We all know exercise is important. Moving your body, getting your blood pumping, strengthening those muscles, strengthening the brain. 

But there’s another often overlooked reason why we need to move our bodies – the lymph system. 

This system spans throughout our entire body, all the way from our brain down to the toes and back. It’s incredible. 

The lymph system plays important roles in immune function and detoxification for the entire body. 

Unlike our cardiovascular system, which has the heart to pump blood no matter what position we’re in, the lymph system needs us to move so it moves. 

Yet, given how important your lymph is, it’s important to take it a few steps further (don’t worry, they are very easy steps). 

One of the key recommendations I make for lymph and overall health is called dry brushing. Using a soft bristle brush, gently brush your skin in the direction of the heart. 

An easy way to brush your entire body: 

  1. From the bony part behind the ear down to the middle where the two collar bones meet. From the bony part at the bottom of your neck to the front of your sternum. 
  2. Brush upwards on your armpits 
  3. Starting at your shoulder, moving down your entire arm, use short strokes towards your shoulder. Brush your hands, too. Then use long upward strokes along the entire arm. 
  4. On your chest, lifting the breast tissue, brush up and around the outer portion of the breast and then the inner portion. Then brush from below the breast all the way up and around in one motion. 
  5. Brush abdomen in clockwise motion (this supports digestion as well).
  6. Brush the crease where your leg meets your upper body in a diagonal (along the groin)
  7. Use the same method for the legs and feet as you did for the arms. Don’t forget your buttock. Always brush up towards the heart. 
  8. If you have a brush with a long handle, brush your back as well. 

Dry brushing is great for: 

  • Improving skin health (you get rid of ~1 pound of toxins through your skin daily)
  • Moving your lymph
  • Detoxifying your body 
  • Supporting your immune system 
  • May reduce cellulite 

Other simple steps to support your lymph system include: 

  • Drinking lemon water
  • Drinking apple cider vinegar in your water
  • Taking a supplement such as SENG from Systemic Formulas 
  • Taking vitamin C 
  • Rebounding
  • Walking / exercise 

You can do your dry brushing routine in a few minutes each day. The easiest way to get into the habit of dry brushing regularly is by adding it to a routine you already have, such as brushing your teeth. 

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