The 10-Minute Wellness Routine That Joey Mead King Swears By

Beauty lies deep beyond the surface. Apart from how you look, one thing that can give you a boost of confidence is how you feel. Fortunately, performing a lymphatic drainage massage hits two birds with one stone as it improves both your inner state and your physical appearance.

An advocate of beauty and wellness, Joey Mead King has shared her own lymphatic wake-up routine, which takes 10 minutes at most. Her practice is anchored in Qigong, which is a Chinese system of physical exercises that coordinates posture, breathing, movements, and meditation. 

Qi literally translates to “vital energy,” and it is defined by Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner and licensed acupuncturist Christopher Hafner as a universal manifestation of all energies. Qi continuously flows and transforms, and Qigong improves it through clearing blockages, restoring balance and harmony. Read on to discover the 48-year-old model and host’s routine.

To avoid dragging your skin during the massage, apply face oil and body oil respectively.

Joey recommends performing the routine in the morning before a meal. She shared that she changes up the movements from time to time, and would sometimes add a gua sha or follow it with a float session in the pool—it all depends on what your body is asking for. Practicing it outdoors where you’re surrounded by nature and your bare feet are touching soil may elevate its relaxing effects as well, and starting off with a glass of warm lemon water (sometimes with apple cider vinegar or saffron) can also help wake up the senses.

By applying firm yet gentle physical pressure, you can manually move the excess fluid to keep it from building up. The directed massage moves stagnated lymph, which then promotes the filtration and flushing process. It’s to be applied to the body’s primary lymph nodes location, such as the neck, clavicles, armpits, and groins, among others.

As a result of the lymphatic drainage massage, the face and body will look less puffy and swollen. It supports the immune system, reduces fluid retention, and even manages stress. The massage also helps increase blood circulation, and consequently, promotes glowing skin.

The results can come immediately, but give it time and consistency, and it will keep improving in the coming days with the body continuing its natural process. Maintain it with healthy habits, such as drinking green tea, eating more protein, and avoiding processed sugar.

The body houses a lymphatic system, which is defined by the Cleveland Clinic as “a group of organs, vessels, and tissues that protect you from infection and keep a healthy balance of fluids throughout your body.” Part of this network's processes is collecting excess fluid (also known as lymph) from tissues, filtering it through lymph nodes, and segregating it—returning it into the bloodstream and leading the waste to the liver and the kidneys for excretion.