Glowing skin isn’t all about having a proper skincare routine. It comes from within and your lifestyle has the most to do for your skin health.
Many people consider that exercise is only for physical health and an eye-catching body shape but moving your body regularly plays a crucial role in promoting healthy and younger skin.
Your skin can benefit greatly from daily exercise. But at the same time, failing to take proper measures while exercising can also affect the skin negatively.
Excessive sweating can clog pores, increases skin irritation, redness, lead to breakouts, and various other problems. Knowing the reasons behind these problems and how to mitigate them, you can protect and improve your skin.
Why exercise is important for skin health?
Let’s talk about the benefits of exercise for glowing skin:
Improves Blood Circulation
Blood is pumped through our bodies during exercise, working out our cardiac muscles and moving blood and oxygen throughout our bodies.
This improves the blood circulation in our body which helps in cellular repair or replacement, thus nourishing the skin cells.
Improved circulation within the body also helps in better delivery of nutrients to the skin cells. This helps to keep your skin looking healthy, young and radiant and can also help in reducing dark spots on the skin.
Removes Impurities/Toxins from the body
Toxins are eliminated from the body more effectively when there is enhanced blood flow.
Thus, your cells are receiving more of what they require and are being less impacted by toxins and waste products that could potentially be harmful. All of our cells, including the ones that make up our skin, benefit from it.
Also, sweating while exercising aids in skin cleansing by clearing toxins and pollutants from your pores. It can help clear clogged pores and stop acne outbreaks.
Reduces Stress
This is probably the major benefit of doing regular exercise related to skin.
There are several ways that stress can have an adverse effect, from breakouts to dullness. So it should come as no surprise that lowering your stress levels can significantly affect the appearance of your skin.
Due to its role in boosting endorphins, sometimes known as the “feel-good hormones,” exercise is a fantastic way to lower the stress hormone cortisol.
Regular exercise can indirectly result in healthier skin because it can lift your spirits.
Increases Collagen Production
Exercise helps to increase the overall collagen production within the body. Collagen is a type of protein that is directly related to skin health.
It promotes wound healing, reduces wrinkles as well as helps in maintaining youthful, supple skin. It also reduces the sign of aging.
Best Exercises for Glowing Skin
Facial Yoga
The muscles in the face and neck are the focus of facial yoga movements, which may help tonify and tighten the skin in these areas. A more young and beautiful complexion may result from regular face yoga exercises.
Here are the two best facial yoga for getting glowing skin that you can try:
1. Cheeks Massage
This is a simple yet really effective facial yoga to keep your skin glowing. Just press your cheeks with your hand lightly and move it in a circular motion. Do it regularly for 10-15 minutes. It softens the muscle and also helps to increase blood circulation in the face.
2. Kiss and Smile
Extend your lips forward as you are kissing someone, hold it for a few seconds, and then smile broadly up to the limit. Do it regularly for more than 30 times for better results.
Yoga
Yoga postures and breathing techniques encourage blood circulation in all parts of the body, including the skin.
A healthy complexion can be attained through improved blood flow, which helps hydrate skin cells, encourage the supply of oxygen and vital minerals, and help remove pollutants.
Yoga is also renowned for its capacity to reduce stress. Stress levels can be decreased by regularly practicing yoga practices including meditation, deep breathing, and relaxation exercises.
As a result, by reducing skin issues brought on by stress, it might indirectly enhance skin health.
The few best yoga postures for better skin health are:
Dhanurasana
Lay flat on your stomach on the ground. Bend your legs at the knees. Grab your ankles from the outside by extending your hands behind you. The Inhale and Exhale periodically.
This posture increases blood circulation in the face. But the best thing about this yoga is that it improves indigestion and gut health which helps to promote good skin health.
Halasana
Lay on your back with your palms up in the air. Gently lift your legs 90 degrees and bring them over your head to touch the floor. Hold the position for one minute, then resume your normal position.
This yoga position is excellent for enhancing the body’s general blood circulation. It is the ideal yoga pose for skin care since it creates a feeling of tranquility and eases your mind.
Endurance Exercise
This exercise generally means making your heart pump faster and increasing blood flow. Running for 15 minutes daily will do the job for you.
Some Mistakes to avoid while exercising for your skin health
Skin needs to be clean before you start exercising. Otherwise, it may clog pores, hence causing acne, increasing skin pigmentation and several other skin issues.
Avoid wearing makeup while exercising. It is one of the worst mistakes that you can do for your skin.
It is recommended to use moisturizer before you start exercising. It helps to protect the skin from sweat.
Also, avoid touching your face while exercising as it can transfer dirt or bacteria from your hand to the face.
It is advised to avoid sun exposure while exercising Sunburn can cause a lot of other skin issues as well, so do not overexpose yourself to the sun while exercising.
But if you are an athlete or so and have to work out during peak daytime, always use good quality sunscreen and do not forget to re-apply it at an interval of 2-3 hours.
Another key thing that you should never miss is to wash your face properly with a gentle face wash after exercising so that all the sweat and dirt get cleaned properly.
Your skin picks up salt and other materials from perspiration when it evaporates. This perspiration can support bacterial or fungal growth when it is concealed in dark, moist locations. So, it is better to have a shower after exercising as it cleans up the body and also helps to cool the body down.
Can Exercise Pose Risk to Your Skin?
Not really, until proper measures are being followed.
Few people may face slight skin irritation or redness. The best practice is to exercise in cool places. Swimming is a great option for those people as it helps to cool down the body.
People with skin issues like eczema, psoriasis, etc may experience a little more problems. But all of these are short-term. You will definitely see your skin condition improve in the long term.
