Hey! Take a sip of water and get comfortable. Do you love doing skincare? With a wide smile, of course! I personally love applying different products to my skin. But do you think only applying products will help your skin? A big no! Your skin portrays what is going on inside your body. Have you heard advice about drinking plenty of water for healthy, supple skin? Hydration is essential, but it's even more effective when paired with a good workout.
There's a pretty amazing connection between exercise and skincare, aside from some of the well-known health benefits. Regularly breaking into a sweat can have some serious advantages for the skin—rosy cheeks and glowing, clear, & firm skin, to name a few. Regular exercise helps to increase circulation for glowing skin.
Key Points to Notice
Improves Flow of Oxygen
Oxygen literally breathes life into your skin. When you exercise regularly, you increase the oxygen levels in your body, improve skin elasticity, and also push your skin to flush out toxins and impurities that clog pores and lead to breakouts. "You’re essentially giving your skin a major health boost by exercising." If you’ve ever experienced that ‘post-workout glow,’ you know how breaking into a sweat can literally make you radiate from within. Why is that? "It is a combination of good blood circulation, a dewy appearance from the sweat, and a release of endorphins. The high heart rate increases collagen and new cell formation, leaving you with glowy skin popularly known as the ‘post-workout glow’."
Boosts Collagen
The more collagen, the merrier your skin. The increase in blood flow aids in boosting collagen production, which in turn helps repair damaged skin cells. This leaves your skin looking more youthful and plump, and aids in wound healing too.
Fights Stress
Working out isn’t just good for your physical health, but also aids in easing stress levels. Stress can be a nightmare for your skin, leading to skin woes like acne and breakouts. Exercise is a great way to decrease cortisol levels in your body. It also helps produce happy hormones known as endorphins. By decreasing stress, some conditions that are exacerbated by it can be curbed. Exercise can lead to better skin.
The Love-Hate Relationship
Working out has many, many benefits for your skin. But it comes with a disclaimer: precautions need to be taken to avoid aggravating many skin woes. Not taking the right precautions while working out can cause your acne to flare up and can trigger other skin infections too. Basically, that post-workout glow caused by sweat paired with grime, dirt, and oil can clog the pores, break you out, trigger chafing, and so much more.
Can Exercise Be Harmful to Your Skin?
In some cases, yes, it can be harmful. For example, if you exercise outside, you need to be careful of the amount of sun exposure you’re getting. Prolonged sun exposure can lead to skin damage, so it’s important to make sure you’re using sunscreen if you’re going to be spending a lot of time outdoors. Also, during your sweating, you might need to check out sunscreens’ waterproof properties and apply it more frequently than usual.
Post-Workout Skincare Recommendations
- Cleanse: After working out, you should cleanse your skin because sweating can leave bacteria, oil, and dirt on your body. To get sweat and impurities off your skin, use a mild cleanser.
- Hydrate: Keeping your skin hydrated requires drinking a lot of water before, during, and after exercise. After your workout, make sure to drink plenty of water to replenish fluids lost during sweating.
- Moisturize: Exercise can deplete your skin of moisture, so it's important to moisturize after your workout. Choose a lightweight moisturizer that won't clog your pores.
- Protect: If you plan to spend time outside after your workout, make sure to apply sunscreen to protect your skin from harmful UV rays. Even if you don't plan to spend time outside, it's still important to apply sunscreen to protect your skin from damage.
- Avoid Touching Your Face: To prevent transferring bacteria and oils from your hands to your skin, avoid touching your face both during and after your workout.
- Don't Wear Makeup: Wearing makeup while exercising can clog your pores and cause acne. If you must wear makeup, pick a non-comedogenic formula that is lightweight and won't clog your pores.
- Shower: After working out, taking a shower can help to remove bacteria and sweat from your skin. Use a mild body wash, and stay away from hot water because it can dry out your skin.
Skin and exercise both have deep connections as the body can only talk to you through your skin. Always keep your health on top. Remember to have a glass of water after reading this.
Conclusion
Isn't it fascinating how closely our skin health is linked to our physical activities? Have you noticed changes in your skin condition after regular exercise? Share your experiences in the comments below.
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