14 Best Ways to Improve Blood Circulation | Exercises and Tips

We`ve talked about how to measure blood pressure in the previous article. Here we’ll show the 14 best ways how to improve blood circulation naturally.

Top Exercises to Improve Blood Pressure:

15 Minutes Walking — 2 Times Per Day

If your blood pressure is high, you should sleep 7-8 hours per day and regulate your daily physiological rhythm. Simple remedies can improve sleep – a quiet walk in the fresh air, a warm foot bath or a public bath. You shouldn’t eat before sleep. Try not to use electronic devices one hour before sleep. Excess weight is the main reason for high blood pressure. That’s why you have to improve blood circulation ASAP. Physical activity helps in reducing obesity. Dynamic activities such as walking are more effective than other static activities. Simple exercise, such as vigorous walking for 15 minutes twice daily, will normalize your blood pressure and reduce weight. You will reduce the risk of death from stroke or heart attack.

Physical activity increases resistance to stress and positively influences the functional state of the central nervous and cardiovascular systems. Regular physical activity lowers systolic and diastolic blood pressure by an average of 5-10 BHg. Walking for at least 30 minutes daily (2 times for 15 minutes) is the best physiological everyday exercise. You can swim in the pool, play badminton, tennis or cycle sometimes. Walking every day is the most important thing and the best exercise for improving blood circulation. It is better to walk every day than cycle three times per week.  Fast walking is even better protection against hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease than running. Try to walk as fast as you can for these 15 minutes. It’s important to walk in the same rhythm for 15 minutes.

Yoga — 1 Hour Per Week

Yoga is a low-intensity exercise to increase blood flow. When you move slowly, the blood fills all your cells and organs. When you do tilts, the blood flows to your organs. Positions with your head down contribute to blood movement from the lower half of your body to the heart and brain. Yoga is suitable to prevent cardiovascular diseases. Regular exercising also normalizes blood glucose levels, providing vascular protection. Try to practice it once per week a day when you don`t have stretch exercises. It’s best to practice yoga with a coach(for a start).

Contrast Shower — 2 Times Per week

To improve circulation in legs and rejuvenate the body, take a contrast shower or dip yourself in cold water after a warm bath. This strengthens your blood vessels very effectively!

Benefits of a contrast shower:

1. Contrast showers help to improve the immune, endocrine, and nervous systems.
2. This exercise to improve blood circulation is also beneficial in preventing many diseases and viruses. 
3. A contrast shower helps to strengthen and maintain the tone of peripheral blood vessels, increases their elasticity, and improves blood circulation.
4. This effect is also beneficial in preventing hypertension. It speeds up metabolic processes and improves stress resistance and the condition of hair and skin.
5. It increases libido and reduces the risk of varicose veins. Contrast showers are an effective exercise for blood circulation. It is a way to reduce fatigue and vitality and improve ligament and muscle strength.
6. Take it, as a rule, two times per week. It also rejuvenates the whole body.

4) Walk on the Stairs — 10 Floors Per day

It is the easiest and most reliable way to develop muscles and increase circulation. The fact is that weak muscles reduce blood circulation. Walking on the stairs stretches and develops the calf muscle perfectly. It is an excellent preventive exercise prone to varicose veins! The stair descent is also effective, so do not use the elevator to get to the first floor after practice. Climbing on the stairs strengthens the hips, calves, and back muscles. If you have back issues and bad blow flow, it’s the best thing you can do. When someone asks: “how to improve blood circulation,” — point with a finger to the stairs. Start with a warm-up of the joints and conclude by stretching the back, buttocks, and hip muscles. So, you need to warm up your joints, climb ten floors and go down, then start 10 minutes of stretching. We’ll tell you about it in the next paragraph

A few more tips:

• The “walk” must be flat, with no stops or breaks in the stairs.
• Walk as you would in normal life, stagger evenly and put a strain on your muscles.
• There is no need to stack on the railing, bend your torso.
• It is important to keep the same pace.

Stretching — 10 Minutes Every Day

This is especially important for people whose work is related to a predominantly sedentary lifestyle. In this rhythm, people usually relax their body too much and bend forward, which leads to oxygen deprivation. Oxygen is essential for us to stimulate normal blood circulation. A sedentary lifestyle is a reason for unnecessary folds on the abdomen and oxygen deprivation. It deprives the body of what stimulates normal blood circulation. That’s why do not forget to go for a walk after sitting a long time in one position.

Stretching of the Muscles to Improve Blood Circulation

Physical exercise plays  a significant role in human life. Through regular physical activity, all internal processes take place in a normal way. As a result, your body stays strong and healthy for years. A healthy lifestyle and active leisure activities are becoming increasingly popular daily. If you go to the gym, you need to alternate physical training with stretching to get the maximum effect from training. This is the only way to strengthen the muscles and make the body beautiful and graceful. Stretching is a fairly simple series of exercises that can be carried out in the gym or at home. The most important thing is to follow the rules of the exercises and do them regularly. Only elastic muscles can transform your body.

Advantages of stretching

Stretching helps to eliminate back pain, improves posture, and relieves muscle aches after training or a long sitting day. By increasing the elasticity of the muscles, blood circulation is accelerated. After that, all internal organs and tissues receive sufficient oxygen and nutrients. It has a positive influence on their condition and functioning. People who constantly do muscle stretching are always in a good mood because their muscles are constantly under tension. It is also worth remembering that stretching positively affects the coordination of movements. Moreover, it helps to normalize blood pressure. Consequently, if you want your body to be healthy, don’t forget to include stretching in your set of compulsory exercises.

Exercises Guide to Improve Blood Circulation

Stretching must be carried out according to a particular principle, subject to specific rules and recommendations, like any other form of physical activity. You can only get the best out of it and not harm your body. The first rule of stretching is a compulsory warm-up. Start stretching after 15 minutes of walking or climbing ten floors. All stretching exercises should be carried out slowly and without jerky movements. Remember that stretching does not have to cause serious muscle pain and discomfort. Remember to keep an eye on your breathing, which significantly influences the effectiveness of stretching. Breathing is also essential for your blood flow. Any strain on the muscles must be accompanied by exhalation and their relaxation through inhalation.

A Series of Stretching Exercises

This training lasts 10-15 minutes. It is ideal for people who are always in a hurry. Some exercises require a wall, chair, or other balance support. Each exercise should be performed within 1 minute.

1) Feet shoulder-width apart, arms at chest height folded in front of you. Turn the body to the left and then to the right. Repeat the movements for 1-2 minutes.

2)  Roll shoulders back behind you behind your ears and back down. Then roll them back forward. Roll it for 1-2 minutes.

3) Standing, feet apart at shoulder width. Make a lunge with your right foot. Make sure your left leg is straight. With your left hand, grasp the right hand just above the elbow and pull it towards the left shoulder. Stay in this position for 10 seconds. Stretch your arm and leg as well as you can. Repeat the same movements with the other leg and arm. Make three attempts for each leg/arm

4) Stand sideways against the wall. Place your left-hand palm on the surface of the wall and carefully turn to the right to stand with your back at the turning point. Keep your palm in place and keep your hand straight. You will feel stretched through your chest. Stay for 15 seconds, then reply with another hand. Reply three times for each hand.

5) Stand sideways against the wall. Place your left-hand palm on the surface of the wall and carefully turn to the right to stand with your back at the turning point. Keep your palm in place and keep your hand straight. You will feel stretched through your chest. Stay for 15 seconds, then reply with another hand. Reply three times for each hand.

6) Lift your arms above your head and bend your elbows. Your forearms are behind your head, then grasp your right elbow with your left hand. Drop your right hand towards the middle of your shoulder blades. You will feel stretched on the outside of your right arm. Pull your right elbow towards your left shoulder to deepen the stretch. Reply for each hand three times.

7) Lie face down on the floor with hands in front of you, elbows bent to make a diamond shape. Then, straighten your elbows. Your chest begins to lift on the floor, and you feel the stretch along the front of your abdomen.

Best Tips to Improve Blood Pressure:

Use Standing Desk

Sitting in a chair for many hours harms your back and blood flow. It weakens leg muscles and causes circulation issues. It’s the reason for contributing to blood clots. If you spend a lot of time near the computer, try to spend half of your walking day while standing near the desk. It takes some time to get used to it, but it will be useful for the body’s muscles, back, and blood circulation. A height-adjustable desk allows you to work while standing up. We recommend you combine standing and sitting during your workday. So you work for 8 hours, stand for 2 hours, then sit for 2 hours and repeat. You’ll lose more calories and improve blood circulation. You’ll also improve your concentration. If you work from a laptop, we recommend using an external monitor. It’s easier for a human to look up than down. As a result, it’ll improve blood circulation in the neck. It will be beneficial for your sight.

Drink Enough Water

The body retains sodium when a person doesn’t drink enough water. This element saves from dehydration. On the other side, its high content increases blood pressure. Moreover, the lack of water causes the body to close capillary channels. As a result, there are high-pressure products in the vessels, and hypertension appears. To avoid suffering from high blood pressure, it is necessary to drink enough fluids: 8 to 10 glasses of 200 ml per day. You should not drink more water, because drinking more fluid puts a strain on the kidneys and the digestive system. It is impossible to ignore high blood pressure because the heart starts working less efficiently and increases the risk of heart attack or stroke.

Get Rid of Stress

Anxiety is a negative emotional state arising in situations of uncertainty. You should know how to improve poor blood circulation, to reduce stress in your life. Your stress and blood flow are extremely connected things.  Anxiety is the cause of a spike in blood pressure. If episodes of anxiety occur frequently, it can become a reason for permanent hypertension. When people are stressed, epinephrine (adrenaline) and cortisol secretion increase. These hormonal upsurges raise blood pressure, speed up heart rate, and constrict blood vessels. When the stressful state ends, the blood system returns to base conditions, and blood pressure returns to normal. But, frequent spikes in blood pressure can have negative consequences. 

How to Avoid Stress

• Don’t abuse alcohol, and don’t overeat. Some people think that alcohol or food can calm a person down and relieve stress. This is not true, alcohol is a strong depressant. Overeating is a reason for the bad mood and sleep.
• Exercise regularly. Aerobic exercise promotes the release of endorphins – natural substances that relieve pain and improve your mood.
• Don’t take on things you can’t handle.
• If you have too much work, you shouldn’t work more than usual. If you often work overtime, you’ll lose concentration and productivity in the long term perspective. 

While it is not possible to completely rid life of stressors, it is possible to reduce their harmful effects on the body: Do only one thing in a certain period, do not try to do everything in a row.

• Take a break if you feel the “surge” of stress. Take a rest, relax.
• Reply to emails or messengers 2-4 times a day. If your colleague or family has urgent news or tasks for you — they will call you. In other cases, you can answer by email or message later. If you start work at 9 am, open the email box at 10 am, then at 2 pm, then at 5 pm. Check the smartphone at 1 pm, 6 pm, and 10 pm. Try to avoid most of the messages in the morning. Remember, it’s your smartphone or laptop. You own these things. They don’t own you. Try to take frequent walks in nature, 2-3 times a day. 
• Go to bed at the same time. The bedroom should be quiet and dark. Do not drink coffee or tea before going to bed. Ventilate the room before going to bed. Only use your phone or laptop an hour before bedtime. Don’t strain your brain an hour before bedtime.

To deal with stress, you must learn how to relax. Close your eyes for 1-2 minutes and breathe deeply. Find quiet instrumental music and listen to it to relax for a few minutes. It’ll help to clear your mind.

Don’t Cross Your Legs

seven reasons to stop crossing your legs and improve blood circulation in your legs.

1. In this position, the veins of one leg are pinched under the weight of the other. This disrupts the outflow of venous blood and thins the venous walls. It’s the most common reason for veins` varicose.
2. This position is very dangerous for people with a high risk of blood clots, as the obstruction of normal blood flow increases the risk of vein thrombosis.
3. Sitting with crossed legs for a long time will adversely affect your posture. When you sit in this position for a long time, the lower part of the spine warps. As a result, you’ll have back pain. 
4. This pose is especially harmful to pregnant women or people with heart diseases, as blood may contain insufficient oxygen.
5. Crossing legs is a reason for a temporary blood pressure increase. We push blood to the heart by clutching the blood vessels, which puts a lot of stress on it.
6. Yogis believe that this pose harms human energy. In this position, the flow of energy between the body’s energy centers and chakras is blocked, negatively impacting overall health.
7. It doesn’t look pretty.

Cut Back on Alcohol

Alcohol consumption initially raises blood pressure and then drops below normal. If you drink alcohol regularly, your blood pressure is always higher than normal.  Moreover, it’s perilous to drink alcohol every day. The more time you drink alcohol day by day, the higher becomes the danger of high blood pressure. Daily drinking alcohol is very harmful as blood pressure does not have time to fall to normal. Alcohol contributes to obesity even more than sugar.

Don’t Drink too Much Coffee

What happens when you drink coffee and smoke? Many people enjoy such moments of “rest”. Meanwhile, the following happens: smoking immediately increases pressure in 5 minutes, and coffee increases significantly in 1 hour. When you combine coffee and cigarettes, pressure increases to 10 mm Hg in 5 minutes and maintains for 2 hours or more. An increase in heart rate characterizes young people after drinking coffee. How caffeine affects your blood pressure depends primarily on your body’s characteristics. For example, if you have low blood pressure (hypotension) and drink coffee, your blood pressure will rise to normal after a while. But if you have normal blood pressure, it’ll rise to more than normal. As a result, coffee is hazardous for people with high blood pressure.

Give up on Nicotine

Smoking is a reason for the rapid deterioration and aging of the cardiovascular system and hypertension development. If you smoke one cigarette every 30-45 minutes, your small blood vessels go into a spasm lasting for 20-30 minutes! Those who smoke a pack of cigarettes daily have their blood vessels in a constant state of spasm. Nicotine causes the narrowing of blood vessels. Arteries of smokers lose their elasticity and become dense, brittle, and fragile. Permanent spasm of blood vessels caused by smoking is a significant factor of hypertension. In Conclusion, you need to change your life step by step and follow the tips from this article.