Here are a few tips and tricks to relieve this phenomenon naturally.
What to do about heavy legs and venous issues
While the syndrome of heavy legs and venous problems isn’t strictly a summer thing, these ailments tend to intensify especially as temperatures rise, making life quite difficult for those who suffer from them.
Simple and effective: walking!
Summer feels almost ritualistic: when you get home from work in the early evening, your legs start to ache. It may be fluid retention, or simply the heat. Either way, there are effective solutions that require few resources.
First, don’t hesitate to engage in physical activity. It isn’t about blasting through a workout right after work, but rather about activating blood circulation in your legs through well-chosen physical activities.
You can take a brisk walk, hop on a bike for a few miles, or try swimming to unwind after a day at work.
Cold water against heavy legs
You can also relieve your legs with cold water: this is the Kneipp method. In your shower, set the water to as cold as you can bear it.
Direct the shower head from top to bottom, slowly, along your leg. This action will tone them up and should eliminate the heavy-leg feeling for the day.
Gestures, clothing and positions against heavy legs
First, if you know you’re prone to the heavy-leg phenomenon, take a few precautions.
Avoid tight pants or socks that are tight around the ankles with elastic.
As often as possible, at work or during your lunch break, raise your legs. You can rest them on a wall or on a stool to relieve them. If you get the chance, massage your legs with coarse salt from bottom to top for an instant relief.
Heavy legs: don’t neglect diet and hydration
It’s a fact: you’re prone to heavy legs in summer and you know it. But that’s no excuse to accept it as fate. Instead, try to limit the phenomenon by adopting good practices.
First, stay hydrated. You drink, and you drink, so that our tissues stay properly hydrated.
Next, choose your foods carefully, and enjoy seasonal fruits and vegetables: strawberries, peppers, tomatoes… These products flood the shelves at small local farms and they happen to be rich in antioxidants, which helps protect your venous system a bit more.
And above all, don’t forget to move. Sedentary activities and tanning sessions don’t promote good blood circulation in the legs.
Aromatherapy for heavy legs
Aromatherapy can greatly support circulation problems that lead to heavy legs. The essential oil that seems best suited to treating heavy legs is cypress oil, known for its venous decongestant properties.
Essential oils and carrier oils against heavy legs
Peppermint oil can also be used alongside cypress oil as it is invigorating and cooling, as well as lentisk (mastic) oil, which is decongestant.
Cedar oil would also be effective for circulation and fluid retention, due to its draining and tonifying properties.
You can massage yourself with a blend of five to seven drops, diluted in a carrier oil, to soothe your legs.
A draining tea
Certain plants are known to be effective for relieving heavy legs.
Get red vine leaves, cherry stems, blackcurrant leaves and dried hibiscus flowers and mix them all in a pot.
Regularly, when needed or as a preventive measure, boil a cup of water and let a teaspoon of this blend steep.
Relieving ankles and swollen feet
As bothersome as heavy legs are, swollen ankles and feet are a recurring summertime issue as well.
Refreshing the feet with foot baths
While winter sees the foot tucked away in sturdy, covering shoes, summer invites exposed toes in sandals that can become uncomfortable as the heat rises. A simple solution: foot baths.
In a basin of cold water, add two tablespoons of baking soda. Add three aspirin and the juice of a whole lemon. Let your feet soak as long as you can.
Another very effective recipe:
In a basin of cool water, pour an infusion of rosemary and lime blossom, mix well and soak your feet for 15 minutes.
Grandma’s tricks
More simply, you might be advised to place an ice pack on swollen feet to relieve them.
Other tips suggest wrapping the feet in compresses pre-soaked in a mixture of warmed white wine with several sprigs of rosemary.
On the dietary side, don’t hesitate to season your foods with garlic and lemon, which are excellent for blood flow and circulation.
Different infusions against swollen feet
If you suffer from circulatory problems, are prone to swelling in the feet or even hands, you can improve the situation.
Simple recipes against swollen feet
you can try the following two infusions:
- The infusion of calendula flowers to improve blood circulation (use one teaspoon of dried petals per cup of hot water).
- You can also steep dried nettle leaves and blueberry leaves, which should improve circulation.
