Getting rid of your potbelly 
 [Detoxifying lymphatic system with rebounding] 
By Walter Sorochan Emeritus Professor San Diego State University

Posted June 12, 2014. Updated November 24, 2021   Disclaimer

Well, the sun is shinning this morning. But this doesn’t imply that all is well! At least not in our house. We need to fix the 20 year old wrought iron fence in the back yard; as well as replace the rubber washer in our shower faucet. Maintenance isn’t part of my idea of retirement.

But then, viewing that maintenance of a home is similar to maintaining your car ... you know like changing the oil and cleaning the windshield and so on. Like your car getting rid of exhaust gases from engine combustion, so your body gets rid of the immediate big wastes we all refer to as “going to the toilet to poo-poo and wee-wee” or waste dumping.

So why this blurb about my troubles of retirement?

Because in addition to daily waste dumping we need to also do hidden maintenance on the drainage system in our human body .... every day. Our bodies need constant tune ups.   Most of us don’t think of this in this way but that is what we must do and not neglect.  This brings me to sharing an idea with you. I recently discovered some new info about body maintenance and how to do it at all ages.  And I appreciate your patience with this story. 

fatpotThis story is based on new information that I never heard of before.  It is about how the lymphatic system works and when the lymphatic system is stagnant or not moving, our body dumps the fluid wastes from the lymphatic system into spaces between tissues, like the stomach and hips [ the beer belly ].  Why dump wastes into interstitial tissues [holding bins] like the stomach?  Because that is supposed to be a temporary holding place, until the lymphatic system can empty what excesses it has in its system vessels. So when the body can’t dispose of wastes fast enough, all the wastes back up just like a kitchen sink can overflow when the drain is plugged up.  And your body reacts by inflating your stomach and filling up in the lymph vessels, making you feel sluggish, bloated, sick and so on. 

In order for the lymphatic system to drain, we need to open the end of the drainage system ... the large colon, the pathways to the liver where fat soluble toxic chemicals are converted into water soluble by-metabolites and then clean the pathway to the kidneys to allow this drainage system to start flowing. We need to help open your drainage system.

Your body's drainage is the lymphatic system that is composed of your tonsils, thymus, bone marrow, spleen, lymphatic fluid, vessels, and lymph nodes. You have three times more lymph fluid than blood.  The lymphatic system is your main detoxification system. It rids you of toxins such as dead and cancerous cells, nitrogenous wastes, fat, infectious viruses, heavy metals, and other assorted junk cast off by the cells.

The body does all the waste clearance easily when we are young and when we run,   jump and exercise.  But in older age, we often slow down and don’t exercise as much as we should. So the waste, or toxins, simply pile up in the body [ aah! the pot belly! ].  And this toxic waste pileup causes all kinds of health problems for us, like skin rashes, auto-immune disorders, cancer and so on.

You can view two videos below for more information on how the lymphatic system works

John Thomas explains lymphatic system 2:47 mns

Source:   Thomas: Lymph sys

Tammy Moore: Lymph system May 31, 2012 This is part 1 of the VHSG Advanced Biology course presentation on the lymphatic system. 10:34 mns

 Source: Moore Lymph sys

The key to moving the lymph in the body is body movement or exercise: skipping rope, trampoline, ball bouncing, walking, running, playing sports, running up and down stairs.  Moving the lymph is referred to as rebounding, although rebounding is also a term associated with the mini-trampoline known as a rebounder. The rebounding motion stimulates all internal organs, moves the cerebral-spinal fluid, cleanses the blood system and is beneficial for the intestines. The condition of both our bloodstream and lymphatic system is the barometer of our health.

So one way to start moving the wastes is to get the lymphatic system to move. The lymphatic system has no pump like the blood system. So we need to use our skeletal muscles to push against the lymph vessels and squeeze the lymph fluid out in a one way direction --- out into the blood circulatory system and eventually into the kidneys, forming urine; thereby making more room for more drainage. Exercise is the key.

Rebounding is the new exercise term for this movement process. The movement performed in rebounding provides the stimulus for a free-flowing system that drains away these potential poisons. Rebounding is a lymphatic exercise. As your lymphatic system collects the wastes from your blood vessels, it moves these wastes into temporary storage sites like lymph nodes and interstitial areas.  The lymphatic system is your garbage can and exercise helps to empty the system everyday.

At our golden age, it gets harder and harder to exercise. Hence, the balance balllymphatic wastes can pile up in the stomach area over time.   But rebounding may be a good salvation.  If you can at least walk a mile or more, then you can stimulate the lymph system to circulate and move the lymph fluid.  It will be slow but effective.

If you are like many, semi-disabled for various reasons, then you can use a balance ball

ball stability Yes, sit on the ball, control your balance and bounce your bottom on the ball while keeping your balance. Do this for 3 to 5 minutes per session and repeat about three times a day.  The bouncing up and down contracts the skeletal muscles in the abdominal area as well as other parts of the body and moves the lymph fluid out into the blood system and eventually into the kidneys; thereby removing toxins from the body.  This is slow but effective body detoxification by way of rebounding.  This is your body's special and natural detoxification system! 

There are other options than walking or running or the balance ball approaches.  But for seniors and disabled persons, the balance ball is inexpensive and easy to use.  You can buy a balance ball at a sports store or perhaps even Walmart for less than $20.00.

A word of caution:  I found that sitting on top of the balance ball can be unstable at times and you can lose your balance.  I make sure that I do the balance ball activity near a furniture where I can hold on to or reach for in case I do feel falling.  The second thing I do is to place my butt on the center of the ball, my feet on the floor and my hands behind my back on the ball for more stable balance. Bounce slowly at first to get the feel.

You can get more info about using the balance ball and rebounding the lymph system by watching this video:

Rebounding To Activate The Lymphatic System; Length= 4:16 mns.

Source: Body Detox

 

And one more thing .... it is one’s attitude that determines whether you exercise or use rebounding with a balance ball and do body maintenance.  Only you can do it and you need a positive attitude.  Postpone body maintenance for several days or weeks and you will gain weight, disrupt your immune system and initiate symptoms of sickness and body disorders.  You can prevent these symptoms by giving your body daily maintenance exercise.  Think feeling good, feeling healthy, feeling happy! 

The experts remark that you can initially lose 2 to 5 pounds of body weight in one week with daily rebounding .... jump by moving the dead water toxic wastes out of your system.   Ladies!  Rebounding on a balance ball will deflate not just your potbelly but also help minimize cellulite in the thighs.  Try it and you will feel better for it.

Keep in mind that rebounding and exercise is just one aspect of cleansing the body of wastes and toxins. We also detoxify by excreting toxins when we breath and sweat. Fasting is another related body cleansing issue but it is deferred for now.  It is important to keep in mind that our body detoxifies holistically.

But for now, bounce your way to better health!