There’s nothing more luxurious than stretching in the morning, during your workday or right before you go to bed. Especially if you find yourself sitting throughout most of the day at a desk, sometimes a good few minutes spent on stretching your back, torso and hips can feel really rejuvenating.
But what if we were to tell you this “luxurious” practice is actually beneficial for your health and wellness and may help improve you allergy symptoms?
You might put it a little higher on your “to-do” list and make a conscious effort to spend a few minutes each day stretching!
When you engage in healthy habits and practices that boost your immune system, you ultimately help improve your allergies. (We talk more about those immune boosting practices here and here.)
Stretching is one of those practices that may help boost your immune system.
As Katy Bowman, biomechanical scientist and director of the Restorative Exercise Institute in Ventura, California describes it,
“Your immune system is like a superhighway — a network of channels and nodes that delivers immune cells and removes pathogens via a clear liquid known as lymphatic fluid. The key to keeping it free of blockages? You need to move.”
When you are mostly sedentary or your muscles are tight, your lymph notes can accumulate waste and this decreases your immune system’s ability to fight sickness.
By stretching, exercising or walking you stimulate the flow of the lymph system and help get rid of any toxins and “foreign invaders” that might cause you to get sick.
Click on the picture below to learn 9 detoxifying stretches to boost your immunity:
In addition to stretching and moving your body consistently, you may also consider a lymphatic drainage massage. This kind of therapy manually stimulates the flow of the lymphatic fluid and can “reinvigorate your immune system and sweep out harmful toxins.”
Many people suffering from sinusitis, hay fever and nasal congestion have found lymphatic massages to be very beneficial for their symptoms.
So, what do you think? Would you want to incorporate either of these practices into your daily routine?
(I mean, we are giving you complete permission to stretch and have a massage…in the name of health and wellness, of course.)