After two weeks traversing trade fairs across Europe, fuelled largely by Champagne, Aperol Spritzes, late-night dining on carb-laden room service orders, and questionable long-haul flight decisions involving cognac before sleeping, I returned home feeling considerably more plump and inflated than when I had left. My ankles had swollen, my rings felt tighter, and a prized new pair of knee-high riding boots had become almost impossible to remove without heavy-handed assistance.

If you’re doomscolling anything in the health and wellbeing realm, you’ve no doubt had the algorithm intervene with a plethora of men and women enthusiastically bouncing around their bedrooms in the name of “lymphatic jumping”, a rhythmic practice said to support circulation, reduce bloating and improve energy.

While on the outset it may look like just another short-lived viral ‘get fit quick’ scheme, the idea has substance, drawing inspiration from ancient Chinese movement, including Qigong and Daoyin, practices developed as part of Yangsheng, or the art of “nourishing life”, where breath and fluid movement are used to support vitality and wellbeing. What we’re all seeing in our feeds is a condensed version of these philosophies, with ten accessible minutes of bouncing each morning.

Unlike the circulatory system, the lymphatic system has no central pump and instead relies on movement and muscular contraction to move fluid through the body. Which is why these gentle bouncing movements may help stimulate circulation and lymphatic flow through rhythmic pressure changes and muscle activation.

With nothing to lose, and eternally short on time, for the past two weeks, I’ve started every morning with ten minutes of lymphatic jumping immediately after my sauna and cold plunge routine. Admittedly, five minutes submerged in six-degree water has your body jumping around anyway. So it’s a win-win for me. The best part is that there is no equipment required, just gentle jumps, swinging arms, relaxed breathing and an increasing sense that your nervous system is waking up.

It’s pretty silly to think that the older we get, the less we do the things we loved to do as children. The joyful act of jumping around and swinging your arms about is playful and uncomplicated. And there’s no doubt it’s not something I’d be keen to do publicly, or even in front of my children, the hilarity that would ensue would be too much to bear. This is a private practice.

I have also read that the ideal scenario is to do it outside, on the grass (because grounding is also a thing), under the morning sun, to fire up the circadian rhythm and get the party started. Though weather and the proximity to others may make that challenging on some days.

So, what do I make of this newfound, clearly silly-looking ritual? I’m into…  it for now. For one thing, it’s quite fun; it’s not difficult, my body feels lighter, my torso possibly tighter, and there is a distinct improvement in my attitude about the day ahead. My boots are also finally made for walking.