Do you often experience cramping or frequent swelling in your legs and feet? Do you often feel pain in your feet whenever you try to walk a distance from a particular spot?
If this relates to you, chances are you have poor circulation in your feet and legs.
According to Dr. Scott R. Kilberg, poor circulation is the process where the body fails to deliver blood to the feet by starving the feet of oxygen-nutrients.
“If you have poor blood circulation, then you are in danger of facing numerous health challenges and diseases, such as stroke, high blood pressure, heart diseases, diabetes, muscle loss, mental and memory issues“, said Doctor Sam Robbins.
All of these are due to the fact that your body is starving for oxygen-nutrients that the blood would have delivered to your hearts, cells and brain.
And if the oxygen that delivers the blood does not get to the tissue, then the tissue will begin to die, which can be a fairly painful process.
Despite living a healthy lifestyle, my uncle once suffered from reduced blood flow in his feet, which eventually resulted in a stroke. He had normal cholesterol and pretty much did everything the doctor had told him.
But this didn’t prevent him from suffering from poor blood circulation in his feet. Part of the symptoms he had were swollen feet and hands as well as having cold feet.
Luckily for him, he recovered after paying much attention to tips and methods that helped to improve circulation of blood in the feet.
I don’t want you to suffer like my uncle did because you can fix this problem and improve circulation in your feet.
So, what are the Causes of Poor Circulation in the Feet?
One of the leading causes of poor blood circulation is Peripheral Artery Disease known as PAD, and this is when the arteries in the body become narrow and restrict the flow of blood to the arms, feet and extremities.
Apart from this, other health-related factors can easily cause reduced blood flow in the feet. They are:
- Diabetics
- High-blood pressure
- High Cholesterol
- High intake of fats
- Overweight people
- Kidney Diseases
- Raynaud’s disease
Symptoms of Poor Circulation
The signs of poor blood circulation to the feet are numerous. Identifying these symptoms allows early treatment and increases your chance of treating it quickly. Just like we earlier said, these signs can include:
- Swollen legs
- A reddish or purplish discoloration of the feet or toes
- Cold feeling in the toes and the feet
- Numbness and weakness in the legs
- Painful Cramps
- Sores on the legs that take time to heal
How to Increase Circulation in the Feet?
You can easily improve the circulation of blood to your feet without even thinking of having a major surgery. Here are some tips you can follow if you have leg pain or cramping or spider veins.
1. Improve Physical Activities
It’s always best to improve physical activity for better blood circulation. According to Dr. Richard Jacoby, President of valley foot surgeons, “blood flow is dependent on lower weight and exercise. The more we exercise the better off our blood flow.”
With that said, the following exercise can help you increase circulation in your feet:
• Limb Stretching: Stretching your limbs in the morning will improve your toe circulation.
• Joint Exercise: A joint exercise in a standing position by raising yourself on your toes and down on your heels can do wonders in improving blood circulation. Make sure you feel the intensity of the muscles and repeat this exercise like 10 times.
• The Knees and Toes Exercise: This exercise requires you sitting on the floor with your knees at 90 degrees. Then, lift your toes, keeping the heel on the ground. After that, put them back on the floor. Do one leg at a time at first and then treat both legs.
• The Rotation of the Feet Exercise: To do this exercise you have to turn your foot back in a clockwise direction while sitting in the chair. Ensure you repeat this process like 10 times. This activity will improve circulation and flexibility of the legs at the same time.
• Walking: Despite all the exercises, we have mentioned walking seems to be the best to improve circulation in your feet. It contracts and relaxes muscles and stimulates blood pumping.
• Swimming: This list of exercises will not be complete without including swimming. It involves all the muscles and stimulates blood flow in people of all ages, especially if you have joints and muscles problems.
• Yoga: Did I forget to include Yoga? Of course, Yoga is a breathing technique that improves oxygen concentration in the blood and has a significant effect on circulation.
• Cycling and Dancing: Yes, you read that right. Cycling improves circulation in the lower part of the body while dancing enhances blood circulation all over the body.
2. What Food Do You Eat?
Do you know that the more protein you eat, the better off you are than when you consume more carbohydrates and fats that clog up the arteries?
In case you don’t know, foods that contain fatty acids tend to clog up the cells that exchange the nutrients from the blood.
Listed below are a few foods that help in improving blood flow to the body.
• Garlic and Onion
Garlic and onion have been proven to help prevent plaque buildup on the walls of the arteries. Apart from both foods being natural blood purifiers and natural antibiotics, they can also help in lowering cholesterol levels in the body.
• Citrus Foods
These fruits are packed with vitamin C, which acts as natural blood thinners known to reduce clot in the blood and to fortify capillary walls. These super fruits enhance healthy blood circulation by eliminating toxins from the body.
• Dark Chocolate Cocoa
Dark chocolate Cocoa has gained a lot of popularity as one of the most nutritious food on this planet that improves blood circulation in the feet.
Not only does it taste good, but it also contains flavonoids, which when consumed lowers cholesterol and improves blood flow all over the body.
• Chili Peppers
Chili peppers contribute to positive physiological responses in the body. They contain capsaicin, which acts as an excellent pain healer. This pepper also releases blood flow to the body.
• Olive Oil
Olive oil is a natural liquid that is high in vitamin A, E, D and K, which also helps in reducing cholesterol levels, aids healthy digestion as well as increasing bone density. It also contains phenolic antioxidants, which reduce the risk of heart diseases and hence increase healthy blood flow.
3. Lower Your Stress
Cumulative stress can have a negative effect on poor circulation in your feet. Find any relaxing hobbies or activities that can help you relieve stress. You can enroll in a Yoga class to exercise and relax your body as well.
Conclusion
If you by any chance suffer from poor circulation problems, these are some of the fundamental steps you should take to solve these problems. You will need to exercise, eat healthy foods, and take out time to lower stress by engaging in activities that relieve stress.
So, what parts of the body do you feel you have poor blood circulation? What methods and tips have you applied to improve blood flow in your feet? Are there any improvements? Let us know your thought.