Jan 10
21
Vibrant health through movement
There is roughly twice as much lymphatic fluid in the body than blood. The lymphatic system consists of capillaries, vessels, nodes and valves which reach all parts of the body much like the blood stream with one distinct difference. The lymph system has no pump equivalent to the heart to drive its circulation.
This begs a very important question. What exactly is driving the flow of this vital nutrient delivery, disease fighting, and toxin removal system? If you guessed exercise, you are right. Lymph is moved through its vessels by the squeezing of skeletal muscles during daily activities and exercise.
Dr. Gerald Lamole, chief of cardiovascular surgery at Christiana Care Health Services of Delaware and author of The Healing Diet refers to the lymph system as “our river of life”. He believes the key to excellent health relies on keeping your lymphatic system open and freely flowing. “To keep it clear,” he says, “you need to increase its drainage capacity or reduce its intake of toxins.” Ideally he believes we should strive to do both through diet and exercise.
In sedentary individuals, who suffer from more disease and illness than their active counterparts, lymphatic fluid circulates through the body once a day. Dr. Lemole writes that, “Exercise can increase lymphatic flow threefold.” This means three times more disease fighting white blood cells and nutrients are reaching your cells each day. Likewise three times more waste products and toxins, such as cholesterol, bacteria, abnormal cells and metabolic wastes, are being removed from your body.
Each and every person deserves a life of vitality and wellness. Exercise and its effects on the lymph system will noticeably change the state of your health. How wonderful it would be to wake up with more energy, to have fewer illnesses and to enjoy increased metabolic function. If you need help, fitness professionals are a great resource and can get you off to a winning start.
Your body is vehicle through which you experience life: let nothing stand in the way of your pursuit of excellent health.
