What Exercises For Varicose Veins Are There?

We are in a youth oriented, body beautiful society that doesn’t really allow for any abnormalities. You see the commercials, advertisements and feel the pressure of many of the people in the news regarding cosmetic surgery and radical invasive procedures that are all guided by the pursuit of looking young and perfect. A common and disdained situation that seems to happen more to women than men, are varicose veins. The medical community promotes a healthy lifestyle to reduce your chances of varicose vein development. However, exercise is another method that can reduce the odds, but what best exercise for varicose veins should you consider?

Varicose veins are ugly and can be painful. They are enlarged or twisted veins due to many variables: heredity, estrogen, pregnancy. They can be caused by a slowing down of the blood flow, so it only makes sense to exercise to increase the blood flow to the heart. We are in a fast paced, no-time society, but there are some exercises that you can accomplish with ease:

Thirty minute walks: Add a walking regiment in the morning. Make it a minimum of thirty minutes. Always have good support shoes and start out slowly. Enjoy your surroundings or wear a head set with music. Gradually increase the pace of your walking. Make this a special time for you; a personal treat, if you will.

Swimming is not just for summer: Swimming actually improves circulation through the entire body while improving muscle strength. For those that want to add a better routine, you can accomplish water aerobics or running in place under water.

Leg exercises: Take a break from your day. Lie on your back, bring the knee up to the chest, holding onto the leg behind the knee. Move your foot and ankle around, up and down. Then do the same to the other leg. It’s a nice stretching exercise, low impact and when you get up you should actually feel refreshed.

End of the day – give your body a stretch: We all find ourselves collapsing into a chair or on the couch. Exhausted from the day – we sometimes become that couch potato. Take just a few minutes, while you are sitting to lay down flat and do the ‘bicycle rotation’ with your legs. Support yourself with your hands under your behind. Just a few minutes will help the circulation.

The old gym routine of legs against the wall: After our daily gym practice in school, our teachers always had us scoot up to the wall, lift our legs and move them open, close; then together and back and forth from one side to the other. We supported ourselves with our hands under our behinds. This elevates the legs to a higher level than the heart and aids in the blood flow.

If you sit or stand for a long time, remember to move around: Don’t get used to standing or sitting without moving. Whether you are working or traveling in an airplane – move your feet, ankles and legs around. Get up and walk – or do some light weight exercises to rotate ankles and feet as well as moving the legs.

Always consult with your medical provider before adding any exercise regiment to your lifestyle. Exercise for varicose veins should be easy.

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.