Raise The Rouf Health Introduction
Our calves are commonly referred to as the “second heart of our body.” While this may just seem like additional silly health myths, there is incredible value in this statement, especially for the modern lifestyle so many are living today!
Today’s Conflict: “The Sitting Disease”
Today, such a large percent of us spend so much of our day sitting in a chair at a desk. While this is the nature of the world we live in, it is important to be mindful of what this is doing to our health. We want our blood to flow well throughout our body, in order to supply oxygen and nutrients, as well as remove waste. The calf muscles are a key contributor to ensuring this efficient blood flow. The force of gravity naturally pulls blood downward. The calves play an important role in pumping blood back up to the heart, which then pumps it around to the rest of the body. When we sit for hours on end, our calves are dormant, and we don’t get the same pumping as with standing, walking, or moving in any way. As a result, blood starts to pool, we have inefficient blood flow, and, not only is our body not circulating the necessary oxygen and nutrients it needs, but it’s also not removing the waste products either.
Looking big picture at the rise of all sorts of chronic diseases, the “sitting disease” is a large contributor to the development of such conditions. Luckily, even if you work a sitting job, there are still things that you can do!
Strengthening your Calves
As opposed to our heart, which beats automatically, it is up to use to build and maintain strong calves. Here are a few ideas to implement into your daily life. These are especially important when working seated jobs; however, they can benefit each and every one of us!
- Seated Calf Pumps (imaged below)
- You these, you don’t even have to leave your chair or stop what you’re doing. Simply lifting your feet onto the toes and doing repetitions of that acts as a nice “reset” for the body, pushing that pooling blood out of our lower body and allowing the entire body to become filed with oxygen and all the nutrients necessary to keep attacking the day!
- Standing more than sitting
- Even if you can’t get out for a walk, investing in a standing desk and/or creating an environment to stand every so often allows the calves to activate and improve that blood flow.
- Walking more!
- Steps hold so much power, and the activation of are calves are a big reason why!
Comparison to Walking
While calf raises aren’t quite as effective as walking, they still carry such a large benefit, especially for those that are unable to walk but still want to focus on healthy habits. In other words, do your best to incorporate walking into your day, but if you cannot, pumping the calves at your desk throughout the day is an excellent alternative
What You Should Take Home
So, not only is it good to keep the calves moving throughout you daily life activies, but doing weighted calf raises as a part of a strength training regime is also incredibly beneficial, building both strength and endurance in those muscles that we rely so heavily on! So much of the fitness world highlights heavy weight and main compound movements. Don’t forget about those calves, because it goes beyond building muscle to look good. For most, it’s more importantly having a body that is capable and healthy on the inside, so that we can do the things we love and have as many healthy years with our loved ones as possible!
I can’t emphasize enough, no matter what your unique life situation is, there are always things that are in your control that can have a positive impact on your health. Even tiny things like calve pumps under your desk throughout the day, are one of those things. It may seem silly and pointless, but the research and the way our body’s operate say otherwise! Don’t get frustrated is you’ve never known this until now. There is no better time to start than today!
Have a great Tuesday everyone! Go win the day and take another step towards a healthier you. I know that you are capable!
