Longevity research has highlighted several longevity pillars that contribute to living a long, healthy life. As it is the start of a new year, you may be focusing on healthy habits to become the best you. Our longevity pillar blog series will help you with that. We’ve already discussed sleep and nutrition, so next up is exercise.
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Our longevity pillar blog series over the next few weeks will give you all of the information you need to achieve your skin and health goals. Don’t want to wait? Download our Healthy Habits guide to find out more now.
Exercise
Studies show exercise goals are the most common resolutions set in January. The new year’s gym spike is evidence that individuals recognise the need to move more to live a healthy lifestyle. Exercise is key to longevity and contributes to a healthy complexion. A lack of exercise can have a variety of negative effects on the body, including:
- Decreased Metabolic Rate: Lack of exercise leads to a lower basal metabolic rate, which makes it harder to burn calories and maintain a healthy weight.
- Muscle Weakness: without regular use, muscles lose mass and strength over time, making daily tasks more difficult.
- Weakened Immune System: regular physical activity helps boost immune function. Without it, the body is less efficient at fighting infections and illnesses.
- Sleep Disruptions: a sedentary lifestyle can affect sleep patterns, leading to poor sleep quality, insomnia, and fatigue.
- Bone Density Loss: inactivity can weaken bones, increasing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures, especially as we age.
- Mental Health Decline: Regular exercise releases endorphins, which improve mood. Without it, individuals are at a higher risk of depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline.
How Does Exercise Contribute to Skin Health?
As well as contributing to overall health, exercise has a variety of benefits for the skin too. Anything that promotes a healthy circulation also helps to keep your skin healthy and vibrant and 30 minutes of exercise a day is all that is necessary to significantly improve overall circulation.
(1) Improves Oxygen to Skin
Exercise gets the blood pumping. This blood flow carries oxygen and nutrients around the body to skin cells, while also carrying waste products, toxins, and free radicals away. Oxygen and nutrients are essential for healthy cells and contribute to the production of elastin and collagen. As an added benefit, healthy cells contribute to a more even skin tone. Proper circulation keeps the skin nourished, for a glowing appearance.
(2) Reduces Stress Levels
Engaging in exercise you enjoy increases the production of endorphins, which maximise feelings of wellbeing within the brain. Therefore, regular exercise contributes to an improved mood and better wellbeing, and minimises stress symptoms, which could have negatively manifested on the skin.
(3) Boosts Collagen Production
Research suggests collagen production can be positively affected by exercise. As discussed, exercise increases blood flow, contributing to the movement of nutrients and oxygen around the body. The nutrients are incredibly beneficial for fibroblast cells within the skin, and these are the cells that produce collagen.
Also discussed above are the beneficial effects that exercise has on stress levels. Reducing stress can also boost collagen production, and less stress allows collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid production to operate more efficiently. Minimising stress levels also prevents existing collagen fibres breaking down due to stress-related causes.
Finally, some exercise activities, such as weight training, release a growth hormone from the pituitary gland, which stimulates fibroblast cells, contributing to collagen production.
(4) Promotes Cell Growth
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has been proven to have an anti-ageing effect on the skin by increasing telomerase activity. Research suggests telomerase plays a significant role in maintenance of skin function. This is because telomerase is an enzyme that helps to keep cells alive, protecting DNA for better cell growth and replication. Therefore, regular endurance exercise will keep the skin healthier for longer.
Post Workout Glow
So, exercise has a variety of benefits for the skin, and the post-exercise glow is real! However, in order to benefit from your workout, here are a few tips to remember:
- Skip the makeup – sweating with makeup on is a disaster for the pores, and can cause/aggravate skin conditions such as acne. Wash your face pre-workout and post-workout to keep your skin in its best condition.
- Stay hydrated – You are better able to benefit from your exercise routine if you stay hydrated, internally and externally. Drinking water to rehydrate during a workout, and spritzing the skin with the SkinBase Soothing Toner post-workout is a great way to lock in moisture.
- Remember aftercare – if you are having a course of Microdermabrasion or Hydro treatments, you should avoid exercising for at least 12 hours post-treatment to avoid irritating your skin. If you’re having a course of Collagen Lift, you should wait at least 24 hours, to avoid building heat within the skin and over-sensitising following the radio-frequency. If you are an IPL client, you should also wait 24 hours to allow your skin to cool down naturally.
Longevity & Exercise
Regular exercise is key to staying healthy as you age, therefore it is an essential pillar of longevity. As hormone levels begin to shift, particularly for women going through perimenopause, decreases in bone density and muscle mass commonly occur. Physical activity reduces the risk of osteoporosis by contributing to higher bone mineral density. Regular exercise is also proven to significantly reduce systemic inflammation, which is a contributing factor for many chronic diseases. You can reap the health benefits of regular exercise by moving your body for just 150 minutes a week. A weekly combination of cardio exercises and strength training will yield the most benefits.