Blood must circulate throughout the body to perform its essential functions. It travels through over 90,000 miles of blood vessels, the equivalent of more than three times around the earth! These blood vessels are made up of arteries, capillaries and veins. At any one time, 7% of our blood is in our hearts, 9% in our lung circulation, 13% is in our arteries, 7% in our capillaries, and 64% in our veins.

Blood circulation transports blood to and from every cell in the body, maintaining an optimal environment for cell survival and function.

The heart pumps blood through the arteries to the capillary beds where all nutrient, water and gas exchange occur. When cells are active, they can require up to 30 times more blood flow than when they are at rest. When the heart pumps maximally, however, it can increase flow no more than seven times its regular rate. Therefore, blood is distributed according to the specific cells’ needs, redirected from cells that do not require nutrients or oxygen. It’s an amazing, dynamic system.

Since most of our blood sits in our venous system, the pressure from the pumping of the heart is not strong enough to bring the blood back to the heart. So how does the blood in the capillaries return to the heart?

Blood flows back towards the heart by a combination of mechanisms. The first is the contraction of muscles as your body moves, pushing the blood up one-way valves in the veins. The second is breathing, which creates negative pressure in the chest, assisting in pulling blood towards the chest.

Active movement, then, helps our body circulate the blood. Conversely, the cells that are not active receive less blood flow, and the blood will not return as quickly. One of the keys to healthy blood is regular exercise. This exercise should be something you can do anywhere, anytime, until the day you stop breathing.

The connection between exercise and the prevention of major health issues like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity is well documented. Move to live.