Keeping fit and healthy from head to toe – lower legs and veins
Today this body region is especially susceptible to exercise and looking after it. The highlighted regions today are the lower legs, veins, and venous circulation.
Looking after your lower legs
Anybody who has a profession where they stand all day could benefit from wearing compression tights and regular horse-chestnut supplements. It is the seed and bark that is useful for this treatment. But due to its bitter taste, it is better to get a ready-made supplement.
The beautiful horse chestnut tree comes originally from the Balkan region and it was, in fact, the gardener of the Austrian emperor Maximillian that planted the first tree in Europe and used the bark decoction to relieve fever. It is also useful for water retention (especially in the legs) and in the treatment of hemorrhoids.
Another plant is the vine, especially vine leaves and the pips of grapes (both discarded as a by-product in the making of wine), also help with venous insufficiency (usually heavy and tired legs, varicose veins, spider veins, easy bruising, and nosebleeds). 50g wine leaves per liter of boiling water (13/4 oz for a quart). Bring to boil and leave to cool, then fill into a glass bottle. Drink 3 cups before each meal (1 on an empty stomach in the morning). This also helps to relieve symptoms of menopause. In the Mediterranean kitchen vine leaves rolled up with all kinds of fillings are local delicacies and good for your venous circulation.
Exercises for varicose veins and heavy legs
If you are prone to varicose veins and heavy legs (or just want to prevent them) try these exercises:
Vein pump exercise: Lie on a mat and raise both stretched legs to 90 degrees. Keep for one minute in the air and stretch your toes with one leg while pulling your toes towards the stretched leg with the other and rotate, almost like walking upstairs. This movement will stretch and release the back of your legs.
Shoulderstand: For all those who are quite agile, get into the yoga position of the plow and raise up to a shoulder stand, keep your legs up for as long as comfortable, the time will lengthen over time.
Another useful exercise is the calf stretch (one of my favorites). Stand in front of a wall and place both hands on the wall, as if you want to push the wall away from you. Then step back with one leg and fully stretch it out, you should feel the back of your legs. Repeat a few times with both legs. This exercise is useful if you sit for long periods of time and it is discreet to do (unlike a shoulder stand!).
More information on this subject will be added in due course
