Our Calves: Our “Second Heart”
Did you know our calves play a crucial role in blood circulation throughout your body, essentially acting as our “second heart”? They actively assist your main heart in pumping blood back up to the heart from our lower extremities.
How circulation works:
• The Heart’s Job: Our main heart pumps oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. This reaches even our toes in seconds. But getting the used, oxygen-depleted blood back up from our legs is trickier.
• Gravity’s Challenge: Unlike arteries, veins don’t have the same pumping power. Blood returning from the legs has to fight gravity. That’s where our calves come in.
• Calf Power: The calf muscles squeeze veins with each contraction. This pushes the blood upwards, aided by one-way valves in the veins that prevent backflow. This pumping action by our calves is why they’re called the “second heart.”
Why Hearty Exercise Makes a Difference:
• Stronger Pump: Regular exercise, especially activities that work our legs like walking, Mojoing, or cycling, strengthens our calf muscles. Stronger muscles become more efficient at pumping blood.
• Improved Circulation: Better circulation helps deliver oxygen and nutrients throughout our body more effectively. It also aids in removing waste.
• Overall Health Benefits: By keeping our calf muscles strong and circulation flowing, you can reduce the risk of blood clots, varicose veins, and other circulatory problems. This contributes to better overall cardiovascular health.
- Gastrocnemius: This is the larger, more superficial muscle that gives our calves their visible shape. It has two “heads” and crosses both the knee and ankle joints, making it involved in both knee flexion and ankle plantarflexion (pointing your toes).
- Soleus: This is a wider, flatter muscle that lies beneath the gastrocnemius. It only crosses the ankle joint, making it particularly important for sustained activities like walking and standing.
Calf Weakness and Heart Failure: Research has found that individuals with chronic heart failure often have smaller calf muscles than healthy individuals. This highlights the importance of the calf pump in supporting the heart’s overall function.
Impact on Cognitive Function: Some fascinating research suggests that soleus activity may play a role in preventing age-related cognitive decline. By enhancing venous return and, in turn, cardiac output, active soleus muscles contribute to maintaining cerebral blood perfusion, which is linked to cognitive health.
In Mojo, every time we flex or contract our calves (jumping, bouncing, dancing), they squeeze the veins in your legs, helping circulate blood and lymph upward and prevent pooling.
🔁 Why It Matters:
• Prevents swelling and varicose veins
• Boosts circulation and oxygen delivery
• Supports lymphatic drainage (aka natural detox)
• Improves heart efficiency
💃 Why it’s Perfect for overall health
• More blood flow = more energy
• Less fatigue in the lower body
• Better heart health, even if you’re not doing traditional cardio
• An internal detox while you’re dancing
So every time we step, shimmy, or jump — we’re not just working our legs, we’re literally helping our whole cardiovascular system thrive.
Just one more reason to SHAKE IT UP with us this week!
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