prevent problems in the future. If you’d like even more tips and tricks, contact Advanced Vascular Solutions online or over the phone today. We proudly serve patients in the Melbourne and Sebastian, Florida area.
