Whether you are traveling or staying home, sitting for prolonged periods and not moving your body can have a serious impact on your health. Poor circulation has long been a problem for frequent travelers but it can affect us whether we are traveling or not. Covid-19 has put a stop to business travel and due to the pandemic many of us are staying home more and not moving our body as much as we used too. Luckily, poor circulation can be easily managed by introducing a few simple exercises into your daily routine.
What is the circulatory system?
Your circulatory system refers to the system of arteries and veins that allows blood to circulate throughout the body. It is the system responsible for delivering nutrients, oxygen and more to your organs and limbs and removing waster products such as carbon dioxide. A healthy, unrestricted
Why is poor circulation bad?
Poor circulation can have number of negative health effects such as numbness in the hands and feet, swelling of the feet and ankles, muscle cramping, fatigue and even digestive issues. Sitting for long periods without moving your body can lead to poor circulation. When you sit for long periods the blood stays in your legs and pressure is put on your heart to move it back up through your body. Restricted blood flow is a key contributor to deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a condition that has been associated with frequent air travel for years. Deep vein thrombosis occurs when a blood clot (thrombus) forms in one or more of the deep veins in your body, usually in your legs. Prolonged periods of sitting and remaining still, whether that be at home in front of a computer or on a long haul flight restricts the blood flow in your extremities and can result in some pretty serious health effects.
What’s the solution?
Exercise and movement is key to getting the blood moving and improving circulations. At Sanctifly we always encourage frequent travelers to get up and get moving whenever they can. That’s why we developed a series of exercise and stretch videos, specially designed for frequent traveler by travel and wellness experts. You can find them in the Sanctifly app, download today for free!
We know that you are not traveling right now, but that doesn’t mean that you are not facing similar problems. Working from home combined with less opportunity to go out and exercise means we are sitting more than ever before. Whether you are at home or at the airport remaining sedentary and poor circulation can cause serious health problems and we all need to work towards combating those effects. Check out these 4 easy, low impact exercise that you should work into your daily routine to help improve your circulation. You don’t need to be super fit to do them, these easy exercises are perfect for beginners and won’t take up much of your time. Cycle through them on your lunch break or just before going to bed to help stimulate blood flow and improve your circulation. You’re hands and feet will thank you for it!
Calf Raises
This exercise helps improve circulation in the lower leg by gently pumping the calf muscle. The lower leg area is one of the most problematic for frequent travelers due to restricted movement. This exercise requires good balance so do it close to a wall or chair so you can hold on and steady yourself.
How to do it: Find a comfortable standing position, lift your heels off the floor and stand on the balls of your feet. Squeeze your calf muscles gently for 1 second and release. Complete this squeeze and release action while still on the balls of you feel 10 times and then bring your heels to the floor. Repeat 3 times.
Downward Dog
The Downward Dog is a popular yoga position. It helps to build strength and stretch the entire body, making it the ideal low impact exercise not only for circulation but for general health and wellness. It not only inverts the upper half of the body which stimulates blood flow to that area, it also helps stretch and activate the calf muscles which are vital for good circulation.
How to do it: Start on you hands and knees with your wrists directly below your shoulders and your knees below your hips. Curl your toes underneath your feet and press your palms into the floor to lift your knees off the floor. Left your pelvis towards the ceiling and straighten your legs as much as you can so that you body is in a triangle shape. Gently pedal your feet to stretch your calf muscles.
Legs Up
This stretching exercise is particularly useful for helping with poor circulation caused by sitting for prolonged periods. It is an inversion of how we sit and so forces the blood that has gathered in our legs back up through the body, stimulating circulation.
How to do it: Lie on the floor next to a wall and move your tail bone to where to wall meets the floor. Stretch your legs up against the walls so they are up above you heart. Imagine you are sitting as normal with your back against the wall and your legs outstretched in front of you. Now flip that pose so that you head and back are on the ground and your feet are against the wall. Hold this position for 5-10 minutes.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
While breathing exercises tend to be more focused on improving mental health rather than physical health, diaphragmatic breathing, also known as belly breathing does wonders for both. Studies show that diaphragmatic breathing helps with stress, lowers your heart rates, lowers your blood pressure and helps circulation by relaxing the muscles and encouraging blood flow.
How to do it: Sit in a comfortable position and place one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach. Breathe in through your nose, your stomach should expand while your chest remains still. Gently press on your stomach as you exhale, all the while making sure the hand on your chest does not more. Repeat for 5 minutes.
Walking is another great low impact exercise that helps improve circulation. Commit to walking for at least 15 minutes per day to help wake up your muscles and stimulate blood flow. If you are at the airport use the time before your flight to walk the terminals rather than sitting at the gate. Other ways to improve circulation include drinking plenty of water, avoiding alcohol an eating foods high in Vitamin C & E.
We at Sanctifly believe that travel wellness and healthy travel will be a top priority among frequent travelers when we return to normal. The post Covid-19 world is going to be very different and frequent travelers are going to feel the effects. Airports and airlines will be highly focused on sanitation and ensuring that travelers do not get sick from Covid-19 or other viruses. That unfortunately means that the other negative effects caused by frequent travel will not be prioritized. It will be up to you to prioritize your health and wellness and ensure that you are doing all you can to stay fit and healthy on the road.
To stay up to date with all things travel wellness and learn about how you can Travel Well when you get back on the road subscribe to the Sanctifly Travel Wellness Newsletter below.
Until we travel again,
Stay safe from all on the Sanctifly Team.
