After a whole day in heels, hours spent in an office chair or a long-haul flight, your legs pull, tingle and swell. Concrete calves, ankles marked by socks, feeling like they weigh a ton. This very banal table, however, has a very simple explanation.
A physiotherapist, Charlotte Durieu, decided to make it her playground. Specializing in lymphatic drainage in Brussels for around fifteen years, she popularized an express gesture on Instagram: 20 seconds of legs in the air to immediately alleviate the feeling of heavy legs. It remains to understand how to go about it in practice.
Why legs become heavy and swollen
Health Insurance describes heavy legs as the consequence of poor circulation in the veins of the lower limbs. It is difficult for blood to return to the heart, especially when you sit or stand for a long time, when it is hot or when you travel dehydrated by plane. Result: swelling, dull pain, tingling.
Lymph plays a key role in this picture. This clear liquid drains toxins and excess water; when it stagnates, it promotes water retention, edema, cellulite and fatigue, as explained in Charlotte Durieu’s future notebook, . Stimulating this flow and facilitating venous return then becomes a comfort reflex. The pros also point out the benefit of movement, cold on the legs and, if necessary, compression stockings.
20 seconds legs in the air: the physiotherapist gesture step by step
Physiotherapist in Brussels for around fifteen years, Charlotte Durieu has made drainage her specialty, in the office and on social networks via the account @bodyphysiobrussels. In her content, relayed by Elle and Yahoo, she shows an ultra-short exercise designed as a mini morning lymphatic drainage routine to boost circulation before even setting foot on the ground.
The principle is simple: lie on your back, on a mat or on the bed, then raise your legs vertically or in an “inverted tablet” position, knees bent above the hips. With your feet relaxed, you then lightly shake your legs for about twenty seconds. This light “shaking” activates the calf muscle pump while taking advantage of gravity.
Integrate the tip into everyday life without complicating your life
This lightning inversion can fit almost anywhere. When you wake up in the morning, after a day on your feet, or at the hotel after a long-haul flight, the idea remains the same: quickly relieve the ankles and calves. A few adaptations are enough depending on where you are.
At the office, you can simply raise your legs on another chair for a few seconds and perform small, discreet jerks. In the plane or train, the knees remain bent but the feet lift and vibrate slightly. At home, the full version against the wall can last up to ten or twenty minutes if you have time. In case of doubt, medical advice necessary.
How to do the 20 seconds legs in the air exercise?
Lying down, legs raised, small flexible jerks for twenty seconds.
At what time of day should you practice this exercise?
Ideally morning and evening, and after a long period of immobility.
Do legs in the air make you lose weight?
No, the effect mainly concerns water retention and comfort.
