New Year, New Legs: 5 Resolutions for Better Vein Health

The arrival of a fresh, new year full of possibilities leaves many people reflecting on key areas for improvement — and feeling inspired to take steps toward a healthier future. A goal of better vein health can help you relieve or prevent problems like: 

• Poor circulation
• Varicose veins 
• Chronic leg pain
• Heavy, tired legs
• Lower leg swelling

Whether you have a family history of venous disease or you’re simply looking to keep your legs healthy as you age, our team at Vascular Vein Centers can help you foster improved vein health in the new year — and for many years to come — with these five resolutions.  

1. Maintain a healthy body weight 

Extra pounds place more stress on your entire cardiovascular system, including your veins, or the vessels that carry deoxygenated blood from your body back to your heart. Carrying excess weight increases your risk of high blood pressure, varicose veins, and many other issues.  

When you reach and maintain a healthy weight, you take pressure off your arteries and veins and reduce your risk of developing vascular problems. As luck would have it, diet and exercise — two key opportunities for daily vein support — are the best strategies for weight control. 

2. Exercise and get your body moving

A sedentary lifestyle is the fastest route to vein dysfunction, sluggish circulation, and poor leg health. On the other hand, physical activity — in the form of regular exercise and movement throughout the day — is the easiest way to keep your veins strong, functional, and healthy at any age. You should: 

Exercise every day

Walking, running, swimming, cycling, and other aerobic workouts keep leg muscles active and help your lower extremity veins “pump” blood back toward your heart more efficiently. Squats, lunges, calf raises, and other leg-strengthening exercises keep veins strong, too.

Get your steps in

Your daily workout is important, but its benefits are negligible if you spend the rest of your day sitting. Your veins are stressed by inactivity, but they thrive on movement — so move your body as much as you can. Tracking your steps and aiming for 7,000 to 10,000 steps a day provides significant vascular health benefits.

Avoid prolonged stillness

If your job (or retirement life) has you sitting most of the day, get up and walk around every 30 minutes or so. Likewise, if your job keeps you standing mostly still for hours on end, elevate your legs for 15 minutes at the end of each shift to reduce swelling and boost your circulation.  

3. Adjust your daily dietary patterns 

Your dietary habits can have a profound effect — for better or worse — on your vascular health. Put another way: Just as the wrong dietary choices can undermine your vascular health, the right choices can protect and support it.  

Vein diet “dos” 

Eat a heart-healthy diet that’s low in sodium and saturated fats, and rich in dietary fiber. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other high-fiber foods help prevent constipation and reduce pressure on your veins. 

Potassium-rich foods like bananas, leafy greens, and oranges help regulate sodium levels and reduce swelling; antioxidant-rich berries help ease vascular inflammation.    

It’s also important to drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated keeps your blood more fluid and less likely to clot, helping to protect against deep vein thrombosis (DVT).  

Vein diet “don’ts” 

Limit your intake of processed foods, which tend to be high in either vessel-inflaming added sugars or leg-swelling sodium. Cutting back on salt in all its forms helps minimize swelling, ease or prevent high blood pressure, and reduce circulatory strain.  

We also recommend limiting your intake of alcohol, which contributes to easy weight gain as well as dehydrated blood that’s thicker, stickier, and more prone to clotting. 

4. Make vein-friendly lifestyle changes

Avoid wearing tight pants; clothing that’s tight around your waist or legs can impair lower extremity circulation and, over time, contribute to vein damage. Choose flats or low-heeled shoes over high heels, which can restrict calf muscle contraction, increase venous pressure, and strain vein valves.

If you smoke or vape, find a smoking cessation program to help you quit. The chemicals in nicotine and cigarette smoke are harmful to your entire vascular system, causing venous and arterial hardening and narrowing that impairs circulation at every turn. 

5. Know when to see a vascular expert 

Lastly, make a resolution to see our vein specialists if you have a family history of venous disease, a job that requires lengthy periods of sitting or standing, or if you notice symptoms like leg fatigue, heaviness, swelling, skin changes, or varicose veins. 

IAC-accredited ultrasound imaging can help catch potential issues early, while simple strategies like compression therapy and minimally invasive varicose vein removal can improve your circulation and restore better leg health.  

To learn more, contact Vascular Vein Centers today. We have six offices in College Park of Orlando, Kissimmee, Lake Mary, Waterford Lakes of East Orlando, Davenport/Haines City, and The Villages, Florida.