Did you know?

As seen on my beauty blog, http://confidenceb.blogspot.com/

Did you know that elevating your feet for at least ten minutes a day can help reduce your risk of varicose veins?
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Standing, running, or anything that keeps you on your feet puts pressure on your legs and feet, and your brain recognizes this so it sends more blood to those areas to help support the weight. This can cause the blood to build up, and even when you sit or lie down flat to relieve your feet, your heart doesn't always recycle the built up blood because it's harder to pump through that area of your body.

This build up of blood is a cause of varicose veins.

While sitting and lying down flat helps by removing the pressure from your feet, you can do more for your toesies (and, in the long run, your legs) by elevating your feet at a 30-90 degree angle. Something at a slope. Lying flat only removes the pressure; a slant or slope will drain the excess blood from your feet and return it to the rest of your body. You can do this by putting a few pillows under your feet, or sit on the floor with your feet on the couch, or use an Inversion Table (Gaoogle it) or be creative! I recommend elevating your feet for at least 10 minutes a day (you can put pillows under your feet while you watch TV or do your homework or eat lunch) but any amount of time is beneficial. I usually sleep with my feet elevated by pillows, but I know lots of people aren't keen to sleeping with their feet higher than their heads. So just do what works for you!

This isn't a guarantee against varicose, and if you end up getting varicose, please don't sue me for false information. I've been told by medical professionals that it helps, just like diets low in saturated fat may reduce the risk of heart disease; and besides, how could it hurt?

In the end, I believe your feet, legs, heart, and mirror will thank you for it.