Tuesday 2 July 2013

Exercise?...Gah!


This is an out of way post for me as it has nothing to do with writing but it has everything to do with a topic that's most important to all of us. HEALTH.
Health relates to that awful thing : exercise. Which none of us mostly  feel like!
But reading this will make you WANT to exercise because this happened to me when I discovered this illuminating fact that I'm about to share.
Each one of us knows exercise is important and that it's important to keep moving. But what we don't know is that not moving can be lethal. Or eventually WILL be lethal.
How?
I found this when I was helping my daughter on a biology lesson. She had asked me what is lymph? I told her the usual answer given in the textbook, that it's a straw coloured fluid which contains lymphocytes which are part of the body’s defense system. It helps to transport substances, it flows through lymph capillaries to lymph vessels and it drains into blood. But she still didn't know what to make of it. Why is it there in our body when there is blood to transport substances?
Now, lymph is something which is a mysterious entity to even medical people. We know it is very important in immunity. But the exact role is somewhat vaguely understood.
To explain better to my daughter, I read up lymph and was struck at how important its function was and how ignorant I had been about its true significance.
To explain briefly, lymph is formed from interstitial fluid, which is the fluid surrounding the cells. It flows in vessels which have valves, much like the hole-less belts which can go forward but not slide back. When it is formed it has composition like tissue fluid but on its way it accumulates lymphocytes from lymph nodes.
What has lymph to do with exercise?
Our body fluids by the way of lymph get exposed to a rich plethora of immune cells like lymphocytes – which are enough to get rid of most of the heaps of pollutants and toxins we are exposed to in daily life. That is its job. To form from fluid in between tissues, hence contain much of the toxic waste from the cells, and take up immune cells from lymph nodes on the way. But lymph needs help in one thing: circulation. Its circulation is totally dependent on muscles. When muscles contract, lymph is pumped up and the empty vessels are filled up. If the circulation is proper, more amount of body fluids are exposed to the action of immune cells because of better lymph flow.
Here’s the crux.
If you keep moving, you're doing your body a huge favour. As the immune cells are the ones which have capability of destroying cancer cells and eliminate many disease factors, so exposing body fluids to immune cells works to clean your body from these threats. I'll repeat, the more you move, the more the lymph circulates. Rest and inactivity lead to sluggish flow and accumulation of the debris inside your body. The immune system and lymph still works but it's slowed down considerably and toxins can build. Cells come under stress and can change into cancer cells. 
That's why regular exercise is important.
Even if it's a brisk daily walk, it will cleanse your system. Lymph circulation is hastened. Boo toxins! Defeat of disease. the health flag unfurls.
What more can you do to boost this?
*Eat more of fruit and veggies. Fatty and greasy food has more free radicals which are reactive entities, causing damage to your cells, stressing your system and eventually overloading the immune system.
*Eat more salads and fast one day a week by eating only fruits to help your lymph clean up the toxins.

Nature has designed your body to heal itself. Help yourself maintain it.
GET WALKING NOW!
One thing : a fast one day a week eating fruits or even restricting yourself to one meal can help you lose weight and add to the world’s food stores. I fast every Monday, though I keep it for religious purpose and do eat something made of wheat and sugar one time besides fruit. You can make your own version of detoxifying diet, without being too hard on yourself.
Do let me know if you got anything out of this post. But if you are going to comment below, take a walk NOW and then come back and tell me about it.
Make it your mantra from now on. Exercise. Get rid of your toxins. Stay healthy.

Ciao!

3 comments:

  1. I agree with you very much.

    At-least some minimum exercise is required... It not only help physically, but also help mentally.

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  2. Great post, Ruchi! And I agree! Exercising or moving is so important. Yet here we sit in front of the computer hour after hour without moving.

    Nas

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  3. Being a doctor, you're well qualified to write about health. Thanks for the tip Ruchita, I do need to exercise more.

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