Circulation: The Forgotten Key to Lasting Health

Laid end to end, the body’s 60,000 miles of blood vessels could circle the Earth more than two times. Each heartbeat drives blood through this vast network, delivering oxygen and nutrients to cells and removing waste. When circulation slows, the body struggles because steady blood flow is the foundation that supports every other system.

Despite its importance, circulation often goes unnoticed until trouble shows up in cold fingers, swollen legs and clouded thinking. When blood flow falters, cells slip into energy debt, waste accumulates, and inflammation grows. Over time, this causes discomfort, strains organs, and hastens decline.

The good news is that circulation isn’t a fixed state. It responds directly to how you live. Exercise is the most obvious way to improve circulation. Movement drives the heart to pump harder, blood vessels to dilate, and oxygen to reach even the smallest capillaries. A 2022 study in jacc Journals found that increased exercise drastically lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality.

Unfortunately, modern fitness culture often confuses effort with extremes. Marathon schedules, punishing workouts and obsession with “personal records” can actually harm your body. Herbert W. Armstrong, reflecting late in life, warned about this tendency to over-exercise. “Why do humans tend to go to extremes? Exercise is good—it profits a little—but like most things, it can be carried past the law of diminishing returns,” he wrote in The Seven Laws of Success. “You can get an overdose that can cause harm. We are prone to forget the admonition of temperance in all things.”

The lesson is that overdoing exercise can be as harmful as neglecting it. Pushing too hard may boost circulation in the moment, but sustained overexertion breaks the body down. It can cause chronic fatigue, reduced immunity, hormonal disruption, joint breakdown and heart strain (Cleveland Clinic). At the extreme, endurance training has been shown to remodel the heart muscle and increase the risk of arrhythmias and atrial fibrillation (PMC).

It’s worth remembering the goal: healthy circulation, not excess.

Circulation is not just the heart’s job. Skeletal muscles act as a second pump, compressing veins with every contraction and driving blood back toward the heart. This “muscle pump” is strongest in the legs, especially the calves. Weak calf muscles mean venous blood pools in the lower body, making the heart work harder and leaving tissues short on oxygen.

Strength training improves circulation in two ways. First, stronger muscles mean more efficient venous return. Second, it conditions blood vessels. Studies show that lifting can improve endothelial function—the ability of vessels to dilate and contract smoothly—especially when paired with moderate aerobic exercise.

The takeaway is practical: Strength train two to three times a week with multijoint lifts such as squats, presses, rows and deadlifts to condition circulation. Between sessions, take short walks to keep blood moving and prevent it from pooling in the legs.

Beyond these methods, Mr. Armstrong pointed to something even simpler. He often told the story of a Chautauqua lecturer who studied centenarians across America. Diet and habits varied wildly, but one thing united them: daily stimulation of circulation to the extremities.

“Every one had taken a vigorous daily rubdown. Some with a bath towel, following a daily bath. Some with a brush. But in one way or another, each had stimulated blood circulation even to the extremities of toes and fingers by daily rubbing or massaging,” he wrote in The Seven Laws of Success.

Mr. Armstrong, who lived to age 93, carried the habit forward in his own daily routine: “Many ask how I (at the time of this writing in my 84th year) keep up the energy, vigor and drive. … I walk—the best exercise for one of my age. But ever since I heard that lecture, perhaps 60 or more years ago, I have taken a daily rubdown. Method? A generous-size bath towel, following a daily shower.”

No gimmicks, no obsession—just a healthy, daily action. Modern research has confirmed what Mr. Armstrong observed anecdotally. Mechanical stimulation—massage, skin rubbing, brushing—increases local blood flow.

Beyond rubdowns, several other beneficial habits stand out. Spending time in a sauna raises the heart rate and shunts blood toward the skin, mimicking moderate exercise. Finnish studies link regular sauna use with lower rates of heart disease and longer life expectancy (Harvard Health). The most effective sauna use appears to be two to four sessions per week, each lasting 10 to 20 minutes.

Cold showers or cool baths can also be helpful, causing blood vessels in the skin and extremities to constrict, a response known as the hunting reaction. As you rewarm, they widen (vasodilation), creating a vascular “workout” that boosts circulation without strain.

Walking is still the most accessible habit for improving your circulation. Five to 10 minutes after meals or desk sessions activates the calf pump, boosts venous return, and steadies blood sugar.

Lastly, stay hydrated. Plasma makes up about 55 percent of your blood, and even mild dehydration reduces its volume, thickens blood, impairs circulation, and forces the heart to work harder.

Taken together, the lesson is plain: Circulation is sustained by steady, balanced habits, not by extremes. The same pattern is seen in biblical examples, where long life and strength were tied to consistent, disciplined routines. Moses lived to 120 with undimmed vision and vigor. His life of walking and simple, natural, wholesome food aligned with health laws that support lasting strength. Caleb, still powerful at 85, showed the benefits of steady activity and discipline. Joshua led Israel well into old age, his endurance carrying him through years of service. These men remained physically strong, sustained by active lives, balanced diets and obedience to sound health principles.

Mr. Armstrong’s guidance points to a truth confirmed by modern science: It doesn’t take fads or extremes to keep blood moving. The keys are moderation, consistency and daily habits.

Follow the laws of health—good diet, sound sleep, fresh air and sunshine, cleanliness, proper elimination, a positive mental attitude and regular exercise—and the body responds accordingly.

Strong circulation is the natural outcome of obeying the laws that govern health. The challenge is yours to take. See it, define it, focus on it, break it into steps, and push forward to build not just your health but also the character to carry it.