Among all the various exercises and massages, detoxification protocols and healing modalities, New Age therapies and integrative techniques, there is none so effective at thoroughly cleansing the lymphatic system as a vigorous 20 to 30 minute walk … especially when performed in nature.
There are some very important qualifications for those who intend to do it right.
First of all, we ought to acknowledge the Creator for designing the human body so that it can be so easily cleansed simply by walking. What a great idea! Cleanse as you walk…any time, any where, as long as you can get off the couch.
The secret behind the cleansing process lies in the pump, or rather the lack thereof.
When you walk at a brisk pace your legs provide a natural pumping action which serves to move the lymph through the lymphatic system. This is significant because the lymphatic system has no pump as the circulatory system has a heart to pump blood. Therefore, we understand that the upper half of the body also requires some assistance.
The best way to perform a power-walk so that it really does serve this function is to move the arms as vigorously as the legs. That’s right, you want to move those arms like an Olympic athlete – back and forth – up and down – side to side – just move ’em. This will function as the upper pump for the lymphatic system.
There ought to be no self consciousness about how we walk when we do so for health reasons. People are so naturally stiff that sometimes they resist their own attempts to swing the arms. If this happen, just start out slow. In time you’ll be swinging like crazy because of how good it feels.
Woman should be especially regular about this form of lymphatic drainage technique. With such a high incidence of breast cancer in the USA, moving the lymph around the entire chest area is as critical as it is crucial. And there’s no better way to do it than swinging your arms vigorously, rhythmically and on a regular basis.
Here’s why the female half needs to do this. Tight bras severely restrict circulation both blood and lymph. Over time the stagnation which occurs in these natural circulatory processes obviously contributes to two different consequences. The circulatory system brings much needed oxygen-rich, nutrient-filled blood to the area. It also removes the accumulated toxins and carbon dioxide. Both are very important and often impaired by the bra.
Scientific Studies Indicate Multiple Health Problems With Brassieres (Bras)
To add insult to injury the tight bra is also made of synthetic (petroleum derived) materials which introduce toxicity into the very thin skin around the entire breast. Add to this mix the deodorants and anti-perspirants which contain their own cocktails of chemicals and it’s no wonder we see so much breast cancer, fibroid tumors and cysts of every sort and kind. We didn’t mention the many synthetic fabrics which many a dress, blouse, shirt and sweater are made of.
Have we provided enough reasons to swing those arms, ladies.
Here’s another: As woman have moved from the home to the office over the past few decades they have cut way down on the natural exercise that goes along with housework, homemaking and all those other dreaded tasks. However those chores did wonders for the woman’s body in the past. The current workplace does not provide the same type of movement and activity, and is quite often sedentary in nature. Of course, we understand that there are those women who have entered fields which do require more exertion and activity. They certainly reap the rewards of this type of work.
Back to our discussion on walking:
• You want to walk outside in the fresh air – morning and evening are best. Freshness of the morning air is tantalizing. The coolness of night air is the world’s best sleeping pill.
• You want to walk on the earth whenever possible (Parks, trails, grass in the back yard). Stay as far away from roads as possible; what’s the point of breathing in car fumes while you do a deep breathing power walk. Also, you don’t want to be breathing the rubber dust from all the spinning tires near interstates.
• You want to stay away from any kind of gym, spa or indoor track; the air quality is awful. Especially stay away from malls, perhaps the most unhealthy craze ever started in the country; the formaldehyde alone is enough to get you high.
• Do a minimum of a 20 minute walk, but better to do 30 if you can fit it in.
• Walk once a day, or at least 4 times a week.
• Start out slow and work up to a brisk pace so that it becomes an aerobic exercise pretty quickly.
• If you can, it’s good to stretch a little before and after you walk, especially in the cold weather. Your clothing ought to be warm when it is cooler.
• In the warmer weather when there is more perspiration, you’d best take a shower right after the work-out. In this way you can quickly wash off the toxins sweated out and not re-absorb them.
• Do not walk with a headset on, especially if you’re out on a road. Cell phones should be kept at home if possible, unless security is an issue. The point is that watching the breath and deep breathing will greatly facilitate your detoxification phase, and this is difficult to do when you’re hooked up to technology.
• If you’re walking around a track or in a circle, walk clockwise, not counter-clockwise if you can.
In closing let’s understand that there is no exercise, no sport or other activity that is as efficient and effective in cleansing the entire lymphatic system as a good vigorous walk, according to Ayurveda. Neither swimming nor marathon running does what a power-walk in nature can do for sustained wellness.
There’s a lot more to say on this subject, but The Health Coach has got to go do his nightly power-walk.
See you at the park!
With every good wish,
The Health Coach
A Very Important Health Tip:
For those women who perspire a LOT, and for those who don’t,
you may want to reserve a 100% cotton bra for power-walks.
Profuse sweating (which is very good to do) will interact
with the synthetic materials in the bra and accelerate the
absorption of these chemicals throughout the chest area.
The open pores from sweating will serve to channel these
unwanted toxins even deeper into the delicate tissues.
Given the increasing incidence of breast cancer, it has
never been more important to put the odds in your favor
of completely avoiding this development, as well as
those breast conditions that are far less serious.
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