We all know the importance of exercise for our mental and physical health, but it also has a positive impact on our skin complexion, too!
How does exercise help our skin?
When we exercise, it gets our heart rate up, which helps with the circulation and blood flow around our body and the face.
It gets the lymph nodes pumping which helps with bloating, puffiness and dark circles. It also helps to get blood flowing, and nutrients and oxygen to the skin surface. It increases the sebum level, which nourishes the skin. This in turn leaves the skin looking plump, glowing and radiant, and maybe slightly rosy during and after working out
What happens when we exercise?
When we exercise, we sweat and lose minerals, salt, natural oils in the skin, dirt and grime from the skin, and all of these things come to the skin’s surface. So, it is extremely important to wash your face after working out. However, not with water, but with a cleansing product which removes these things from the surface, so that the skin is clear and can breathe.
Cleansing will help your pores to breathe, which in turn, means you are less likely to get blocked pores, spots and blackheads. If you are not able to wash your face after working out, our Dazzling Tonic contains AHA’s in it, which will do a good job and clean the skin. We recommend using both products together, for best results.
Do you wear makeup to workout?
Wearing makeup to the gym can actually cause more problems to our skin. When we sweat, the pores enlarge, which means the makeup can get into the skin, blocking the pores which can lead to breakouts, blackheads, bumps under the skin, and irritated skin.
I’m sharing this so you know, but I appreciate people like to wear makeup for confidence reasons and it is doing what works for you, but if you can go bare-faced, it really will make a difference.
Showering after exercising, why is it important for the skin?
Other than the obvious reason of not smelling, the skin benefits massively from showering - the face, as mentioned, to wash away dirt and grime and this goes the same for the body, to prevent back spots, or spots on other areas of the body by removing the build-up of sweat and dead skin cells.
Also, quite a gross thought, but how often do you think machinery is properly cleaned? When you are using the equipment or the bench that has been used by many bodies before you? I think you know where I’m going with this, it is pretty grim, so make sure you wash and clean properly after exercising!
Why do stress and exercise impact the skin?
Exercise can play an important role when it comes to stress. It can really help to relax the body and mind and help get rid of any negativity. It boosts your feel-good endorphins.
A key ingredient to good skin, is sleep – when we are sleeping, our skin is working hard to replenish itself and regenerate. It also helps with dark circles, and tired, dull skin. When we are stressed, our sleeping pattern suffers, so using exercise to help keep stress at bay is important.
Skin disorders may also decrease, as stress causes inflammation on the body, which in turn can cause flare ups.
My final tip:
Try not to touch your face in the gym or while working out, or ever, unless you have just washed your hands and about to do your skincare routine. Our hands are dirty. We pick up and carry dirt, grime and bacteria on our hands, and if we are constantly touching our faces, we could be introducing unwanted bacteria and viruses onto the skin, causing issues. This goes the same for your phone, think of all the places you put it down throughout the day, then when you use it to the side of your face, it can transfer to the skin.
You can find the range here, as well as samples here.
Lucy, CIBTAC accredited beauty therapist.
About Lucy Bee Limited
Any information provided by us is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. We always recommend referring your health queries to a qualified medical practitioner.
Lucy Bee is a lifestyle brand selling food, skincare and soap products all completely free from palm oil and with minimal use of plastic. Lucy Bee is concerned with Fair Trade, organic, ethical and sustainable living, recycling and empowering people to make informed choices and select quality, natural products for their food and their skin.
