Giving a Leg Massage to Improve Circulation

We all know how important it is to have and maintain good circulation in our bodies. Paying attention to your body is important for everyone... those who work hard on their feet all day, those who sit at their jobs, work with others, are caretakers, no matter who you are.

Here is a step-by-step way to give a leg massage to improve and help maintain proper circulation in your legs. Give these massages to yourself or to someone else as a relaxing treat.

Step 1. To start, wet some towels with hot water (but not so hot it will burn the skin). Now, wrap the towels around bare legs and feet if you wish. Let the towels set until they cool.

Step 2. Remove the towels and rub your choice of lotion on the leg and work with one leg at a time. Start at the ankle and rotate with your fingers in a circular motion using both hands so you are rotating all the way around the leg. Continue these rotations working all the way around like a spiral up to the knee.

Step 3. Starting back at the ankle, place your palms on each side of the leg. Using your thumb, firmly press down and push in a straight line all the way up to the knee. You will feel the bone in between your thumbs on the way up. Now go back down to the ankle, spread your thumbs a little farther apart and repeat the pressured straight line up to the knee. If you are able to reach around and do this to the back of the leg, repeat the pressured line.

Step 4. Firmly hold the ankle with one hand and place the other hand with the four fingers (not the thumb) on the calf muscle. Begin rotating deep,circular motions into the calf. Continue as long as desired.

Step 5. The last manipulation you want to do is to firmly grasp the ankle using the index finger and thumb of both hands. Don't just use your finger-tips, grasp firmly enough into the curve between your index finger and thumb. Now, twist back and forth, wrists together, then apart..together, apart...and so on. Do this manipulation all the way up to the knee. Repeat this a few more times.

Repeat steps 1-5 for the other leg.

To finish up, run the hot water over the towels again and place them around the legs just as before. Let them cool and use them to wipe off the lotion as you slide them off the legs. Massaging the leg from ankle to leg improves the circulation by manipulation with the blood flow. This is also excellent to do for people with limited mobility.

I hope you enjoy this relaxing massage whether you're giving it to yourself or it's being given to you...enjoy!