Do you start your morning with a healthy smoothie from the best ninja blender, eat organic vegetables and take care of your skin regularly? Then, probably, the condition of your skin pleases you. However, you can improve it in a more unexpected way – with regular exercise. Do you want to know how?

A healthy lifestyle and sports are the great trends in the modern world. Everyone understands that moderate physical activity is good for our health. It reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, normalizes blood circulation, improves the functioning of all organs and body systems, and helps fight stress. Besides, extra pounds disappear, the body becomes more slim and fit, and the figure gets more harmonious forms.

But how does a workout affect the condition of our skin, and what happens to it during sports? Let’s figure it out together.

Benefits of Exercise for Skin

So how does sport affect the condition of the skin? There are many horror stories about inflammation and acne caused by sports on the web. Should you believe them?

In fact, only partially. If you start to engage in active cardio loads being very overweight without strengthening the muscles with basic strength exercises, such actions can affect not only the skin condition but also the joints. Therefore, fitness instructors closely monitor overweight beginners and recommend gradually increasing loads, starting with slow strength training. So there’s no need to worry. 

Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of the exercise for skin glow and learn the rules for making them work for you.

Youth

When the heart begins to beat faster, a special IL-15 protein is formed. It helps the mitochondria in the skin cells “look younger,” and at the microscopic level, the skin looks more youthful than can be visible to the naked eye.

Exercise suppresses the secretion of stress hormones that negatively affect skin conditions. The level of the hormones of happiness – endorphins – at the same time increases many times. It has a positive effect not only on our mood but also on our appearance. The skin becomes brighter, more radiant, while a faded and tired look disappears.

Aerobic workout is the best exercise for skincare, as it improves blood circulation and, as a result, removes toxins. It makes your skin healthier and more attractive. You can further improve your appearance by moisturizing your skin before and after your workout. Proper hydration improves blood flow in the skin, which helps flush out toxins that would otherwise accumulate in skin cells. It is especially important to remember this for people addicted to alcohol, smoking, and processed foods.

Anti-inflammatory effect

Exercise helps fight inflammation: the muscles release substances that prevent the body from producing much cortisol. Stress levels decrease during exercise. That is, workouts reduce stress, which often results in skin rashes. In this case, the adrenal glands reduce male-type hormones, which cause inflammation of the sebaceous glands (acne). After all, it is known that any person’s skin reacts to stress with a tendency to inflammation, but especially the skin of people already suffering from acne.

And since inflammation is one of the main factors in aging, fighting it protects collagen stores and helps the skin look its best. Studies have also shown that skin wounds heal faster in those who play sports.

 

Skin nutrition

Sport accelerates blood flow in the body, which also applies to the skin. The increased flow expands the blood vessels, and more nutrients and oxygen are supplied to the skin. Plus, it gets rid of toxins, free radicals, and dead cells faster.

The skin owes its beauty and youth to two proteins: collagen and elastin. Over time, they degrade, which can be caused by several factors: exposure to the sun, oxidative processes, and aging. Fibroblasts, skin cells that produce collagen become lazy over time and decrease in number. The skin becomes dry and flabby. However, exercise increases the supply of oxygen and other nutrients to the cells, which creates an excellent environment for collagen production, the natural timeless skincare. 

Regular exercise stimulates collagen and elastin production, which leads to better-looking skin. As a result of sports, the skin becomes more hydrated, protected, and resistant to wrinkles. Simultaneously, the effect of regular physical activity strengthens the skin better than numerous collagen creams.

Exercise for skin tightening

Some exercises can help get rid of cellulite. This loose, dehydrated skin usually concentrates on the buttocks, thighs, and upper arms. It is due to the fact that the fibrous compounds in the skin thicken and accumulate fat.

By toning and exercising your muscles during activities such as pilates or strength training, you can reverse this phenomenon and reduce cellulite. It is a secret that yoga instructors have long known. Stretching, combined with proper breathing, strengthens the body and facial muscles. It gives a tightening effect, origins skincare, and makes your skin smooth and better looking.

Exercise helps tone and strengthen muscles, and more trained muscles also relax better. It also applies to the muscles of the face. Asanas (yoga poses) relax the body, and as a result, crow’s feet and expression lines associated with anger and tension are smoothed out. By practicing asanas, you also prevent the formation of new wrinkles and maintain a youthful appearance longer.

Sweat more!

Sweating is good for skincare! When you sweat, your pores open up and release accumulated dirt. The secretion of sweat clears the pores of dead cells, dust, and grease, and at the same time, perfectly moisturizes the skin. Sweating regulates body temperature as well as sodium and calcium balance in the body.

Besides, sweat is important for immunity: it contains an antimicrobial peptide called dermcidin, which becomes a barrier to dangerous bacteria that accumulate on the skin’s surface. However, it must be washed off because, over time, it becomes a breeding ground for the same bacteria.

Physical activity for the face skin 

In contrast to the body muscles, the structure of the face skin muscles has one feature – at one end, they are attached to the joints, and at the other end, they are woven into the skin. This feature allows them to influence facial expressions, participate in speech and chewing activities, express emotions, in general, “live” an active life.

And therefore, these muscles often have a problem not with little activity but with too much tension. Spasm worsens blood circulation, and excess face muscle activity can lead to the first mimic wrinkles.

The trendy face fitness is capable of solving many problems: relaxing overworked muscles, gradually and correctly loading over relaxed muscles. 

Final Tips

Sports have many other positive effects on our skin:

• power loads on the neck and upper back muscles help to lift the face oval;
• muscle tone in the back of the neck leads to an increase in the forehead muscles tone;
• after 20 minutes of aerobic exercise, the synthesis of hyaluronic acid increases, and with a sufficient workout time (from 40 minutes), it will be active for several hours;
• during sports activities, the synthesis of eleidin is enhanced, ensuring a healthy glow to the skin. Its production slows down after 25 years, but sports stimulate it.

 

However, when playing sports or visiting a gym, it is important to remember the rules:

• do not come up with strict diets: the skin condition worsens without proper nutrition;
• drink enough water to make your body completely hydrated;
• choose moderate loads and not be zealous: no need to start the over-synthesis of male hormones and premature aging of the skin;

General rules for skincare regimen during sports:

• caring for the optimal water balance of the skin and the body;
• sufficient water intake during and after exercise;
• no makeup or a light one;
• natural organic skincare;
• moisturizing skin care face mask 2-3 times a week;
• antiseptic, anti-inflammatory products, and mild exfoliants for oily skin;
• the best skincare products that strengthen blood vessels and improve microcirculation;
• special rosacea and acne skin care.

Do not overdo it with your skincare routine, as harmonious physical activity will allow you to look young and healthy even longer.

Conclusion

Regular physical activity helps the skin look fresher. It improves the overall condition, skin color, and texture, normalizes blood circulation, and improves vascular tone, lymph, and blood flow, affecting tone and elasticity. Cells are more actively supplied with oxygen, nutrients, and antioxidants, and metabolic processes are accelerated in skin cells. Intense sweating during the exercise helps cleanse our bodies from the inside out, eliminate toxins and waste products faster, and significantly unclog pores.

As a result of all these processes, aging slows down, the quality of the skin improves, it looks much younger, cleaner, more radiant, and even. Besides, reducing water retention in the body helps to remove puffiness. Exercise, take good care of your skin, and stay healthy!

Tell us what benefits of exercise for skin and hair have you noticed after your workouts? Please share your experience in the comments below.