Last Updated on May 19, 2020 by Janie Wilson
“Be good to your skin. you’ll wear it every day for the rest of your life.” – Renée Rouleau
Makes sense, right? Now, the question is – how good is good enough? Our skin started to form inside our mother’s womb. That skin already died and shed off. Our skin regenerates itself from the inside. It will only take a few days to regenerate. So why do we need to take care of our skin if they are capable of renewing themselves? We can always have a new skin if they die anyway.
But until when? Til we’re Thirty? Fifty? Ninety? Do we need to take care of our skin?
As we age, along with all the environmental factors like pollution, it would slow down the regeneration process of the skin.
Human we are, we only give importance to the things we know very well. A thing becomes important to us if we are aware of what we get from it.
What is skin
Our skin is the largest organ in our body. It covers our entire body from thinnest (the skin located under the eyes and around the eyelids) to thickest (on the palms and soles of the feet). It’s three crucial purposes are for protection, regulation, and sensation. Protection– it protects us from germs and infections. Regulation– it controls our body temperature. Sensation– it detects the different sensations of heat, cold, pressure, contact, and pain.
Now that we know how vital skin is. Let’s go back to the usual things we do to it. We shower every day with soap to keep it clean, to wash away all the dirt. Also, we apply moisturizers, softeners, and sunscreen. We buy every beauty product and creams that our favorite actors and actresses are using. And, we seek advice from a friend of what type concealer to use to at least lighten the blemishes on our face.
But at the end of the day, what’s left after taking a quick warm shower, is the true situation of our skin. We need to remind ourselves that skin regenerates itself from within. What does this mean? This means only one thing: what we do to our bodies.
A quote from Erin Heatherton: “There’s nothing more beautiful than a beauty that radiates from within”. Nothing can be more appropriate. Our skin would mirror what’s inside us.
This is where Exercise will come into the picture. There is more about exercise than slimming down because you’re so huge already. It helps more – our skin. Exercise or physical activity, or being active has a big factor in our skin’s health.
Different Effects of Exercise on you Skin
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Skin repair
We would notice that every time we exercise, our hearts beat fast, which means an increase in heart rate. Any increase in the body’s circulation will boost cell renewal. I remembered when I was in my younger years, I used to play badminton then. The feeling of sweating, the way I use my mind for what move I will do next to win every game. A whole day of playing, which means I sweat the whole day! It was a nice feeling after all. That’s when I got a lot of compliments from my friends and my own family -that I got clear and beautiful skin. I didn’t know then that sweating has something to do with skin.
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Slows down aging
As we exercise, skin cells will produce Collagen (“the fountain of youth”) which helps our aging skin slow down the process. In our 30’s, this protein begins to break down, the reason why wrinkles and fine lines will now appear.
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Spits out toxins
When we say exercise, there is sweating afterward. Wastes from our inside will be out through our sweat glands. Flush those toxins! Don’t forget to take a shower after to prevent clogged pores and reabsorption.
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Feel good from within
Last but not the least, it helps us on the way we look at ourselves- our internal health. Chemical releases when we exercise – the Endorphins, are the “ feel good” chemicals.
Stress is a constant part of our life. Adding up to that are the feelings of losing control, anxiety, the feeling of no hope. All these can lead to Free Radical damage. These Free Radicals damage the skin cell membranes, that leads to Collagen breakdown. The results will be – wrinkles and fine lines. This world we’re in has its every reason to inject us with negativity. It is our job to deal with it, in a positive way.
Now that we have listed the good effects of exercise on our skin, let’s check on some ” not so good” effect it brings.
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Sagging of the skin
The best way to prevent this is to not overdo it. High impact and continued training can lead to sagging of the skin. One good example of this is the runners. Those long-distance runners who run kilometers. If we want to focus on sweating without the sagging, it is better to run on more shock-absorbing surfaces.
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Chafing
This is one of the most unfortunate effects of exercise on your skin. Since one of the goals of exercise is to sweat, we tend to sweat a lot. It makes us feel good after all. Sweating plus the rubbing of the skin can cause that burning sensation that leads to chafing. But this should not be a hindrance to do exercise. Protect your skin before starting to exercise. Drink plenty of water. Wear clothes that fit well with synthetic fabric. There should always be a way.
Wrapping up
So, it is a myth that exercises always benefits us. There are lots of negative effects when we exercise. If we have rashes, it can clog our pores and it can worsen some skin conditions like Rosacea and Acne. For some, it will lead them to some scalp problems.
But I guess, if we only follow what’s basic in Hygiene – shower after, to clear pores and to wash off the toxins. This is not so hard. If we know what to do and what not, we will enjoy the positive effects of exercise on our skin.
Also, read How To Become Naturally Beautiful Women without Makeup.
