Exercise is an essential part of our lives. It keeps our hearts, minds, and bodies healthy and balanced. Plus, it keeps us from packing on the extra pounds during the holidays.
What you may not know, though, is the impact exercise can have on your skin. Let’s take a look at different ways your workout can either damage or repair the body’s largest organ.
1. Excessive Sweating
When we sweat, we’re losing water. Hydrating the skin is essential for allowing our body to repair itself. It also can clog your pores resulting in acne. Using skincare products, such as Image Skincare, can moisturize and enhance the elasticity of your skin.
2. Improves Circulation
As we get our bodies moving, our heart rate increases. This improves the circulation of our blood, which delivers the necessary oxygen and nutrients our skin needs to maintain its health and regrowth. New skin cells will grow and reduce the anti-aging process.
3. Post-Exercise Glow
After you workout, you may notice your skin glowing. You feel a little more radiant when you look in the mirror because of three things: sweat, increased blood flow, and endorphins. Endorphins are what help us fight against elevated stress levels which can do significant damage to our skin.
4. Promotes Collagen Growth
Maintaining physical health doesn’t just do wonders for our physique, it also can improve the quality of our skin through collagen. Collagen is a protein that enhances the overall structure of our skin. It keeps it firm and maintains the healthy glow we desire.
5. Sun Damage
Not everyone likes to work out at the gym. Especially during the pandemic, many people were exercising outside. What you may not have taken into consideration was the damage being done to your skin by the sun.
If you’re planning to go for a run or join an outdoor workout class, make sure to protect your skin with the proper amount of SPF.
6. Rashes from Chafing
When you start a new workout routine, you might experience severe itchiness in your legs. This is due to your body’s increased circulation. It can also lead to chafing and rashes from the friction of built-up moisture.
You can easily use an over-the-counter cream to help alleviate this. Over time, as you continue working out, you’ll experience these sensations and effects much less.
7. Clears Your Pores
While sweating can clog your pores, exercise can have positive impacts on your skin by clearing your pores. It sounds counterintuitive, but here’s why: As our internal body temperature increases, our pores open up to help regulate it.
It helps to bring oxygen in as well as remove sebum and dirt. As long as you’re cleaning your skin properly, sweat can be more beneficial for your skin than you originally thought.
8. Rosacea
Speaking of increased body temperature, there is also a negative side effect that occasionally happens for some people. This is when your blood vessels are visible in your skin such as in an overtly flushed face.
You can avoid this by keeping track of your heart rate as well as avoiding extreme outdoor temperatures when exercising.
9. Lymph Flow
Have you ever looked at yourself first thing in the morning and noticed your eyes were puffy? This is because you have a decrease in lymph flow. These are the fluids that go through your lymphatic system which is important for circulation.
As we’ve learned, exercise can increase your circulation, in turn, increasing your lymph flow and decreasing puffiness in the skin around your eyes.
Summary
As you can see, there are both positive and negative side effects exercise can have on your skin. The good news is that most of the issues can easily be avoided.
Have a good skincare regimen after your workout, keep track of your heart rate, and avoid overworking yourself in the heat.
The benefits of exercise for your skin will easily outweigh the negatives.