5 Ways to Boost your Blood Circulation

The human Blood Circulation system is responsible for delivering oxygen and vital nutrients throughout our bodies. Cardiovascular health complications lead to arterial blockages that can hamper our blood flow. This can lead to chronic illnesses, strokes, and reduced oxygen supply to organs leading to amputation.

Maintaining healthy eating, sleeping, and fitness habits take precedence over the need to boost one’s blood circulation. As long as our bodies are free from illness, worrying about blood circulation may appear trivial.

Our body is autonomous, meaning processes that keep us alive such as breathing or the functioning of our organs, takes place naturally and don’t require any external efforts. 

We only pay attention to our body’s needs when there is a derailment or malfunctioning among these natural processes that present themselves in the form of ailment, discomfort, or illnesses.

There could be various reasons why you find yourself wanting to know more about the importance of blood flow and how to boost your circulation. These reasons could range from wanting to break free from your sedentary lifestyle, improve your health or well being or after suffering from traumatic health complications such as a heart attack or stroke.

Let us look at five ways to boost blood flow within your body and improve your blood oxygen levels.

Incorporate Cardio Exercises

The quickest way to improve your blood circulation and boost your blood oxygen levels is by moving around. Basic movement exercises such as walking and running can be beneficial for our arteries and veins.

When we walk, our arteries dilate, causing improved blood flow throughout our bodies. People suffering from aches and pains and chronic diseases such as arthritis or diabetes that hamper mobility can practice walking for 30 minutes to maintain their overall health and wellbeing.

However, if walking isn’t your cup of tea, you can opt for other forms of exercises that get your heart rate up, such as running, jogging, or other cardio exercises.

If you are looking for fun ways to incorporate exercise into your inactive lifestyle, Zumba dance classes, pilates, or aerobics classes are excellent options. You can go cycling or practice high-intensity exercises such as HIIT to induce strengthening exercises and maximize the health benefits of working out.

Take Frequent Work Breaks

Our desk jobs prevent us from moving around at work, ultimately causing us to lead a sedentary lifestyle. Our bodies get habituated to sitting around for prolonged hours during the workdays. We end up following the same routine throughout our weekends, leaving us no time to work on our health.

This can be managed by incorporating more work breaks, making you alternate between sitting, standing, and walking. This eliminates the risk of reduced blood flow in our legs when sitting for prolonged hours which can cause muscle pain and exhaustion.

Taking frequent work breaks reduces hunger pangs and nicotine cravings. Binge eating and smoking are known causes of plaque buildup within the arteries causing blood vessels to narrow down.

Adding stretching breaks every 15-20 minutes can improve your physical and mental health. Even a quick walk around the house can mobilize your joints and get the blood flowing.

Increase Whole Food Intake

Improved blood circulation and your physical well-being go hand in hand. It is crucial to reduce your sugar and junk food intake to keep your blood pressure under control and reduce the risk of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and arterial plaque buildup.

Adding fruits, veggies, and whole foods to your diet enables you to consume a balanced diet. Eating healthy food boosts the production of nitric oxide inside our bodies, which relaxes blood vessels and improves blood flow when exhaled.

Incorporate food that is high in nitric oxide converters, such as leafy green vegetables, beets, broccoli or cauliflower, carrots, citrus fruits, and pomegranates. When planning your diet, the rule of thumb is to include as many colorful vegetables and fruits as possible.

Hydration Is Key

Water is what helps our blood move around inside our bodies. Naturally, the importance of staying well hydrated is unmatched. Dehydration hampers the blood flow within the body and increases the sodium retention in your blood, causing it to thicken, hindering its fluidity.

Increase your water intake if your body shows signs of dehydration. Another way to make sure your body is hydrated is to check your urine. Anything darker than straw-colored indicates a need for boosting your water intake.

Quit smoking

Smoking leads to arterial blockages causing peripheral artery disease. The symptoms of peripheral artery disease can range from leg pain to pain at rest or even tissue death due to lack of blood flow.

Besides the apparent threat of cancer, smoking puts you at risk of hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and other serious health complications.

We understand quitting smoking takes time and can be a challenge, especially for chain smokers. However, as soon as we quit smoking, the process of plaque buildup within our arteries slows down, reducing the risk of vessel and artery damage.