Lymphatic health – What Is It?

So, this is a bit of a top-line information about lymphatic health – the health of our lymph system – and why it’s so important.

I have to admit I had very little idea about the whole topic until I started talking to Jules Willcocks from Body Ballancer about it.

I thought your lymph system was just there and got on with doing what it needed to do. Which it does,  but because we tend to lead such sedentary lives, and eat a fair bit of rubbish, our lymph systems can often do with a bit of help.

So, what is lymph?

The lymphatic system is a network of vessels that run all over the body just below the skin, filled with a clear fluid called lymph and this clears away all the toxins – as in real toxins, the waste products of metabolism that our bodies produce just doing their normal stuff – which needs to be got rid of. It does this 24/7.

So this is one of the most vital systems in the body, yet it’s not something that gets talked about very much. But that may be about to change. I mean, just a few years back we never used to talk about gut health, and now we have a much better understanding of just how crucial gut health is to the body.

In a nutshell, if your lymph system is working at its best, this has knock-on benefits for your immune health, your gut health, your stress levels and hormone balance. Also, this means your stress levels will lower, which usually means better sleep too.

If your lymph system is not working well, that’s when we get fluid retention, bloating, puffiness. Those are the things we tend to notice initially. Cellulite also looks worse as well.

How can we improve our lymphatic health at home?

I’ve had a Body Ballancer at home on loan for a month and now it’s gone back, I’m rather missing it, but there are many things we can do to help with lymphatic drainage.

Our lymph system doesn’t have a pump like the heart does, to move the blood around. Movement gets the lymph flowing, so a bit of exercise is good.

It’s all about draining excess fluid through the lymph channels, towards the lymph nodes, which are in the hinges of the body – knees, elbows, groin, and lots in the torso, too. To help our lymph system, we can also do body-brushing – very lightly, using one of those long-handled body brushes, which you do on dry skin. Starting at your toes and working up your legs, and again, from your wrists, up to your arms, you can do up and round your stomach – keep it light, it’s great to get in the habit of doing this before a shower or bath.

And if you’ve got a minute while you’re cleansing your face, you can do a few sweeps around the eyes, out to the sides of the face, then down into the neck.

So, there’s plenty of stuff we can do to help our lymphatic health – and, yeah, give your lymph system a bit of love. That will help it do its job properly. Plus, you will look and feel great.

If you’re interested in the Body Ballancer, click here to read my post about it.