From rosacesa to acne, workouts that can improve your skin conditions as well as keep you in shape
IF you have been struggling to make it to the gym, there might just be a new incentive for you.
Exercise keeps our bodies in shape and our health in the green. But it can also affect the state of our skin, reveals research from Swedish beauty and tech brand Foreo.
From marathon running to mindful yoga, the exercises you adopt have the power to make or break your complexion.
From rosacea to acne, Shannon Lawlor reveals which exercises are best for which skin condition.
Breakouts
YOGA: Training for more than an hour, even at low intensity, can stimulate release of stress hormone cortisol, which can trigger breakouts and acne, says GP and dermatologist Dr Anita Sturnham.
If your skin is struggling for clarity, consider switching high-intensity routines for an hour of yoga to keep cortisol levels low.
Celebrity personal trainer Ciara London says: “Yoga builds strength and helps alleviate stress.”
Dullness
RESISTANCE TRAINING: Regular exercise makes our heart more efficient at delivering essential nutrients to our skin.
To keep up a daily glow without having to fork out for a pricey gym membership, try resistance workouts that can be done at home.
Ciara says: “Resistance training involves putting muscles under some form of pressure. For example, holding a squat position forces the muscles to work harder, which works the heart.”
Rosacea
PILATES: Prone to redness? Steer clear of endurance training.
Anita says: “Exercises such as long-distance running can weaken the epidermal barriers and enhance risk of infection, sensitivity and dryness.”
To keep your skin barrier intact, opt for a low-intensity workout such as Pilates. Ciara says: “Like yoga, Pilates requires minimal equipment and can be done at home by utilising the thousands of tutorials and workouts online.”
Improve definition
WALKING: As exercise works to tone our bodies, it makes sense for it to tone our faces too, right?
Anita explains: “Moderate aerobic exercise leads to muscle production of myokines.
“They are tiny protein substances that promote healthy collagen stores and help keep facial muscle tone in place.”
When it comes to aerobics, you can forget old-school workout DVDs.
Ciara says: “Walking is the most simple and effective aerobic exercise you can do.”
Pigmentation
TAI CHI: If you are plagued with unsightly brown spots, any exercise that exposes you to heat could worsen it.
Anita says: “Lower-intensity exercises have a positive impact on lowering stress hormones such as pigment-producing neuropeptide.”
While yoga and Pilates are often held in confined, hot studios, a tamer alternative such as tai chi can help better your pigmentation.
Ciara says: “Tai chi is slower and slightly less intense than yoga.”
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Preserve youthful skin
HIIT: Signs of skin ageing are inevitable but you can still take precautionary measures.
Anita says: “Focus on building lean muscle mass with HIIT (high-intensity interval training). Developing good muscle tone throughout the body can improve the tautness of the skin.”
HIIT involves short, sharp, intense bursts of cardio training.
You can try sets of squat jumps for 30 seconds, then having a ten-second rest in between.
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