There are many ways to achieve youthful, glowing skin. You can watch what you eat, drink skin-friendly supplements, or undergo an expensive medical procedure. While these are quite effective, you may be missing out on one crucial element in maintaining healthy and radiant skin: exercise.
The Benefits of Regular Exercise
A healthy lifestyle calls for a holistic approach. You need to take care of your overall well-being in order to live a truly healthy lifestyle. One of the ways you can maintain your physical, mental, and emotional well-being is through regular exercise. And there are many ways physical activity can promote holistic wellness.
Curious about how exercise affects our mind and body? Here are some examples:
Lower Blood Pressure
Weight Management
Better Bone Strength
Glowing, Youthful Skin
Better Sleep Quality
Reduce Stress
Lower Anxiety Levels
Better Mobility and Coordination
Improve Mood
Boost in Self-Confidence
Prevention of Serious Health Issues (e.g., Type 2 Diabetes, Cancer, Dementia)
Improve Alertness and Focus
How Exercise Helps Improve Your Skin
The more obvious effects of regular exercise are mostly related to physical health benefits. These include weight loss, muscle definition, and improved heart health. These are already convincing reasons to put on your training shoes and workout clothes. But there's another lesser-known positive effect of exercise: better skin.
Coupled with a simple but effective after-exercise skincare routine, regular physical activity can make your skin look as youthful and refreshed as ever. Here are some ways how exercising can help give you that glow:
A Good Workout Session Can Improve Blood Circulation
Have you ever heard of that post-exercise glow? Well, it's not just something people say to get you to break a sweat. Physical activity helps improve blood circulation. This increase in blood flow allows your body to pump nutrients and oxygen to different parts of your body, including your skin. So after your next workout, try looking in the mirror. You'll most likely see a blushing, radiant face looking back at you.
Staying Active Helps to Lower Stress Levels
Partnered with mindfulness practices, staying active is a great way to lower stress levels. And if you don't know yet, high-stress levels can show on your skin. An increase in stress can stimulate pro-inflammatory skin cells. This can lead to acne flares, eczema, and even hair loss.
It doesn't mean you need a complicated or advanced gym routine. A simple walk or jog around the park and under the morning sun can be enough to get you sweating and reduce your stress.
Exercising Your Muscles Can Boost Collagen Production
These days, you can undergo skin treatments or take supplements to improve your collagen levels and achieve youthful-looking skin. But a better alternative is working out your different muscle groups. Regular exercise stimulates the production of collagen cells. Collagen is a naturally occurring protein in your body responsible for keeping your skin's structure. More collagen means firmer, more supple skin.
Of course, you can't expect exercise to completely erase laugh lines or fine wrinkles you've earned over the years. You can definitely count on it to keep your skin looking and feeling younger.
Better Sleep for Better Skin
You can say goodbye to your sleeping pills because a good aerobic session can promote better, deeper sleep. A regular sleep schedule is important for anyone wanting to care for their overall health. The hours you spend sleeping are essential for your body. It's the time frame when your body regenerates and rests. Better and uninterrupted sleep leaves you feeling refreshed and ready to face the next day.
Aside from an improved mood and re-energized money, quality sleep also has excellent effects on your skin. As mentioned, the body rejuvenates itself while you're in dreamland. This rejuvenation process also includes collagen production. Collagen is, of course, critical in maintaining skin elasticity and suppleness.
On the other side of the coin, poor sleeping habits or lack of quality sleep negatively affect your overall health. Not only will a lack of sleep leave you feeling tired throughout the day, but it can also affect your ability to focus. And if you need more reasons to do what you can to sleep well, not enough sleep also causes dark circles and puffiness.
The many benefits of exercise and an overall healthy lifestyle are vital to feeling great inside and out. To add, without the discomfort of skin irritations or even adult acne due to stress and other factors, you can literally be more comfortable in your own skin.
You don't need to spend too much money to take care of yourself (although you are obviously worth it!). All you need to do is to get moving. This way, you can naturally achieve healthy glowing skin and help you feel even more confident to face the world.