If you’re looking for the 3 protocols you should do 3-4 times a week as a rucking woman, scroll down to watch each video for the movements and practices! Described in words on this page are the reasons WHY doing these things is VITAL to the continued health and recovery of your active body while you ruck!

We’re going to start with the aging because it’s the simplest. In the front of your body there is a sheath of thin superficial (meaning just under the skin) muscle called the platysma which you can see below. It connects your mandible to your clavicle. Did you know this ‘collar’ of muscle existed?? We’re talking about it because wearing a back pack or weight vest directly impacts the tautness of this muscle group….along with the associated bigger muscles and fascia (fascia is a web of collagen rich fibers that connects everything; bone to skin, head to foot, more on it below)….but we’re only focusing on the platysma right now. BECAUSE as we age, the further separation of this muscle at the front of your neck, plus the loss of collagen making skin sag, leads to what is called ‘turkey neck’. View the second image. This is a common occurrence with aging but it might not be normal if we all took better care of our muscle tension.

We know an overly tight muscle is not a healthy muscle because it can’t fully contract to produce force, aka action, because it’s already contracted to some degree. So we need muscles to be supple, stretchy, and pliable to be their strongest. If you’re not massaging, rolling, stretching, or manipulating your tissues/muscles/facia in ways to disperse tension, you’ll end up looking like old tin-woman and risk injury, advanced aging, or disease. More on disease below when we talk about the lymph system.

And on the flip side, weak muscles can loosen which can lead to sagging. So rucking and the healthy activity of wearing weight engages the muscles and keeps them strong. The takeaway here is recovery practices to keep muscles supple and collagen high (collagen is plumped from touch and is the primary component of fascia!). Check out the video for platysma care:

Now let’s move on to the lymph system.

Just under and around the platysma lives very important intersections of our lymph system, as you can see in the image above. Again, having a rigid set of muscles in our neck and shoulders can negatively effect the system’s efficiency causing a myriad of issues. Let’s keep this garbage collection and fluid system running smooth! Below you can see a graphic of the main intersections of the lymph system, they include:

• Behind ear
• Neck (sides and traps)
• Clavicles
• Arm pits
• Upper/Middle stomach
• Hip crease (hip flexors)
• Behind knees
• Not pictured – bottoms of feet

What does your lymph system do for you?

Maintains fluid levels

The lymphatic system removes fluids that leak from blood vessels to maintain fluid levels in body tissues.

Fights infection

The lymphatic system is part of the body’s immune system and helps protect the body from infection and disease. Lymph nodes contain white blood cells called lymphocytes that attack and destroy bacteria, viruses, damaged cells, and cancer cells. When lymph nodes are fighting an infection, they can swell and feel sore. The swelling usually goes away when the infection improves.

Removes waste

The lymphatic system carries destroyed bacteria and other waste products back into the bloodstream, where the liver and kidneys remove them. The body then gets rid of this waste when you urinate or have a bowel movement.

Absorbs fats

The lymphatic system helps the body absorb fats and other molecules from the intestine.

Monitors the blood

The spleen and thymus are lymphatic organs that monitor the blood and detect and respond to pathogens and malignant cells. The spleen also filters the blood and removes old or non-functioning cells. This is KEY because old/dead cells wreck havoc on other cells and vessels. They can actually cause clogs in pathways and in the brain. Our body MUST get them out to stay healthy.

Watch this video for a daily ‘lymph love’ practice to keep these areas free of congestion:

Now you can see why we started with the platysma in your neck! The blue branches around your collar bone (that the platysma is connected to) are the MAIN channels for the lymph system to dump its contents into your bloodstream. From there, everything moves to the kidneys and liver and gets excreted.

As much of the lymph is situated around the arm pits, chest, and shoulders, you can understand why your hands swell during rucking. You’re dampening your body’s ability to drain fluids out of your hands and arms and it causes swelling. When you take the weight off your shoulders and move your arms around, swelling goes down because the system is ‘opened up’ again.

If your chest, shoulders, neck, and stomach are TIGHT, guess what? You’re hindering the lymph’s ability to move fluids throughout your body and do its job effectively. The lymph systems runs through your body’s muscles, fascia, organs, glands.

Speaking of fascia!

Fascia looks like an aqueous web running throughout your entire body. Wrapping around bones, individual muscle fibers, everything, including your lymph system. It fills the gaps of space between things and connects everything together. It is THE THING that impacts your flexibility. It’s comprised of different collagens and proteins and is the main conductor of electricity to the neurons from your brain to your body. It’s vital and awe inspiring.

I’m mentioning fascia because the tension of a back pack or vest on your shoulders also disperses tension into the arms and hands, up into the head, down into the trunk and hips. Tension in one area spider web connects to various other places in the body. This is why it is very important to practice fully body recovery massage, rolling, and stretching daily. Disperse the tension, allow your body to HEAL by allowing the fluids to move freely within the lymph and circulatory systems, in environments of supple muscles and stretchy fascia.

One thing to mention, fatty meats, avocados, coconut, high fat dairy, bone broth, marrow, are all things that boost collagen within our fascia, joints, and brain. We LOOK old as our top layers of skin and fascia lose collagen and we FEEL old as our joints lose the collagen cushioning between the bones.

What happens if the lymph system is clogged or blocked?

A blocked lymphatic system can cause a chronic condition called lymphedema, which can cause swelling in the body’s soft tissues. Other symptoms include:

Swelling

Swelling can occur in the arms, legs, chest, genitals, face, mouth, or throat. It can come on suddenly and may be accompanied by a feeling of heaviness or fullness.

Skin changes

Skin may appear puffy or red, and may become thickened, toughened, or discolored. Folds may develop in the skin, and wart-like growths may appear.

Movement issues

You may have difficulty moving the affected limbs, or your joints may feel tight or inflexible. You may also experience a restricted range of motion.

Other symptoms

You may feel aching, tingling, or numbness in the affected area, or you may experience a burning or itching sensation. You may also have trouble fitting your clothes or jewelry, even if you haven’t gained weight.

To keep your lymph system from getting sluggish and constricted, watch the video for fun daily movements to add in during your morning routine (or this becomes your morning routine!), pre-ruck, post-ruck, or in the evening after dinner!

I’m so glad you took this opportunity to learn more about your body and how you can keep supporting a couple important layers of your body systems to keep rucking strong without injury or worry!!

This is just the tip of the movement, rucking, and wellness ice berg! If you want to know more about helping your body thrive, best recovery practices, nutrition for rucks and recovery, programming, macros for weight loss and muscle building, plus community with other badass rucking women, join the waitlist for our next 12 Week Beginner’s Course! Click here to learn more and register!