I, like most of us, have had enough of the Corona words that have made up the bulk of our vocabulary over the past 6 months; furlough, isolation, covid (not giving him a capital letter – he doesn’t deserve it) and the dreaded lockdown to name a few. So, please forgive me for using the L word in this article but I promise it’s with good reason.
During Lockdown, many people seemed to experience extreme lethargy and skin-breakouts, which in many ways didn’t make sense because we weren’t exerting ourselves much and weren’t exposing ourselves to pollution or wearing much makeup. But, in actual fact, it makes total sense, and the lymphatic system holds the key.
Lymph is something we tend to be familiar with but don’t quite understand it or appreciate its importance. So, in a nutshell, toxins in the body cause breakouts, brain-fog and lethargy so our lymph vessels are there to carry and then excrete any toxins via the liver and kidneys, boosting our immune system in the process. But, unlike our blood vessels which have the heart to pump the blood around our body, our lymph system relies on body movement to keep it flowing. We came to a sudden stand still in L-down and so did our lymph, with the effects clearly noticeable on our mood, body and skin.
When the penny dropped, I started using a Lymphatic Drainage Board, from London Cryo, daily. The board is like a curved paddle, made out of 100% pine wood (think of it like a jade gua sha for the body), of which you simply glide over your limbs 5 times each (always ‘pumping’ the big lymph nodes at the back of the knees and armpits first to wake them up). It couldn’t be any easier and it has such a great overall impact on the body – I felt less puffy and got my glow back in a matter of days.
As life started opening up again (I don’t like the term ‘new-normal’ either) I decided to book a 90-minute Sheila Perez ‘Miracle’ Massage at London Cryo (they are THE place to go for all things cutting-edge when it comes to health and well-being). The massage was not at all what I was expecting; lymph drainage massages are traditionally very light with long sweeping movements, however, I am very glad it has the word ‘miracle’ in its name because, my goodness!! I almost want to skip past the part about how painful it was at times (the cellulite-y areas) and how I didn’t find it incredibly relaxing (if at all) because it is ‘I-want-to-swear-INCREDIBLE’!! It is literally a 90-minute body transformation! My therapist, Natalia, trained by Perez herself, woke my lymphatic system up like never before – using mostly her hands, and at times, suction cups – I stepped off that bed with the lightest, most sculpted body I’ve felt in years! My muscles looked defined and my pre-menstrual stomach showed zero signs of bloat, but most shocking of all, a varicose vein I have at the back of my right knee has flattened and is less visible now! After 1 treatment! Miracle indeed. I should note, that this is not a treatment for varicose veins (and my one is particularly odd – flaring up and down regularly) but this is the effect of waking up my sluggish system had on me. I keep wondering how this treatment will make my body look when I finally get my bum back in the gym!
If 90 minutes is not practical for you, try out the CryoSkin 4.0 Electro-Drainage treatment instead. This treatment, exclusive to London Cryo, drains the body toxins away from a greater depth via electric pulses on the calves! Not painful at all, you simply lie on the bed for just 25 minutes while the machine does all of the work! (I say all the work, I was working on my laptop throughout, but I love that I could get all the benefits of the treatment whilst multi-tasking). Again, my legs felt so fresh and light after the treatment and a couple of days later I had a mini breakout on my face which quickly cleared to a bright and glowy complexion! The toxins were leaving at a rapid pace and the benefits were clear to see.
Unfortunately, the CryoSkin 4.0 Electro-drainage is obviously not for the people that arguably need it the most – pregnant women (especially on these scorching days we keep having) but London Cryo has your back (and your swollen ankles) with the Body Balancer Lymphatic Drainage treatment; this takes 45 minutes and works on pressure therapy to drain the lymph and fluid build-up. There are 3 different modes to choose from; Lymphatic Drainage, Volume Reduction and Sports High Intensity (not for the faint-hearted). I chose the Volume Reduction, which did not disappoint – it leaves you feeling all sucked in and trim in the most comfortable way!
I’m certainly not going to thank Corona, but I am very glad I now have a new-found appreciation of the power of lymphatic drainage and all its de-puffing, glow-giving goodness!
Lymphatic Drainage Board, £50
Sheila Perez Miracle Massage, £270, 90 mins.
Cryoskin Lymphatic (Electro) Drainage, £60, 25 mins.
Body Balancer Lymphatic Drainage, £95, 45 mins.
www.Londoncryo.com Tel: 0203 371 8900 ext 2