Three Exercises Your Legs Will Love You For

Good vein health in your legs starts with proper exercise and stretching, but many don’t know where to start. For those who experience varicose veins and leg pain, it’s crucial you exercise your legs to promote blood flow, while avoiding workouts that add pain to your condition. No matter what stage you’re at in your leg health, we have three exercises you can do from the comfort of your living room — and your legs will love you for them! 

Calf Raises
Building strength in your calves will help relieve varicose vein symptoms and pain by improving your body’s blood circulation. Start by standing up straight with your legs parallel. Rise up onto your toes, and slowly lower back down until your heels are touching the floor. Repeat this for as many repetitions as you like. Over time, you should feel a burn in your calves from this exercise. You can make it more challenging by adding weights — grab a couple of light dumbbells, kettlebells or even a medium-heavy bag or other object in your home and hold the weights by your side. This video is a great visual cue for beginners.

Bicycle Crunch
You can promote blood circulation in your legs by walking, riding a bicycle or using an elliptical for 30 minutes a day. Running is often too jarring on the legs of those with varicose veins, causing more pain than relief. One alternative exercise that doesn’t require a treadmill or trail is the bicycle crunch — it’s just like riding a bike, but while lying on your floor. 

Lay down on your back, raise your legs in the air and bend them at the knee, creating a 90-degree angle. With slow and controlled motions, kick one leg out straight while keeping the other leg bent. Return the extended leg inward to the 90-degree angle, while kicking out the other leg. As you feel comfortable, increase your speed, allowing a fluid motion between the legs. Again, this is just like riding a bike! And it’s also a great core exercise. You can get more of a core workout from this movement by crunching up and tapping your right elbow to your left bent knee, and vice versa. Keep the opposite knee to the opposite elbow, and you should break a sweat! Here’s a short video to get you started.

Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat (RFESS)
Say what!? Don’t let the long name scare you. Stand in a lunge or stride position with your back foot on a couch, bench, chair or other flat surface. Bend the front knee to lower into a lunge position until your thigh is parallel to the ground. Keep the front knee behind the toes, and be sure your heel stays flat on the ground. If your front knee tracks beyond the toes, or if your heel is raised off the ground, you aren’t doing it right!

You can make this exercise more challenging by adding weights — dumbbells, kettlebells or any other weighted object in your home will work. Remember to keep your shoulders pinched back and your chest proud, staring straight forward as you squat. Switch legs when appropriate, always performing the same amount of repetitions with each leg. Still looking for a challenge? Control your pace: Count to three as you slowly squat down, hold the squat for another three seconds, then count to one second as you rise up and rest for an additional second. Repeat this pace of three-three-one-one for each repetition. This video will help you understand the movement.