
Circulatory System Stretching Exercises: A Cardiovascular-Friendly Technique
Shuichi James Nakano, a sports physiologist, strength and conditioning trainer certified by the American College of Sports Medicine, and Shogo Tabata, a diabetes specialist, coauthored the book '10-Minute Stretch Exercises: Reshaping Healthy Posture, Creating a Comfortable Life.' They noted in their book that after three months of circulatory system stretching exercises, patients saw significant improvement in blood circulation, which helped regulate blood sugar fluctuations, lower blood pressure, and slow arteriosclerosis.
Key Points of Stretching Exercise Design
Nakano said this set of exercises can not only promote metabolism and reduce body fat but also help increase bone density. There are three key areas in its design:
Activate the less-worked parts:
The movements primarily target areas that are less engaged in daily life and prone to stiffness and soreness, such as the shoulder blades, spine, and hip joints.
Stimulate areas with dense blood vessels:
The exercises move the core parts of the body, which have a higher blood vessel density and help promote blood circulation throughout the body.
Repeat simple movements:
Through simple, repeated movements, blood flow and metabolic efficiency can be quickly improved.
Circulatory System Stretching Exercises
Here are three simple, easy-to-do circulatory system stretching exercises:
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Time Magazine
25-07-2025
- Time Magazine
What Experts Think About the Japanese Walking Trend
'Japanese walking' isn't new, but the workout recently gained legs on TikTok: People credit it with making their walking routines more exciting and leading to an array of benefits, from weight loss to better heart health. While its name is derived from research conducted in Japan, this style of workout—known as interval walking—is popular around the world, and for good reason. It involves walking at a high intensity level for three minutes, followed by three minutes at a lower intensity, on repeat for at least 30 minutes, four times a week. 'We know that exercise matters, and we know that intensity matters,' says Laura Richardson, an exercise physiologist and clinical associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Michigan. 'I think it's caught on because it's so sustainable—it's short, it's doable, you don't have to be in a gym, and there are lots of benefits to walking.' We asked experts to break down exactly why Japanese walking is so effective and how to get started. The science behind interval walking Interval training—or alternating between short bursts of high-intensity exercise, followed by lower intensity rest and recovery—has been around for more than 100 years. You can apply it to all kinds of fitness regimens, including walking, biking, running, and strength training. 'It's getting your heart rate up and then bringing it back down,' Richardson says. When you work out at a high intensity, you increase blood flow to your body's muscles and make your heart beat faster. 'That's where we get health benefits,' she adds. 'The adaptations begin happening at higher levels of intensity.' Over time, interval training leads to increased cardiorespiratory fitness, which means your body can better consume oxygen because your heart and lungs are stronger. And you don't have to spend hours at the gym to achieve it: By adding intensity to your workouts, you get more bang for your buck from a time perspective, says Rashelle Hoffman, a gait and walking expert in the physical therapy department at Creighton University in Omaha. Consider the American College of Sports Medicine's physical activity guidelines: All healthy adults should get moderate intensity aerobic activity for at least 30 minutes five days a week, or vigorous activity for a minimum of 20 minutes three times per week. 'Clearly, you're seeing greater benefits with less time with vigorous activity,' she says. 'We're stressing our body out more, and it's responding more readily to that.' Read More: Backward Walking Is the Best Workout You're Not Doing There's a psychological appeal, too. Interval walking enables you to feel like you're competing against yourself, Richardson says, as you get faster and ratchet up your intensity level. 'I always say that people like numbers,' she says. They give walkers a tangible goal, which can propel their desire to work out. Emily Mendez, who lives in Indianapolis, took up Japanese walking a few years ago because she tends to get bored walking at the same pace. The intervals give her something to focus on, she says, and she likes the sense of achievement she gets from short, powerful spurts of activity. 'It's like an accomplishment when you do the quicker walks,' she says. 'I do those and push myself, and then the slower walks for recovery are like a reward. It makes it more interesting, less boring, and more motivating.' The benefits of Japanese walking In one of the leading studies on interval walking, Shizue Masuki and her colleagues instructed 246 middle-age and older adults to walk at a high intensity for 30 minutes a day, more than four times a week, for five months. No one completed the program—they complained that it was too boring and difficult, says Masuki, a professor at Shinshu University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan. That inspired the researchers to test interval walking instead. This time, the participants actually did it, and the results were impressive. People who followed an interval walking program for five months experienced greater increases in leg strength, thigh muscle strength, and overall physical fitness, as well as a greater reduction in blood pressure, than those who only walked at a moderate pace. Additional research with more than 700 people found that interval walking improves symptoms of lifestyle-related and age-related diseases, such as changes in cognitive function, depression, and sleep quality. Plus, the technique leads to an increase in healthy HDL cholesterol levels, improved triglyceride levels, and reduced abdominal visceral fat. More generally, research suggests that walking—which is lower impact than activities like running—contributes to bone and muscle health, reduces the risk of chronic diseases, and enhances mental wellbeing. It's often an ideal choice for people who are older or overweight, Hoffman says, as well as those newly dipping their toes into an exercise routine. 'The beauty of walking is that most people know how to do it,' she says. 'There's not a learning curve, and you don't really need to have equipment.' What counts as high intensity, anyway? In Masuki's study, participants logged three minutes of walking at 70% of their peak aerobic capacity, or VO2 max—which measures the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilize during intense exercise—followed by three minutes at 40% of their peak aerobic capacity. While a smartwatch can provide you with this data, there's an easier way to track your intensity. Read More: Why Walking Isn't Enough When It Comes to Exercise Richardson calls it the talk test: When you're working at about 70% of your aerobic capacity, you'll be breathing heavily and able to feel your heart racing, but you'll still be able to carry on a conversation. 'It's a little bit uncomfortable, but you can still talk,' she says. If you were closer to working at 100% of your capacity, on the other hand—an extreme level that experts advise against, since your body can't get enough oxygen to fuel muscles and you'll quickly feel drained—you would not be able to speak. How to start interval walking Ready to give Japanese walking a spin? Experts suggest these tips. If three full minutes of high-intensity walking feels daunting, ease in: You could start out by picking up your pace for one minute, followed by a three-minute recovery session, Hoffman suggests. 'You won't see the benefits necessarily at those lower levels, but you'll be training your body,' she says. You don't even have to aim for a 30-minute workout. Since learning about Japanese walking on TikTok a couple months ago, Yvette Hill has been doing it during downtime, like when she's waiting in parking lots to pick up her kids from various activities. Sometimes she ramps up her intensity until she reaches one corner of the lot, then slows down until she reaches the other, tweaking the program to fit her needs. 'If you're busy, this is a great way to fit in exercise,' she says. 'It's so easy and less intimidating than jumping into the gym.' When you increase your pace and shift into a high-intensity interval, it's important to pay attention to your posture. 'Get your spine up, get your chest up, and really think about swinging your arms,' Richardson says. That helps engage more of your body, while adding power to your steps. Many fitness trackers, including the Apple Watch, have a built-in feature that allows you to set up your intervals in advance. That way, your device will alert you when it's time to switch gears, Hoffman says, and you don't have to fiddle with a stopwatch. Read More: Are Walking Pads Worth It? Another option: Time each interval to a favorite song. 'Most songs are about three minutes long,' Richardson says. 'That's a good way of timing your exercise.' If you struggle with balance issues and want to make sure you're safe, experiment with walking poles, Richardson suggests. 'They can give you an extra bit of stability,' she says. 'If someone's a little hesitant—maybe an older or deconditioned person—using a hiking stick or trekking poles can give you an extra set of so-called legs.' One of the reasons walking is so accessible is that you can do it anywhere. That said, high-intensity exercise will feel different depending if you're walking on a treadmill, nature trail, hilly roads, or the beach. 'Your heart rate's going to respond differently to all those different terrains,' Richardson says. Pay attention to what works best for you—you might find, for example, that you love the built-in challenge of walking on the sand or crave quiet moments in the park. Like any other fitness program, there are ways to adjust interval walking to fit your needs. You could wear weights on your arms or even carry small dumbbells to get a better upper body workout, Hoffman suggests. Or switch things up and do squats or lunges for one of your high-intensity intervals. 'This idea of intervals could be applied to different targeted areas of your body,' she says. 'It doesn't have to be just walking.'


Business Wire
24-07-2025
- Business Wire
SimiTree Launches AI-Powered SARA for Faster, Smarter OASIS & Coding
HAMDEN, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SimiTree, a provider of revenue cycle, coding, and consulting services for the post-acute and behavioral industries, today announced SARA (SimiTree Assessment Review AI), a proprietary artificial intelligence platform designed to improve clinical documentation review, coding accuracy, and operational efficiency for home health agencies. SimiTree is a portfolio company of Sheridan Capital Partners. 'SARA is the result of decades of clinical expertise combined with the analytical power of more than one million charts,' said Bill Simione, CEO and Managing Principal at SimiTree. 'It was designed and built by clinicians, for clinicians, enabling them to deliver smarter, faster and more accurate chart reviews. SARA redefines what is possible in coding and documentation support for home health.' Home health agencies are facing rising documentation demands, staffing shortages, increasing compliance pressures, and looming Medicare reimbursement cuts proposed for 2026. SARA – which is powered by one million charts to train AI-enabled large language models and supported by a team that has been providing coding and OASIS services for 15 years – combines expert human review with advanced AI to help agencies meet these challenges while lowering costs and improving outcomes. 'We built SARA to directly address the operational and financial pressures home health agencies face every day,' said David Berman, COO of SimiTree. 'SARA provides agencies with a scalable, intelligent solution that reduces administrative burden, accelerates turnaround times and delivers real-time coding and OASIS insights that drive better results.' SARA enables teams to return completed charts in less than half the time of traditional models while maintaining exceptional quality. The platform precisely identifies ICD‑10 primary and comorbidity codes, optimizes OASIS scoring, and flags inconsistencies before charts are finalized, reducing denials and boosting first‑pass acceptance rates. SARA is supported by SimiTree's quality assurance team of clinical nurses. 'OASIS assessments are the foundation of home health reimbursement and outcomes measures, yet they remain one of the most complex and error-prone assessment tools in healthcare,' said J'non Griffin, SVP Coding and OASIS/Compliance at SimiTree. 'SARA brings AI precision to OASIS and coding, improving patient assessment accuracy and optimizing reimbursement outcomes.' Unlike typical software rollouts, SimiTree's service requires no infrastructure or staff onboarding, allowing agencies to see results immediately and redirect resources toward growth and patient care. About SimiTree SimiTree, a Sheridan Capital Partners portfolio company, is a leading provider of tech enabled, specialty revenue cycle management, coding, consulting, staffing solutions and managed services for home health, hospice and behavioral health organizations. By combining deep domain expertise with innovative technology, SimiTree helps providers optimize operations, ensure compliance, and achieve sustainable growth. For more information, visit About Sheridan Capital Partners Sheridan Capital Partners is a Chicago-based healthcare private equity firm that focuses on lower middle market buyouts and growth equity in the U.S. and Canada. Sheridan partners with companies in the verticals of providers and provider services, healthcare IT and outsourced services, and consumer health and medical products, and strives to bring strategic resources to accelerate growth, build enduring value, and achieve strong results. For more information, please visit


Axios
23-07-2025
- Axios
Denver climbs to No. 5 in national fitness rankings
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) is cementing Denver's reputation as a fitness mecca. The big picture: The city ranked 5th in the U.S. in its 18th annual ACSM American Fitness Index published Tuesday, per a release from ACSM. Denver moved up two spots from its 2024 ranking, which ACSM says it compiles to measure progress and encourage city officials to make policy decisions. Between the lines: The city's rise reflects improved health metrics, but comes with a warning about environmental concerns. Threat level: The report says three of its 35 indicators — air quality, food insecurity and reports of excellent or very good health — dipped overall nationwide. Zoom in: Poor air quality, a persistent concern in Denver, stemmed from drought and wildfires — major and consistent threats in Colorado. Meanwhile, smoking rates have dropped, while funding for parks spiked — both positive health indicators. Context: The index shows a nine-point jump on average for people meeting aerobic activity guidelines — things like hiking, running and dancing — up to 59.9% nationwide.