Nobody really thinks about their circulation until it is too late. And that’s usually when you get a heart attack or when you have clogged arteries. Since good circulation is critical to delivering oxygen and nutrients to your body and taking away waste products, you should be proactive and improve it, naturally.

Why naturally?

Because drugs are fast and effective but they lead to a life of constant need and addiction. Basically, if you take circulation improving drugs, you’ll be forced to stay on them for the rest of your life. This has some big side effects, and it costs you a lot of money.

A simpler alternative is to make lifestyle changes. Compared to pseudo-medicine and wishful thinking, these changes actually are proven to reduce your blood pressure. You’re likely to receive similar or the same advice from your doctor for improving circulation without medicine or other invasive practices.

Factor #1 – Maintaining A Healthy Weight

I don’t know what’s the perfect weight for you and if you ask ten people, you’ll get ten different answers. You can find online calculators that tell you where you should fall based on your height. For example, a person that is 1.85 has an ideal weight of 78 – 80 kilograms.

Don’t obsess over this and don’t over think it. If you’re not overweight, you’re good. You need not look like a model but you don’t want to be twenty pounds over your ideal weight either.

This is because there is a protein called adiponectin that’s directly correlated to your weight. The slimmer you are, the more of it you’ll have and this will directly improve your vascular function.

Losing weight is good advice to follow for your health. Overweight people are not only at a higher risk of a heart attack but also of diseases like acid reflux. This is when the stomach produces too much acid and this is released back into the throat. In time, it can affect your esophagus and even lead to cancer.

Factor #2 – Engage In Cardio

Cardio sucks.

I’ll be the first to admit it. I’d rather lift weights or do anything else but jog or do aerobics. However, cardiovascular exercise is required if you want to have a healthy circulatory system.

When I talk about cardiovascular, I talk about jogging or HiiT or aerobics or even dancing. Anything that gets you moving and that gets your heart up will help. Runners for example have a very good cardiovascular health as they exercise their heart a lot. I’ve met many people who do heavy lifting, either through their work or at the gym and have awful circulation.

The recommended amount of exercise is 30 minutes of medium cardiovascular training per day.

When you do cardio, you improve the capacity of your blood vessels to dilate. This means they’ll work more efficiently. This in turns means your muscles will receive oxygen and get rid of the waste easier.

Factor #3 – Practicing Yoga

Yoga is a physical and a spiritual practice. It originates from India and it has been used for thousands of years already. It’s an unisex practice, not something that only ladies do. Actually, some of the most famous and wisest yogis in the world are men.

Yoga helps your cardiovascular health by compressing and decompressing your veins. It also allows for the flow of blood, especially towards the head when you try an inverted pose.

There are many types of yoga, some easier than others. For example, some are exhausting and will leave you drained of energy while others focus more on the breathing and on slow, graceful movements. Pick something right for your mobility and preferences.

Factor #4 – Eat Fish Oil

Omega-3 acids are kind of famous. You can’t enter a drug store or pharmacy without seeing a dozen brands on sale. And there is a great reason for this – they work.

However, I don’t suggest you buy supplements and that instead; you eat the right foods. Omega-3 is found in oily fish like salmon, tuna, sardines and more. You can find something for every budget and every taste. If you’re a vegetarian, your options are a lot more limited but you can find omega-3 in kale.

Factor #5 – Drink Tea.

Green tea contains antioxidants and are great for detoxification. Black tea is a good coffee replacement as it contains caffeine and it can be considered healthier.  Matcha tea is good for the stomach and so is peppermint.

Tea was used as a medicine long before medicine became a thing. While tea is not as powerful as a paracetamol for example, if you drink it constantly, it can help your body stay healthy. Also, tea is directly correlated with better circulation.

Green tea leads to a decreased risk of coronary artery disease while black tea improves blood vessel health. Just limit your input of your black tea as since it contains coffee, too much of it can do more harm than good.

And no, you don’t have to pay $50 for some special tea from the healthy foods store. The $3 tea has the same effect as the $30 one. Unless you’re a tea connoisseur, go for the cheapest option, as I do.

Factor #6 – Keep Iron Levels Balanced

Few people understand what iron is.

Basically, it is a mineral, and it’s essential in the circulatory system. The body needs it to make hemoglobin. If you remember basic biology, this is a component of red cells and it carries oxygen through the body. People smoking or with low iron concentrations in their bodies have a reduced hemoglobin level.

Therefore, you need to maintain an optimum level of iron in the body. Red meat and spinach contain this mineral and so do supplements. However, too much iron can also affect you because iron and cholesterol are correlated. If you have too much cholesterol, you’ll arteries will be clogged and your cardiovascular system affected.

Now, what about reiki, acupuncture and other energy healing methods?

What I’ll tell you now is not popular but I have seen no benefits in improving blood circulation with these methods. This is because poor blood circulation is usually caused by clogged arteries or a heart that is not functioning properly. I haven’t seen a reiki session lower cholesterol or solving an arrhythmia. Energy healing has its place and it is great for pain management and for boosting your immune system. It helps the body fight disease from the inside out but while I’m not a doctor; I don’t think a better immune system and poor circulation really go hand in hand.

Everything I’m telling you here will boost not only your circulation but your health. It’s a holistic approach, drug free and while I’d love to tell you that energy healing helps with circulation, I don’t know of any cases where it did. If there are, go for it, but I talk from experience, not theory.

One last thing, poor circulation rarely happens on its own. It is a side effect of a greater condition, something you should treat first.

Among these are:

• High blood pressure.
• Poor blood health.
• Poor heart health (this needs to be treated as soon as possible).
• Blood vessel health.
• Obesity
• Diabetes.
• Different heart conditions.
• Other conditions affecting the arteries or veins.

While you can treat poor blood circulation with lifestyle changes, visit a doctor to rule out any life-threatening causes. Left untreated, this can lead to a heart attack (the blood flow to the heart is blocked) or to a stroke (the blood flow to the brain is blocked). Both conditions can affect you for life and are often fatal. Take this seriously.