Every aspect of the human body depends on adequate blood circulation to operate properly. The heart pumps blood to the other organs and the skin through arteries, veins and capillaries. If blood flow is inadequate, you can suffer from ailments such as hypertension, nerve damage and heart disease. Keeping your blood circulating through regular exercise promotes good blood flow, while eating healthy foods, losing weight and avoiding tobacco products can decrease risks.
Exercise
Increase your heart rate with aerobic exercise. Physical activity helps your heart pump more blood throughout your body. Simple walking increases blood circulation, delivering essential oxygen to all parts of the body, as well as glucose to the brain, according to the Franklin Institute. The American Heart Association notes that increasing blood circulation reduces the risk of heart disease.
Eat Well
Consume a healthy diet of whole grains, low-fat proteins and fresh fruits and vegetables. Eating well keeps your body operating efficiently and lessens your risk of low blood circulation. Eat foods high in vitamin E, vitamin C, niacin and lycopene, natural nutrients that help improve blood circulation. Specific foods that imporove blood flow include garlic, watermelon, nuts, pumpkin seeds and oranges, according to womensrepublic.co.uk.
Lose Weight
Shed those extra pounds to improve your circulation. Your circulatory system works hard to extend the blood supply to all parts of your body. As you gain weight, your heart must work even harder to send the needed blood farther. Help your circulatory system to provide your hands and feet with needed nutrients by losing even a small amount of weight.
Create a weight loss strategy and stick to it. Extra weight puts pressure on your organs, making it more difficult for them to receive and process the blood that does reach them.
Quit Smoking
Stop smoking, chewing or dipping tobacco. Using tobacco products decreases your body's ability to distribute blood to your organs and extremities. Nicotine does this in two ways. First, it promotes the delivery of stored fats into the bloodstream to combat the over-stimulation of the nervous system. These fats become plaque in the veins and arteries, allowing less blood to flow. Next, nicotine promotes the development of additional veins within existing veins. This narrows the veins even more and keeps blood circulation from proceeding normally.
Carbon monoxide in cigarettes damages the blood's ability to carry oxygen to the heart, according to cessation educator Joel Sptizer. Quitting smoking ends and sometimes reverses these effects.
