Improving Your Blood Circulation While Working From Home
With so many of us working home or otherwise relegated to staying indoors and isolated, it’s more important than ever to do what we can to keep active and our blood flowing hence Improving Your Blood Circulation. It’s easy to take our normal routines for granted until those are no longer possible.
It’s hard to believe, but the average person has over 70,000 miles of vasculature in their bodies. That’s a lot of ground for your heart to cover and deliver oxygenated blood to your extremities — especially on the microcirculation level, getting oxygen and nutrients to individual cells.
Our circulatory system was built around an active lifestyle, movement greatly aids your heart in cycling blood through your extremities. All this sitting around might have seemed like a nice break at first, but many of us are not only getting a little stir-crazy, but may be feeling some of the effects of reduced circulation already.
Some early or acute signs of poor blood circulation can include cold hands/feet, swelling and aches in your feet and legs, muscle cramping, numbness and tingling in your extremities, and general fatigue. Over time this can lead to further issues, such as digestive problems, cognitive dysfunction, leg ulcers, blood clots, and varicose veins.
How to increase blood flow while social distancing
Take regular breaks to walk around or jog:
It’s surprising how much exercise we actually get in our daily routines going to work. It may not seem like much, but walking to and from our cars, up and down stairs, walking over to that sandwich shop around the corner, and taking a quick break to walk around with coworkers all adds up throughout the day.
With so much of that off the table now, it’s important to get into new routines to keep that movement up. Take breaks at regular intervals to get up and walk around your neighborhood. Dog owners already have a built-in reminder system of a restless pup, but it’s not a bad idea to even set timers at first to help you get into the habit of taking breaks to exercise. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise a day.
Stay hydrated:
Water makes up nearly 50% of your blood by volume, and is the medium by which your blood cells travel through to deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues, and carry away carbon dioxide, metabolic waste, and hormonal signals.
Dehydration causes strain on your heart by decreasing your blood’s total volume and having the effect of thickening the blood. In order to compensate for this, your heart has to beat faster, to the point of causing palpitations. The average adult should shoot for at least 8 cups of water a day, or more as your activity level increases.
Use a standup desk:
Sitting for extended periods of time has negative effects on blood flow for a plethora of reasons. It slows blood flow to your legs, is bad for circulation in your back, and can even lead to blood clots over time.
A standing desk may take some time to adjust to, and you may find yourself with sore feet or calves at first, but by working this into your daily routine slowly over time to adjust. Also, it may seem silly, but this also makes the transition to exercising and stretching much easier, as you’re already up and ready to go. Small psychological effects like this can be huge in forming healthy habits and daily routines for staying active.
Do yoga or stretches:
We all know that stretching plays an important role in muscle injury prevention, but it also is hugely beneficial in improving blood circulation. By gently working and pulling on the muscle and connective tissue, you’re making your heart’s job in pumping easier, as well as working the smooth muscles in your microvascular system.
A few helpful stretches and exercises that help circulation are diaphragmatic breathing, downward dog, triangle pose, chair pose, lunges, squats, and legs-up-the-wall pose. For those who sit at a desk or work standing in place for long periods of time, any exercise or stretch pose that brings your legs in-line or above your torso are especially helpful in preventing blood and fluid from pooling in your lower extremities.
PEMF therapy:
Pulsed Electromagnetic Field technology has been used by athletes and NASA scientists for years to help improve blood circulation and maintain bone density among other benefits to the body’s natural recovery processes. Your body’s ability to heal its tissues is only as good as your blood flow at the microcirculatory level.
PEMF works by emitting electromagnetic waves at different frequencies and intensities to stimulate cells and tissue to help improve performance as well as aiding blood flow. When added to a healthy lifestyle, PEMF can be a simple but powerful treatment, to support healthy aging, counteract a sedentary lifestyle, and aid in injury recovery.
BEMER therapy:
BEMER uses targeted and patented technology that stimulates muscle tissue and improves local blood flow.* The field delivered by BEMER is a low frequency, low-intensity PEMF, which has been proven to be safe and effective. While BEMER is not a panacea, along with the other good routines on this list, regular BEMER use can make a difference in improving your strength, endurance, performance, and recovery.* Blood flow is the Cornerstone of Health!
To find out more about Bemer technology, read testimonials from doctors and fitness trainers, and third-party studies on the importance of microcirculation, you can find more information here.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Bemer does not provide any medical advice or services. This device is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. It should not be used for any purpose other than as described in the user manual. Please consult your own healthcare provider if you have any medical issues.
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