Are You Marinating In Your Own Waste?
This past weekend we were at a seminar delivered by Dan Owen, an outspoken adventurer and proponent of regular exercise. He made a point about the importance of exercise in helping the lymphatic system remove wastes that went something like this – if you don’t exercise regularly you’re basically swimming in your own toilet. Blunt, descriptive and on-the-mark.
Marinating in Your Own Waste?
People mostly think they should exercise to lose weight or to enhance the health of their cardiovascular system (heart, lungs, arteries, veins and so on). They rarely think about exercise in context with removing waste from their bodies, and yet a quick study of the lymphatic system proves that without regular movement you truly are sitting in your own bodily wastes – a revolting thought.
The Lymphatic System: A Simple Description
The lymphatic system is a series of organs, vessels and nodes that transport lymph throughout the body. Lymph is a clear liquid containing white blood cells that fight infection. It is very similar to plasma found in the blood. Together with the circulatory system, the lymphatic system works to remove wastes from the body.
About 90% of cellular waste is picked up and removed by the blood returning to the heart via veins. The remaining 10% is left to the lymphatic system to remove. This includes excess fluid, dead blood cells, pathogens, cancer cells and toxins – all things you definitely don’t want left building up in your body. The lymphatic system has its own set of vessels similar to the circulatory system.
Tracey's Version of the Lymph System
The vessels that pick up the cellular waste are called lymphatic capillaries. They move the lymph (and wastes) through progressively larger vessels until it reaches the subclavian veins at the base of the neck and re-enters the blood stream as plasma. While the lymph travels through the body it passes through lymph nodes of which there are about 600. Each filters the lymph fluid and contains white blood cells that kill pathogens.
Unlike veins, however, the lymphatic system isn’t helped along by a beating heart – it has no pump and relies on muscular movement to continue working efficiently.
Why Exercise Is Critical To Detoxification
This means that if you don’t exercise – run, jump, walk, do weights, dance, stretch and move – your lymphatic system is not removing toxins. You are swimming in your own waste and probably feeling less than healthy.
Another awesome reason to get active and exercise.
If you would like more information or some help getting started or perfecting your exercise routine, feel free to contact us at rudi.m@ca.rr.com – we’re happy to answer your questions about fitness and exercise.
