Move your lymph!
By Michelle Birmingham, founder of The Dance Space on Nantucket Island
Photos by Georgie Morley Photography
The lymphatic system sounds kind of mysterious. 🔮
It’s a system of vessels and tissues that are full of fluid, which carries important cells through your tissues. Your lymph system and cardiovascular system have a lot in common on the surface.
But your cardiovascular system has a pump to move your blood through your body: your heart.
Your lymph system doesn’t have a pump. The lymph fluid just sits there in the tubes… until you move, and the fluid moves with you. Before I talk about why it’s so important to circulate your lymph fluid (our bounce classes are especially good for this) let’s back up and touch on the basics.
What is lymph?
It’s a clear, colorless fluid full of white blood cells, proteins, and other elements of the immune system. It helps fight infection and disease. Lymph fluid also collects fats and fat-soluble nutrients from your gut (where they’re processed) and delivers them through your body.
As your lymph fluid visits different areas of your body, it drops off these important passengers so they can fight local infections, repair damage, and nourish your tissues and organs. But it also picks up passengers, like dead cells, cellular waste, and toxins, and it collects excess fluid that would otherwise clog up your tissue and make you feel bloated.
Think of your lymph system as both an EMS vehicle dropping off medics and emergency supplies, and a trash truck picking up waste.
That’s why it’s such an important system.
Your lymph only moves when you do
At first glance, it might seem that evolution dropped the ball on the lymphatic system. If circulating this fluid is so important, why doesn’t it have its own natural pump, like the heart pumps the blood?
Well, your lymph does have a natural “pump.” It’s your movement.
Lymph fluid moves with your body movement and muscle contractions. When your muscles contract, they squeeze your lymphatic vessels. The movement also opens and closes tiny one-way valves in your lymphatic vessels, which stops your lymph fluid from flowing backward.
Human beings are made to move, not to lead sedentary lives at desks and on sofas. Mother Nature assumed we’d always be moving, so designing the system to work this way was perfectly natural.
What if you don’t move?
If you don’t move, neither does your lymph.
In that case, you could find yourself dealing with:
Bloating as fluid builds up in your tissues
Soreness & stiffness
Digestive issues (like pain and gas)
Swelling & inflammation (especially in your arm, leg, fingers, or toes)
Infections that are hard to beat and come back after you think you’ve kicked them
Fibrosis (a condition where your skin hardens and thickens)
Lymphedema (this happens when stagnant lymph becomes chronic, and it can be a serious condition, reducing your mobility and overall quality of life)
How to move your lymph
You don’t have to do jumping jacks every hour to keep your lymph moving. (Although that wouldn’t hurt!)
Here are a few popular ways to show your lymph some love:
Exercise: Regular exercise, especially aerobic exercise, can help promote lymph flow by increasing muscle contraction and movement. You can work out alone, or take a fitness class.
Massage: Massage can help stimulate lymph flow by manually pushing lymph through the lymphatic vessels. Some massage techniques are specifically designed to promote lymph movement.
Compression garments: Compression garments, such as compression stockings, help compress the lymphatic vessels.
Bouncing on a mini-trampoline: Bouncing - also known as rebounding - is a fun way to get your lymph moving. Rebounding increases muscle contraction and movement, while being easy on your joints. A mini-trampoline doesn’t take up much space in your home, but you can also take rebounding fitness classes.
Even small chores, like folding laundry, moves your lymph around. That said, the more active you are, the better. Take a hike on one of our beautiful trails Nantucket, or take a fitness class!
Why bouncing works
First of all, bouncing on a mini-trampoline is fun! Especially when you do it as part of a class. It’s a social event set to upbeat music, so it keeps your energy up.
Bouncing is also easy on the joints, making it a great fitness option for people with joint pain.
Bouncing increases your lymph flow by as much as 15%. That’s excellent for your immune health, detoxing, and antiaging. It also delivers important fat-soluble nutrients to your tissues while flushing out excess, no longer needed fluid. That’s why bouncing is one of the best exercises you can do to reduce cellulite. (Some people even say they look and feel slimmer after a lymphatic massage… That’s how important your lymph is for fluid-based weight issues!)
And those are just the benefits to your lymphatic system!
Bouncing also:
Strengthens your cardiovascular system
Supports bone density
Increases oxygen circulation
Supports your mitochondria, allowing your cells to use energy more effectively
Boosts your metabolism
Strengthens your pelvic floor
Helps shrink varicose veins
Improves your balance and coordination
If I sound like a big fan of bouncing, that’s because I am!
At The Dance Space Nantucket, Bounce is one of our most popular fitness classes.
Classes make it super-fun and easy to get that all-important movement into your schedule, supporting your health and even adding years to your life.
I like Mother’s Nature’s design work with the lymphatic system. The more we move, the more we support our lymph system. That’s a wonderful permission slip to find more ways to have fun moving our bodies.
Join us at The Dance Space for Bounce fitness classes on Nantucket!
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