Four ways exercise gives you healthy glowing skin
You’re not only one who’s noticed the radiance of someone coming straight from the gym. Those who exercise regularly often look like they’re shining from the inside out. While we all know that keeping fit is beneficial for our health in many ways, its effect on our skin is not always considered.
Regular exercise can help our skin function efficiently, look younger and more vibrant.
Read on to discover four ways that exercise directly benefits your skin and the changes you can expect!
1. Exercise boosts your circulation. You really are getting your blood pumping; you experience greater circulation as a higher amount of blood moves around your body. As blood is responsible for delivering vital nutrients, this boost in supply ensures a healthy hit to our skin. This means a radiant glow as well as efficiently functioning cells. Such nutrients can aid fibroblasts (the cells responsible for collagen production) to work better which means firmer, more supple skin for longer!
2. Exercise reduces blackheads and blemishes. As our pores dilate during exercise, the sweat we produce softens and pushes any dirt, debris, and oil that may be sitting and clogging up our skin. Of course, it’s important to wash your face post-workout to ensure all that muck doesn’t get trapped back within your pores again once you cool down!
3. Exercise aids in stress. It’s common knowledge that a hit of exercise can help manage and prevent stress and anxiety. Many of us are living in a state where our cortisol (the hormone responsible for fight or flight) levels remain high due to experiences at work, in relationships, etc. Once upon a time, this rise in cortisol would have been met by either fight (physical exertion for defence) of flight (physical exertion as you flee). These days, however, we experience the same rush of hormones but the physical exertion is rarely necessary. Stress can wreak havoc on the health of skin which we cannot expect to flourish whilst the body’s energies are focused on ‘survival’ during fight or flight. Exercise is the perfect release of stress levels and allows us to return to a happy balance.
4. Exercise improves sleep. Regular exercise has been proven to improve our quality of sleep. This is crucial to the health of our skin because much of our skin’s repair work happens overnight as we rest. When we have disrupted or limited sleep, we deny our skin the chance to adequately heal, repair and rejuvenate. This can result in dullness, puffiness and premature ageing.
Tip: While exercise is beneficial to anyone and everyone, it can trigger certain dermatological conditions such as eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis. That doesn’t mean you should avoid moving your body if you suffer from such a condition – you just need to get creative! For example, rosacea is a condition which can be triggered by heat but this may be minimised by working out in a cooler environment such as a swimming pool. Those who suffer from the likes of eczema may find that their condition can worsen due to perspiration. This can be reduced by applying moisturiser before exercise to protect the skin from the excess salt that comes with sweat.
As if you need any more reason to get out there and get your body moving!
Schedule a workout session with a friend or fly solo if that’s your style!
How will you move your body today?