Healthy Leg Care

Healthy legs matter

Caring for your legs involves many of the same things you would do to ensure whole-body health, as well as a few leg-specific activities. So what should you do?

Walk

The Surgeon General recommends the 10,000 steps a day program to maintain a healthy weight and to build bone and muscle mass, which contributes to overall leg health.

Eat right

Maintaining a healthy weight limits stress on your legs and promotes general wellness.

Stock up on lotion

Moisturize your skin twice a day to maintain its elasticity and help support cell walls, which in turn can prevent varicose veins.

Avoid sitting all day

Long periods of sitting, whether at the office, in a car or on a plane can lead to deep venous thrombosis or blood clots. For every 90 minutes you sit, take a five-minute walking break. Go visit a co-worker, get a glass of water or step outside for a little fresh air.

Take showers

Exposure to prolonged or excessive heat during long, hot baths can dilate blood vessels, which decreases the return of blood from the legs to the heart and may result in varicose vein formation.

Elevate your legs

When reading or watching television, prop up legs parallel to the ground by resting them on a stool or a chair. This helps keep blood from staying in the lower legs and improves blood flow to the rest of your body.

Don't smoke!

Smoking increases the risk of damage to vein walls and may result in varicose veins, leg ulcers and osteoporosis.