Find out what scientists have to say about the benefits of training for your skin and what sports to choose to maximize the effect. Everyone knows that moderate physical activity is good for health, but the question of how exercise affects your skin remains unanswered for many. It is on this topic that we are going to talk today.
How Exercise Affects Your Skin: Research Findings
We will not delay for a long time and we will immediately inform you that scientists have proven the benefits of sports for the skin. Regular training allows not only to preserve youthfulness of the skin, but even to trigger reverse reactions if aging has already begun. There is no secret that with age, the skin begins to sag and wrinkles appear on it. These changes are especially age-related and are associated with the activation of changes in various layers of the skin.
After the age of 40, the outer layer of the skin begins to gradually thicken, the number of collagen fibers in it decreases. All this leads to the fact that the skin becomes dry and rough. At the same time, the layer under the epidermis begins to thin out. Its cellular structures die, and the elasticity index decreases. As a result, the skin becomes dull.
It should be remembered that all these changes are associated exclusively with age, and solar ultraviolet light has nothing to do with them. However, scientists from McMaster University, located in the Canadian province of Ontario, were able to prove the reversibility of the reactions discussed above. The first experimental subjects were mice, and scientists stated the fact that physical activity significantly slows down the aging process. When rodents were deprived of the opportunity to actively move, they quickly became lethargic, flabby and bald.
Scientists did not want to stop there and conducted a study with the participation of 29 men and women, whose age was 20–84 years. Half of the participants in the experiment were active and trained for at least three hours during the week. The rest of the people were sedentary. After completing the experiment, the scientists checked the condition of the skin on the buttocks to minimize the influence of solar ultraviolet radiation.
After examining skin tissue under a microscope, scientists saw what they should have - in older people, the outer layer of the skin became thicker. However, after the separation of the samples according to physical activity, the situation became clearer. Even at the age of well over 40 years, in active people, the skin looked at least ten years younger. Of course, other factors, such as nutrition or genetics, which also affect our health, cannot be discounted. As a result, scientists could not give an exact answer to the question, how does exercise affect the condition of your skin?
All this led to the fact that the experiment continued. Elderly participants in the previous study, whose skin condition corresponded to their physiological age, began to actively engage in sports. During the week, at least two workouts were carried out, lasting about an hour. The study lasted three months, after which new samples of skin tissue were taken using a biopsy.
As a result, it was confirmed that the skin was rejuvenated. According to scientists, the whole point is that under the influence of physical exertion, blood flow accelerates and more myosins enter the cells of the skin. It is these substances that activate the processes of renewal of cellular structures. An increase in the concentration of a substance known as IL-15 was also found. After physical exertion, his level increased by 50 percent.
So, now we can talk about several factors that contribute to the improvement of the condition of the skin under the influence of physical exertion:
- With the help of profuse perspiration, the pores are perfectly cleansed.
- Blood microcirculation improves, which allows cells to be provided with a large amount of nutrients and quickly utilizes toxins.
- The work of the vascular system is normalized.
But you should keep in mind some of the nuances that have a negative connotation. During the so-called "drying" the body is severely dehydrated and this is the main reason for the deterioration of the outer layer of the skin. Professional athletes who are forced to use rigid nutritional programs are familiar with the state of catabolism, when the body is destroyed by itself due to the lack of a sufficient amount of nutrients.
If you are planning to get rid of excess weight thanks to a rigid diet, then think about the consequences of this on the skin. In such a situation, the risk of stretch marks is extremely high, and then it will be possible to eliminate them only thanks to the beauty salon.
Which sport should you choose to improve your skin condition?
Today, every person has the right to choose the sport that he likes best. Now we will try to answer the question of which sport is more active in improving the condition of the skin.
Gym
The higher the load on the muscles, the stronger the body's response will be. If after training you feel a slight burning sensation in your muscles, you can be sure that you were not wasting your time on training. Strength training is a powerful stress for the body, which urgently begins to synthesize hormonal substances. Then they are primarily delivered to those tissues that have just been actively trained.
With the help of strength training, every woman is able to significantly improve her appearance. First of all, this concerns an increase in muscle tone. Muscles throughout the body are tightened and no longer sag, as it was before. If you regularly do squats, then quickly enough you will be able to notice how the butt takes on an attractive appearance. In addition, cellulite is destroyed under the influence of hormones. As a reminder, you should avoid serious body drying. The recommended duration of the training is 45 minutes, and during the week it is enough to conduct three sessions.
Swimming
This sport is inferior to the gym in some respects, but in some respects it is more effective. To begin with, you need to swim at high intensity to get the best results. It is also recommended to alternate between different swimming styles. In this case, you will have the opportunity to tighten the muscles of the whole body.
In addition, swimming has a positive effect on the lymphatic system and the spinal column, removing negative stress from it. Also, swimming is more preferable in terms of the absence of negative effects on the joints. Since the outflow of lymphatic fluid is accelerated, various toxins and metabolites are rapidly eliminated from the cellular structures of all tissues, including the skin.
Yoga
Yoga is very popular today among people who want to look good. Unfortunately, excellent results can be achieved only under the guidance of a competent specialist, who is a rather big problem in our country. Often we teach exotic body movements, not yoga.
You should also remember that faster body shape results can be achieved in the gym. Already two or three months after the start of bodybuilding, the first changes in your figure will appear. Recall that yoga was created for spiritual self-improvement and is capable of touching on many aspects of life.
This ancient teaching has never been positioned exclusively in terms of aesthetic changes in the body. It makes no sense to deny that regular yoga practice leads to an improvement in the figure, but this is a quick additional effect, and not an end in itself for adherents of the teachings.
Beauty saloon
Although today we are looking for an answer to the question of how training affects the condition of your skin, you cannot do without a mention of cosmetology. No matter how active your exercises in the gym are, they do not allow you to achieve the required rate of synthesis of substances such as elastin, hyaluronic acid and elastin. If, after 40 years of age, you decide to find an answer to the question of how training affects the condition of your skin, then this is possible only in combination with visits to a beauty salon. The maximum result can be obtained with a competent combination of physical activity and cosmetic products.
How Exercise Affects Your Skin: Exercise Tips
Let's find out what steps you need to take so that you don't have to wonder how exercise affects your skin in the future.
- Sweat vigorously in class. We have already said that sweat helps to cleanse the pores of the skin. Moreover, scientists have proven that no modern cosmetic product is capable of doing this more effectively. Also, in the course of scientific research, it was possible to establish the presence of antioxidant properties in sweat. This allows him to cope well with acne and other rashes on the skin. Immediately I would like to note that you cannot go to the gym with a large amount of cosmetics applied to the skin. This will clog the pores as the skin begins to dry out. The maximum that you can afford is mascara and lipstick. Remember, you are visiting the gym not to meet pumped-up men, but to improve your figure.
- Minimize stressful situations. Stress negatively affects all organs and systems of our body, including the skin. It doesn't really matter whether you have problems at work or at home, the skin will react to them as quickly as possible. Exercise has been proven to be an excellent antidepressant.
- Blood flow accelerates. We have already mentioned this positive effect of exercise. Simultaneously with the blood flow, metabolism is also accelerated, which has a positive effect on the entire body.
- Movement is life. This ancient folk wisdom speaks quite eloquently about how beneficial physical activity is for the body. Scientists have confirmed this, but it's important not to overdo it. Excessive exercise can bring exactly the opposite results.
You do not have to wait a long time for positive results after the start of training. It is important to remember that they should be regular, and the load should be moderate. Whichever sport you choose, it is advisable to train under the supervision of a competent specialist, at least for the first time. With its help, you will draw up the correct training program and learn all the basic movements.
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