The best exercises to avoid blood clots in the legs

We are all aware of the importance for health of going for a walk, running or simply taking a walk regularly. Every day. The expert community recommends at least 30 minutes of sports daily. Its benefits compensate for any effort. It is not only important to exercise to have an adequate physique, but with the long-term objective of avoiding diseases or, failing that, alleviating their symptoms if they are inevitable. A good diet and abandoning vices such as tobacco or alcohol is also a vital issue when it comes to overcoming ailments.

Regarding thrombosis, manifested in blood clots that interrupt the normal flow of blood to the heart, there are specific exercises to prevent its appearance or worsening. This usually occurs in the legs. It is a common disease, and there are people prone to suffering from it due to their genetic condition. In addition, causes such as smoking influence its development. Below, we list a series of exercises that are easy to do at home, frequently, and that help improve blood circulation.

Simple leg exercises to do at home

• Sit in a comfortable chair with your knees at 90º. The exercise consists of raising the tips of the feet, activating the tibialis anterior (muscle located in the front part of the shins). Next, with the balls of the feet on the ground, the heels are raised to activate the soleus and gastrocnemius area.
• Subsequently, lateral movements of the legs are performed, raising them to the same height. In this position, the activity can be performed by moving both feet at the same time or separately: action of the foot forward and backward (simulating stepping on an accelerator), alternating legs. Likewise, the feet move clockwise and counterclockwise.
• For the next exercise, place a pillow or ball between your legs, and then apply light pressure for about six seconds with both legs turned inward. Then they relax again.
• The next exercise requires, in the same position -sitting in the chair-, raising the legs with knees towards the chest. Here it is important to avoid the intervention of other muscle groups, so it is advisable to keep your back straight, tighten your abdomen and activate only your legs.
• In the previous position, another suitable exercise consists of extending the legs forward, with the condition of bringing the tip of the foot towards us.
• Standing up, holding the back of the chair with your hands, raise your heels (with your back straight) and stand on tiptoe. We go up and down, resting the sole of the foot on the ground.
• In this same position, we change the exercise to lateral movements. That is, bending the knee of the supporting leg, raising the toe of the opposite foot and performing the movement with the leg outward. These leg movements can also be performed backwards.

In these latter cases, it is important not to swing to avoid incorporating other muscles into the exercise. In each session, it is appropriate to perform three series of each activity, between eight and 15 repetitions. In order for the effectiveness of the exercises to increase, and for the human body to truly feel improvement and prevention capacity, the ideal is to do three sessions a day.