Transform your health with this 10-minute trick

It’s easy to subscribe to the idea that staying healthy has to be hard work. But the truth is that some of the most powerful changes you can make for your health are as simple as breathing. 

 

And yes, we do mean that literally…

 

Breathe your way to better health today

 

Let’s start with one of the lesser-known benefits of regular deep breathing: It improves the function of your lymphatic system.

 

This is the complex network of organs, lymph nodes, lymph ducts, and lymph vessels that make and move lymph fluid from tissues to the bloodstream. Lymph fluid is filled with your body’s army of white blood cells and works by taking your “dirty” blood, sending it through the lymphatic system for “cleaning,” then returning “clean” fluid back into your circulatory system.

 

A well-functioning lymphatic system is a vital component in creating a healthy micro-environment that is hostile to cancer cells. And that’s one reason why regular exercise is a main pillar of our XY Wellness roadmap.

 

As you huff and puff and muscles tighten, lymph vessels are squeezed—like milking a cow. This pushes toxin-filled lymph fluid along, to be filtered through lymph nodes, and returned clean to the veins and the heart. It is important to keep the lymph fluid moving smoothly in order to efficiently move out waste, and working your muscles is one of the best ways to do that.

 

But alongside regular workouts, deep breathing is a practice worth maintaining all on its own. Not only does this promote circulation of your lymphatic system, but it also calms your sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system, which will help you to better manage your stress. 

 

It increases oxygen delivery to your cells, as well—and this is vitally important, as cancer cells thrive in oxygen-free environments.

 

Ten minutes a day is all it takes

 

We recommend practicing relaxed deep breathing twice a day for 10 minutes—in the morning before you begin your day and at night before bedtime.

 

Find a quiet and comfortable place free from distractions and try the following:

• Sit straight with your belly and chest relaxed
• Take a deep breath, inhaling to a four count then holding for a four count and slowly exhaling to a four count
• Inhale through your nose and expand your belly outward (not your chest)
• Repeat up to 10 times

 

It sounds simple because it is. That’s really all it takes—just a few short minutes, which most people can carve out of even the busiest schedule. But the benefits to your body deliver around the clock.

 

Until next time,

 

The XY Wellness Team