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As much as we love going to the coolest new workout class in town, sometimes we need a little bit of extra motivation to exercise. Waking up early for the gym often ends in a snooze alarm, and making plans around your workouts can get a little frustrating. It’s easy to skip a session, but we do everything we can to stay on track. When it comes to motivation, nothing makes us want to hit the gym more than a beauty benefit. Once we learned that increasing blood flow during exercise can lead to glowing skin, we needed to know more.
For a crash course in the best exercises for increased blood flow, we turned to Rachel Piskin, a former dancer and the co-founder of ChaiseFitness, a fitness program designed to tone your body with a ballet philosophy. Besides just explaining why exercising to up your blood flow is so important, Piskin gave us a cheat sheet for doing some exercises at home — complete with GIFs!
Why is increasing blood flow so important during exercise?
Exercise that increases the heart rate will also improve your circulation and blood flow. It is important to constantly improve and maintain proper blood circulation as it builds a strong heart and helps keep your body working efficiently.
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Are there different exercises to increase blood flow to specific body parts, or does increased flow just happen overall?
It’s important to do a combination of aerobic and resistance exercises as the combination will help increase blood flow throughout the body.
When doing these exercises, does the time of day affect the results?
Pick the right time of day for you to workout. Consistency in your routine is the most important when setting new fitness goals.
What are a few exercises that help to increase blood flow?
Second Plié with band: This will help bring blood flow to the lower body while helping you activate your core and improve posture and balance.
Courtesy of ChaiseFitness
Chaise Swim: Get your heart rate up and bring blood flow to your upper body by performing quick, repetitive, swim like motions with your arms. You will have to engage your core and upper back in order to maintain perfect form.
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Courtesy of ChaiseFitness
Bow and Arrow Jack: This is your aerobic exercise. Bringing it all together (arms, legs, and cardio) will continue to raise your heart rate and increase blood flow.
Courtesy of ChaiseFitness