27. Secret to Beautiful Legs: Improve Blood Circulation and Eliminate Lower Body Swelling

Beautiful legs

For working women who want beautiful, shapely legs, the most important task is to address lower body swelling. Modern working women often experience lower body swelling due to prolonged sitting or standing, which is extremely discouraging for those who desire beautiful legs. Furthermore, a lack of exercise leads to loose, flabby leg muscles. There's a saying that goes, "There are no ugly women, only lazy women," so to look beautiful at work every day, one must be diligent in overcoming lower body swelling.

Improve blood circulation

Promoting blood circulation is the key to eliminating edema. Moderate exercise greatly helps improve blood circulation. People who often maintain the same posture for long periods at work can take full advantage of opportunities and time to stretch their bodies, such as when going to the toilet, making tea, photocopying, or during lunch breaks, to allow blood to flow more smoothly.

Several highly effective methods to improve blood circulation

Bathing

Taking a hot bath can dilate peripheral blood vessels, increasing the pressure on the blood vessels, strengthening venous return, and improving lymphatic circulation. It also promotes the metabolism of waste products. To relax your whole body and relieve fatigue, you can add your favorite fragrances or bath products to the bath. However, people prone to edema should avoid cold baths.

Apply lotion

After a hot shower, blood circulation throughout the body improves. Applying lotion to your legs at this time, using a massaging motion, will result in excellent absorption, especially on the calves, between the toes, and the soles of the feet. If you want to help eliminate excess water at this time, you can use commercially available skincare products that aid in drainage to massage your legs.

massage

Massage is effective in combating cellulite and water retention, and can eliminate excess water in the lower body.

1. Sit down and raise your legs. Gently and quickly press your thighs from the thighs towards the knees, repeating several times. Repeat the same movements from the knees to the calves and ankles.

2. Gently press your ankle with your fingers. Then massage the area around your ankle from top to bottom several times.

3. Wrap your hands around the soles of your feet and use the strength of your palms to press down on the soles of your feet, moving back and forth several times.

4. Wrap your hands around your calves to form a circle, and slowly massage upwards from your calves to your upper thighs.

Place a pillow under your feet

After massaging your feet, place a pillow under your feet so that they are 10-20 centimeters higher than your heart. Keep this position for about 20 minutes. This will help blood and lymph flow back to the heart smoothly, reducing swelling. You can also elevate your feet during breaks at work to relieve swelling.

Eat more diuretic foods

To prevent lower body edema, controlling the body's water content is also important. Eating more diuretic foods can help eliminate excess water retention and prevent edema.

Methods to control body water balance

Drink water in moderation

The way you drink water is very important. It's best to sip slowly, rather than gulping it down. Otherwise, you won't really quench your thirst and may even cause your body to take in too much water.

Appropriate discharge

Besides avoiding the habit of holding urine, if you have poor urination function, you can eat more diuretic foods, such as mung beans, red beans, barley, winter melon, water spinach, coriander, spinach, cabbage, watermelon, and papaya, which are all very effective. Additionally, caffeinated beverages such as coffee, black tea, and green tea also have a diuretic effect, but it is not recommended to drink large amounts, as excessive caffeine can impair calcium absorption.

Eat less sodium-rich foods

Sodium-rich foods can cause water retention in the body, making it difficult to excrete. Therefore, people prone to lower body edema should be especially careful. Processed foods such as candied fruit, instant noodles, canned goods, bouillon cubes, and salty snacks all contain extremely high levels of sodium. It's best to eat more fresh foods such as vegetable salads, fruits, and fresh milk. If you must eat canned food, rinse it with hot water before eating to reduce sodium intake.

Do acupressure massage every day

The human body has what are called "meridians," which are channels for transporting energy. As long as these channels are unobstructed, the body can maintain health; however, if they are obstructed, it can lead to lower body edema. One way to keep the meridians unobstructed is acupressure. Stimulating certain acupoints restores the normal flow of energy, improves metabolism, and naturally helps sculpt the body. There are at least 100 acupoints on the body, but for eliminating edema, massaging the acupoints on the feet is particularly effective, as it helps expel excess water and waste from the body. However, acupressure exercises are not suitable for pregnant women, people with cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, or other conditions.

The key to acupressure

When applying acupressure, the pad of the thumb is the easiest part to apply pressure with. First, place your thumb at a perpendicular angle to the acupressure point, then take a deep breath and apply pressure three times in rhythm with your exhale. When inhaling, remove your thumb from the acupressure point. People with less hand strength can use both thumbs overlapping to press the acupressure point, applying pressure with the finger on top.

Several acupressure points that can help with lower body slimming

◎Shenshu (BL23): Located at the narrowest part of the waist, below the spinous process of the second lumbar vertebra, about two finger-widths to the left and right of the spine. Massaging Shenshu can improve kidney function and help eliminate excess water from the body.

◎Bladder Shu Point: Located at the very center of the line connecting the vertebrae vertebrae and the coccyx, about two finger-widths to the left and right. Stimulating this point can improve bladder function. Office workers who spend long hours in air-conditioned rooms often have poor perspiration; regularly stimulating this point can help the body eliminate excess water.

Calf acupoints

◎Xuehai: Located above the depression on the inner side of the knee, it is the most important acupoint for eliminating foot edema. It also has a good effect on regulating female hormones and relieving menstrual pain.

◎Chengshan: Located in the center where the soft muscles of the calf turn into tendons, this acupoint is easier to find when you exert force with your foot.

◎Sanyinjiao: Located about three finger-widths above the center of the medial malleolus, on the back of the tibia. Stimulating Sanyinjiao can improve visceral function, regulate hormones, promote blood circulation, and eliminate edema. It can also significantly improve common symptoms in women such as menstrual pain, cold hands and feet, dry skin, dark spots, and mood swings.

◎ Zusanli (ST36): Located on the tibia, about three finger-widths (4 cm) below the knee. Regularly applying pressure to the Zusanli acupoint can effectively reduce edema, alleviate calf pain, and promote blood circulation.