Exercise your legs to improve your circulation, avoid oedema and discomfort.

If you spend long times standing or sitting still, you are likely to arrive home with swollen legs, which can feel very heavy and uncomfortable.

Here are some tricks for stimulating the circulation, preventing fluid retention and toning the muscles to make these problems disappear.

• First of all, remember that if you are not going to move for long periods, high heels or too flat shoes and tight clothing do not encourage venous return and causes oedema and discomfort.
• When standing, spread your feet to better distribute your body weight and shift your weight.
• Keep your knees slightly bent and in front of your hips so as not to strain your lower back. Hold your shoulders back and your head high.
• Stand on tip toe from time to time, and hold the position for around 20 minutes. The isometric contraction of the muscles will stimulate the circulation.

• Rotate your ankles and clench your buttocks to reduce swelling.
• Drink plenty of liquids during the day. It will help to reduce fluid retention and eliminate toxins.
• Finish your shower with an upward burst of cold water to stimulate the circulation.

When you get home, change your shoes and do these simple, effective exercises:

• Lie face up on the floor. Put your feet on the wall above your body level and shake them so that the whole of the legs tremble. This will improve venous return and will loosen up the calves and quadriceps.
• Sit on a chair with your back totally supported. Stretch your legs. Rotate your ankles in both directions. Pull your toes back towards you, so you can feel your Achilles tendon stretch.
• In the same position, hold onto the chair and bend and stretch your legs. Both at the same time and then one at a time. This will stimulate the circulation and prevent knee problems.
• In a standing position, legs slightly apart, knees loose and hips forward. Bend your legs, keeping your back straight and your knees behind the tips of your foes. Make it more difficult by doing it on just one leg. The other is supported by the one resting or stretched.

• Sit on the floor with your legs bent. Arms alongside the body. Lift your hip. Raise and lower without resting them on the floor. Repeat 50 times. Now open and close your legs in the air, keeping the abdomen and buttocks tight, using the quadriceps. This exercise improves muscle tone and strengthens the core.
• Lunges. Stand with your feet apart to hip width. Lunge forward with one foot, bending the knee to 90 degrees. Keep your knee behind the tips of the toes. Hold for 20 seconds and then repeat with the other leg. It strengthens the anterior and posterior leg muscles, exercises the knee and helps to reduce swelling.

Remember that doing sports like running, swimming, cycling, tennis, paddle tennis and hiking improves the circulation and oxygenation. Avoid muscle-building alone and opt for aerobic exercise.

This post is also available in: Spanish