We’ve said before that exercising is a great way to prevent the development of varicose veins. However, if you already have varicose veins, sometimes they can cause pain while working out. This may not be the case for everyone, as it should only happen with a more severe varicose vein issue, but if you do feel pain then you will want to be mindful of the kinds of workouts you practice. Fortunately, there are plenty of versatile fitness routines you can do with more serious varicose vein issues, and they can help you feel better not just in your legs, but in the rest of your body, too.
Low-Impact Exercise
The key to exercising safely with more severe varicose vein issues is to keep the stress level on your body low. For most aerobic exercises, this means avoiding activities during which your legs experience a great amount of pressure, such as from pounding the pavement or treadmill. Here are a few great low-impact exercises you can do with varicose veins.
- Walking: Walking is one of the simplest and least-stressful exercises you can do, and it comes with a multitude of health benefits, such as improved blood flow, improved mood, lessening of bodily pain and even improved memory. And while jogging can give you the benefits of walking and running, it is considered a high-impact activity that can lead to excess stress on your legs.
- Bicycling: Taking your bike for a spin is a great low-impact exercise. It moves your legs and creates a muscle movement and flow that opens up the veins to circulate blood between the muscles of the lower body and the heart. It’s also an incredibly low-impact exercise, as your legs and feet are only moving the pedals in a constant motion.
- Elliptical: This exercise combines many of the elements of walking and bicycling. It’s also a great exercise for building your calf muscles, just like the above two exercises are. Your calf muscles are essential in helping pump blood back to the heart, so keeping them strong can help improve your circulation.
- Swimming: If you have varicose veins, getting into the water is a great idea. Swimming is a great exercise because it provides natural resistance for building strength, is incredibly low-impact, exercises the whole body at once and keeps your body in a straight, horizontal line that’s excellent for circulation.
- Floor exercises: If you want to exercise in your home, there are also body movement exercises you can do with varicose veins to improve circulation. These include calf raises and bicycling your legs as you lie on your back, or doing leg lifts while laying on your side.
Weight Lifting
Weight lifting is incredibly good for you, increasing strength, bone health, self-esteem, metabolism and energy levels. If you have more severe varicose veins and still want to lift weights, there are definitely some ways that you can. Listening to your body and paying attention to what it can and can’t do at the moment is key, especially while managing varicose veins. Some tips to lift weights correctly while being mindful of your current condition include:
- Practicing with lighter weights.
- Exhaling as you lift to maintain the proper flow of energy.
- Wearing compression socks while lifting and afterwards.
- Doing one of the previously mentioned low-impact exercises after lifting to continue improving your circulation.
Prepare Correctly
If you want or need to exercise while you have a more severe varicose vein condition, don’t forget to consult with your doctor first, and remember to warm up, stretch and cool down to make the most of the workout. We also offer custom compression stocking fittings that can assist in promoting blood flow, and we have in-office procedures that can help treat your varicose veins. Contact us today for more information!