I Like To Move It Move It

In matters of health, two things happen every winter: exercise decreases and diet worsens. People stop moving when it’s cold outside and outdoor activities become limited. People eat comfort foods, increase their sugar intake, and nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables and healthy proteins can be harder to come by. During the winter months, the body isn’t detoxing through all of its elimination pathways, and it’s also not getting vital nutrients needed to detox on a micro-level. What can happen then? Enter a symptom list of fatigue, brain fog, constipation, increased susceptibility to sickness, increase in autoimmune disorder expression, and over time even diseases like cancer.

What do we do about it?

Elimination. This happens in several ways: sweating through your armpits and skin, bowel movements, and the detox the liver provides. To keep these elimination pathways in motion, the most important thing to do is move. Movement heats up the body, it helps the body sweat, and when the musculoskeletal system is contracting, it squeezes the lymphatic system along. Movement also aids in healthy peristalsis, making your intestines move for better bowel movements. The heart pumps blood through arteries and veins (red and blue vessels in the image below), and while the pressure from the heart moves lymph (yellow vessels pictured) slightly, lymph primarily moves around the body from muscle pressure. When people aren’t moving, lymph isn’t moving, and the body becomes more toxic. Toxin exposure is high even when healthy food and product choices are made. Driving on highways, walking on linoleum floors, sitting in plastic chairs and furniture, all of these things increase the toxin load on the body. Winter is a good time to invest in a liver cleanse (more on that here). 

If for any reason you’re injured and movement isn’t feasible, sitting in a sauna, taking hot Epsom salt baths, or eating hot chilis and cayenne can induce sweating necessary to decrease lymph congestion. For constipation, increase magnesium, fiber, fresh fruits and vegetables, and water to help resume bowel elimination. Practice dry brushing, brushing lymph toward the heart (see video). For people with severe lymph congestion, try electro-lymphatic therapy (ELT). If you’d like to know if you’re a candidate for ELT, speak to your healthcare provider, and contact Soma Wellness at (615) 804-4736 to schedule.

Jaimee´ Arroyo, FNP