Searching for the youthful, radiant skin of our dreams, we often focus exclusively on skincare products and routines. While these are incredibly helpful in our journey for glowing skin (arguably compulsory), there's another powerful tool that can contribute to your skin's health and appearance: exercise. Beyond its well-known benefits for physical and mental health, regular exercise can also work wonders for your skin. Today, we're going to look at a few of the great ways that a little bit of exercise can contribute to your overall healthy glow!
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Enhanced Blood Circulation: When you exercise, your heart rate increases, pumping more blood and oxygen to your body's tissues, including your skin. Improved blood circulation means better delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the skin cells, promoting cell renewal and overall skin health. This increased blood flow also helps carry away waste products, toxins, and free radicals, which can contribute to dullness and premature aging.
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Stress Reduction: Exercise is a potent stress reliever, triggering the release of endorphins—a.k.a your body's natural mood lifters. Chronic stress can wreak havoc on your skin, leading to inflammation, acne breakouts, and premature signs ageing. By reducing stress levels, exercise helps maintain a healthy balance of stress hormones like cortisol, which in turn can improve your skin's clarity and resilience.
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Detoxification Through Sweat: Sweating during exercise is your body's way of cooling down, but it also plays a crucial role in detoxification. Sweat contains trace amounts of toxins, including pollutants and impurities that can clog pores and contribute to skin problems. Regular sweating through exercise helps purge these toxins from your skin, promoting a clearer complexion and reducing the likelihood of breakouts. However, we definitely recommend giving your face and body a good wash after you've worked out to avoid letting this sit on your skin. I love to pop our HempPurify Oil Cleanser into my gym back for double duty (face and body), once I get the chance to shower.
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Increased Collagen Production: Collagen is the protein responsible for maintaining the skin's firmness, elasticity, and youthful appearance. As we age, our natural collagen production decreases, leading to symptoms like slightly sagging or looser skin and the formation of wrinkles. However, regular exercise can stimulate collagen synthesis, helping to preserve skin structure for as long as possibly, naturally. PSA: Strength training exercises, in particular, have been shown to promote collagen production, resulting in firmer, more resilient skin!
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Improved Lymphatic Drainage: The lymphatic system plays a vital role in removing waste and toxins from the body, but unlike the circulatory system, it lacks a pump (like the heart) to keep fluids moving. Exercise, especially activities like brisk walking, jogging, or yoga, can help stimulate lymphatic drainage, facilitating the removal of waste and reducing inflammation. By supporting the lymphatic system, exercise promotes a clearer complexion and a more even skin tone.
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Better Sleep Quality: Quality sleep is essential for skin repair and regeneration (see here for a little more info). During deep sleep, the body undergoes cellular repair processes, including the production of collagen and elastin. Regular exercise can improve sleep quality by promoting relaxation and reducing insomnia symptoms. By ensuring you get adequate, restorative sleep, exercise contributes to a healthier complexion and a refreshed appearance.
Hopefully today you've been able to learn a little bit about how incorporating regular exercise into your routine can be super beneficial not only for your mental and physical health, but also your skin! From enhancing blood circulation and detoxification to boosting collagen production and promoting better sleep, the benefits of exercise extend far beyond the gym. So, lace up your sneakers, hit the yoga mat, or take a brisk walk in the fresh air—your skin will thank you for it.
Remember, the key is consistency, so find a form of exercise that you love and WANT to do (barre, dancing, pilates, running, walking) and watch as your skin glows with vitality from within.
If you'd like to read more about another great non-skincare tool for healthy glowing skin, check out our piece on how hydrating can change your skin!
