Heavy legs, swollen, puffy like tree trunks? What if massaging them could help? Here are some leg self-massage suggestions to relieve all kinds of discomfort. To be practised in every season, as often as you like!
Leg self-massage no1: foot reflexology
To lighten your legs, you should always start “from the bottom” and work your way up. Logically, that means starting with your feet! Here is a technique to positively support microcirculation, inspired by foot reflexology.
- Sit comfortably on the floor with your feet in front of you.
- Using your thumbs, find the junction between the big toe bone and the second toe bone on each foot. It’s easy to locate: it sits on the top of the foot. Simply follow the two metatarsals (the bones that extend down from the toes) and find where they meet.
- Once you’ve found these points, massage them with your thumbs. Start with gentle pressure, then gradually increase.
Self-massage no2: with tennis balls
Let’s stay with the feet, since almost everything starts there! Remember that this is where venous return takes place — meaning the flow of blood back up to the heart. When it doesn’t work properly, hello heavy legs and water retention, which can contribute to aqueous cellulite…
- Sit on a chair with your back straight and hands resting on your knees.
- Take two tennis balls and place one under the arch of each foot.
- Roll the balls under your feet, stimulating the arches, soles, and heels.
This simple, almost playful and intuitive technique stimulates the acupressure points on the underside of the foot without any discomfort. It’s also a great way to gently encourage ankle flexibility.
Self-massage no3: ankle stimulation
And since we’re talking about ankles, let’s spend a little more time on them! A good leg self-massage also involves gentle ankle stimulation. Organic waste tends to accumulate in the joint spaces.
- Sitting comfortably, hold your foot in both hands and gently stretch it from side to side and back and forth, without forcing.
- Then hold your leg just above the ankle. Let your foot hang loosely (as if it were “dead”) and shake it gently to fully relax the ankle. Repeat on both sides.
- Using your fingertips, massage all the way around the ankle with small circular movements.
- Finally, stimulate one of the leg’s energy meridians. Measure the width of one hand above the inner ankle bone (the bony prominence on the inside of the ankle). At this point, apply gentle fingertip pressure, pressing and releasing quickly.
Self-massage no5: leg drainage
For slimmer, lighter legs, there’s no secret: you need to drain! Lymphatic drainage requires precise, specific movements that only trained professionals truly master. However, you can replicate certain gestures that will help drain water and toxins towards the popliteal lymph nodes (behind the knees).
- Start by performing a pumping motion at the back of the knee. Place your fingers flat behind the knee and apply gentle pressure to stimulate lymphatic flow (around 5 times).
- Using both hands, knead your calf from bottom to top. It should be completely relaxed, with no muscle tension. Kneading helps loosen the tissues and encourages the release of interstitial fluid.
- Then perform smoothing strokes from the ankle to the knee, along both sides of the leg as well as along the shin and calf. Smoothing helps boost the flow of lymphatic fluid.
- Finally, repeat the pumping motion at the back of the knee (5 times).
- Repeat on the other leg.
Self-massage no6: pinch-and-roll on the thighs
You’re no doubt familiar with the pinch-and-roll technique — THE anti-cellulite massage par excellence. It helps break down subcutaneous fat deposits responsible for the orange-peel effect, while also draining water and toxins from the tissues involved in cellulite. It’s perfectly possible to perform a pinch-and-roll as a self-massage, and it’s even easier when you have our Anti-Cellulite Cupping Cup to hand. It should be performed on skin that has been oiled beforehand, as with most massages.
- Apply our Anti-Cellulite Oil to your thighs.
- Take the cup and pinch it between your fingers, then place it on your skin. The cup will suction a fold of skin. The more you pinch, the stronger the suction. If you’re new to this, start with a light suction.
- Glide the cup across the skin, then release it by letting go of the pressure.
- Massage direction: start from bottom to top with linear strokes. Then move on to zigzag movements, from the inside outward, always working upward from the knee to the hip. Finish with circular movements, always from bottom to top.
