Reasons Why You Should Elevate Your Legs More
We spend a lot of time sitting down with our legs crossed or planted on the floor in front of us. Sitting in offices, at our desks at home, and in our cars. With all the sitting, our legs don’t get that much elevation. You should always take a break every 30 minutes to get your legs moving, stretch regularly throughout the day, and exercise when you can.
Leg elevation is essential, too, meaning elevating your legs so they’re resting above your heart. If you can’t make time to exercise, elevating your legs may provide some similar health benefits to your entire body.
Contents
Pressure Relief
If you sit or stand for long periods, you put a lot of pressure on your legs and veins. Elevating your legs, especially after a long day of being on your feet, can help relieve the pressure. If you don’t take some time off your feet, you could begin to experience daily recurring leg pains.
Natural Flow
Your natural blood flow may be constricted when you sit for too long, so elevating your legs can allow that blood flow to become more realistic, making it easier for blood to flow throughout your legs and the rest of your body.
It takes extra effort for your veins to work against gravity, pumping blood upwards up your legs. Give your veins a break by elevating your legs and allowing gravity to do most of the work for you.
Reducing Inflammation
The more you elevate your legs, the less swollen they will be. Your veins will be happy, healthy, and less likely to develop issues throughout the years. The more you elevate your legs, the less your veins have to work, so they’ll be less inflamed. Overworked veins can be painful and may lead to complications or vein issues later in life.
Tips & Tricks for Elevating Your Legs
Every day, you should keep in mind how long you’re sitting or standing up and adjusting how much you elevate your legs accordingly. If you spend an entire day sitting in front of a computer, you should spend about 45 minutes with your legs elevated. The best way to do this is to elevate them three times a day for approximately 15 minutes each time.
To ensure you’re getting all the health benefits associated with leg elevation, make sure to keep your legs above your heart. This will make it easier for your veins to pump blood, taking the pressure off of them.
Make sure to cushion your legs when you elevate them. If you put your legs up on a desk or a table, you may cause bruising or damage to your legs. You’re trying to avoid leg pain, so make sure you use a cushion.
You can also elevate your legs by using a wall. Lay on the flood with a cushion under your head, and lean your legs up against the wall for 5 to 10 minutes.
Rotate your ankles and feet to further help with circulation issues. Keep your legs and feet moving will help promote good blood circulation, which is what this is all about anyway.
If you’re concerned about your vein health, you should speak to a vein specialist. They can help you further and determine if you have any vein issues that could be causing circulation problems that elevating your legs alone can’t fix.
Remember to take a break from your work every once and a while to get those legs elevated. Not only will it help with circulation, but it may also help you get back into the swing of work once you’ve stretched a bit.
