Tips to boost your circulation and keep your body warm

The cold weather and dropping temperatures can lead to a season of freezing feet and stiff, cold legs. If you’ve got bad circulation it can be even worse. Thick socks and warm blankets can only do so much. Here are a few strategies almost anyone can do to encourage increased circulation and warmer feet in the winter.

Self-massage

A quick way to kickstart your circulation is self-massage. Squeeze your muscles gently and massage towards your heart. For your feet and hands, make circular motions with your thumbs pressing into the muscles. Self-massage can help your feet, legs, neck, and hands to get more blood flowing. 

Target your cold spots

Don’t just throw on a blanket. Target the coldest parts of your body. Some of the most essential parts of your body to keep warm are your feet, ankles, wrists, neck, and head. Invest in thermal socks, gloves that extend to cover your wrists, and a scarf that is more winter-ready than fashionable. 

Light up your digestion

The digestive process of your body can affect other functions as well. The better your digestion is functioning, the better your body will be at keeping itself warm. During the winter months, it’s best to steer away from cold, frozen, or raw foods. You want to focus on warm, cooked, and easy to digest foods. If you’ve got a taste for spicy foods, you can always add ingredients like black pepper, cayenne, chili pepper, cardamom, and cumin to help warm the body up. 

Start moving

Maybe it’s not the best time to head outside, but you can still keep moving. Physical movement stimulates circulation. Find ways to stay active indoors whether it means going to the gym or just finding chores to do around the house. There’s lots of options for movement. Play pingpong with a loved one or toss some toys around with your pets. 

Breathe smarter

The way we breathe affects the way our body feels. When you breathe through your nose, the air is warmed by the blood vessels and tiny hairs in your nostrils. This makes the air warmer by the time it reaches the rest of your body.

Stay warm this winter

It’s always a good idea to curl up with a warm blanket on a winter evening. But that doesn’t have to be your only strategy for staying warm this winter. Practice these tips to give your circulation a boost and have a warmer winter this year. 
 

(This material is not intended as medical advice. Talk with your doctor about this or any other subjects pertinent to your health.)