So, you’re interested in waste management. Ever done a cost-benefit analysis of the impact your day-to-day habits have on your body’s ability to flush, filter and eliminate its own waste products? How aware are you of your body’s waste management systems? Ever heard of the lymph system (your body’s sewage system)? Ever think of your skin as an organ of elimination? (No wonder sweat stinks!) Are you aware that seemingly simple things like breathing and walking and drinking water are among the most important ways to promote optimum waste management in your body? Ironically, most Americans find it hard to find the time for any of these. Ready for a change? Let’s start with breathing.

We all breathe. Breathing brings oxygen into one’s body. Oxygen is the fuel that enables the body to move. Movement is life. No breathing, no oxygen, no movement, no life. But, are we breathing in a way that is most beneficial to the health of all bodily systems? For example, did you know that the primary muscle of breathing is called the respiratory diaphragm? Did you know that many organs above and below the diaphragm are deeply dependent on the stimulating massage they receive from the rhythmic rise and fall of the diaphragm? But guess what? Many, many Americans caught up in the hustle and bustle of their everyday lives have stopped using their diaphragm! That’s right:  Stressed out, rushed around, sleep deprived and overstimulated, we get stuck breathing with short, shallow breaths which use only a fraction of our lung capacity, overwork our secondary breathing muscles, and ignore the most important breathing muscle of all. It’s no wonder that we are by far the world’s biggest users of both over-the-counter and prescription digestive aids. If only we could just breathe. Like this.

Lie down on your stomach with a book placed upon your tailbone. Try to figure out how to breathe in a way that makes that book rise and fall. This is diaphragmatic breathing. Practice it, specially before eating or sleeping. See what happens.

Now let’s look at how water intake can improve your body’s management of its wastes. Your body needs water. Notice: We’re saying water, not fluids; not coffee, not juices, not milk, not pop, not alcohol. You can live quite well without any of those, thank you very much, but, you cannot live—you’re body will give out and die—without water. Is that clear? The body is fully capable of filtering water from other things we eat and drink, but it’s work! The body has to expend energy; it has to put its digestive system into full operation (which, now that we’re breathing fully, should be no big deal). Plus, if you don’t bring enough water into your digestive tract, guess what happens? Your body will take it from other places in the body. If you are not drinking enough water, you are probably experiencing signs of dehydration, which can include chapped lips; dry mouth; nighttime muscle cramps; headaches; constipation or hard, difficult bowel movements; stiffness in the neck, lower back and major joints.

Try using this formula to determine how much water you should be drinking:  Divide your body weight by two and convert to ounces. For example, 180 pounds means you could use 90 ounces of water per day. Give it a week. See if it makes a difference.

Now let’s talk about walking. Movement is life. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the body’s enjoyment of and benefit from exercise. Exercise enhances the flow of all of the body’s fluid and information transport systems, especially the blood and lymph. Blood—with its life-giving passenger, oxygen—is truly the stuff of life. But blood and lymph also transport waste products—things that could be toxic to our body were they left inside—to key filtration stations like the lungs, liver, kidneys and skin.

While all exercise has some benefit to the body, walking is pretty nearly the best. In fact, a strong case can be made that walking upright has provided the prime motivation for the entire evolutionary design of the human body. What better endorsement than that? And walking is less stressful than most sports yet produces just the right benefits to the body’s circulatory systems. My first massage teacher used to say, “There’s nothing that massage does that can’t be achieved through a brisk three-mile walk.” Try it! Regularly. And don’t forget to breathe and drink some water. Your body’s waste management systems will thank you.

		Drew Fisher is a massage therapist at Creative Wellness Holistic Health Center in East Lansing.