Why Exercise Should be a Part of Your Skincare Routine
You probably know exercise is good for women’s health. It helps prevent heart disease, cancer, obesity, the list goes on and on. Workout plans for women like the Curves circuit also make you appear younger by toning your muscles and making you look more fit. What you might not have known that exercise is also good for your skin. Exercise for skin is particularly effective when your gym workout makes you break a sweat—yet another reason to give it your all during your full body workout at Curves!
Whether we are active or not, none of us are immune to the skin changes associated with aging. As we get older, our skin changes, leading to sagging, wrinkles, and crow’s feet. Starting at age 40, the outer layer of our skin gets thicker, drier, and flakier. All of these changes make us look more weathered. We can’t totally stop these age-related skin changes, but there are things we can do to slow them down. Exercise is one of the best.1
Here are the ways exercise benefits your skin:
A good fitness program for women will improve your circulation
When you’re sweating in the circuit, your heart works to pump oxygen-rich blood to your brain, limbs, and the rest of your body. Your blood also carries waste products, such as harmful free radicals, away from all your cells, including the cells in your skin. In a sense, exercise for women provides a deep skin cleansing, leaving you glowing at the end of your workout.2
Sweating during your full body workout will give your skin a natural glow
Sweat helps your skin appear dewy and moisturized, which makes it look younger. Plus, when you work up a sweat, you’re working hard enough to circulate blood and oxygen throughout your body, nourishing your skin cells.3
Muscle exercises for women make you look naturally younger
Regular exercise for women can give you some of the effects of a facelift or other cosmetic procedure. Granted, those effects won’t be as dramatic, but they will come with added benefits—weight loss, improved heart health, lower risk of diabetes, and decreased risk for cancer. Exercise boosts collagen production, improves blood flow, and stimulates human growth hormone, all of which can help you look younger. No procedure does these things.4
A good workout routine for women will lower emotional stress
As we’ve talked about before, one of the best ways to combat emotional stress is with physical stress in the form of your full body workout. Stress relief is important for optimal skin health because both short- and long-term stress can take a toll on your skin. In addition to worry and frown lines, stress hormones can cause acne, eczema, rosacea, and other skin conditions to flare.2
A regular gym program for women will help improve your sleep
Exercise helps you sleep better by reducing stress and tiring you out. If you go to Curves early in the morning or afternoon, it may also help reset your sleep-wake cycle by raising your body temperature and allowing it to drop and trigger drowsiness by the time you’re ready to hit the hay.5 This good sleep, in turn, improves your skin. (Yes, there’s a reason they call it ‘beauty sleep!’) When you’re sleep-deprived, you release the stress hormone cortisol, which causes skin to become more inflamed and prone to conditions like acne, psoriasis, and eczema. When you get quality sleep, you stave off these negative effects.6
In general, the more intense your full body workout, the greater the benefits to your circulatory system, stress hormones, sleep habits, and overall health. This is yet another reason to engage in a fitness program designed for women like the Curves Circuit! Pair your exercise routine with a healthy eating plan to maximize your progress toward your goals.
Sources
