The Beauty Benefits of Exercise

Whether it is because of a specific health concern or just for general fitness and well-being, exercise assists our bodies in many ways. Interestingly enough, though, some of the ways also translate into many beauty-related functions.

Release of Toxins: No doubt, working out also means working up a good sweat. While it is thought that sweat will help flush the body of toxins, more recent research has shown that it is not the sweat itself that releases toxins, but revving up the body overall that helps the body perform all the processes it does naturally to reduce excess and release unneeded materials from the body, which can lead to things like inflammation, puffiness, and acne. But even if sweat has nothing to do with it, exercise is a surefire way to get things moving along.

Muscle Toning: Of course, building up leaner, stronger muscle is an obvious positive to working out. but this strengthening of muscles is a total-body experience, including within our faces. Stronger facial muscles support a more relaxed and smoother facial posture, meaning that the skin itself will stay supple for longer and remain more elastic as we age and will be less likely to sag and show wrinkles.

Blood Circulation: Blood circulation is important in delivering crucial oxygen and nutrients throughout the body and stimulating its natural processes. This is particularly true of healthy hair growth. A rush of oxygen-rich blood to the scalp follicles not only kickstarts the natural growth process but it also speeds it up and produces much thicker-looking, shiner, and more breakage and damage-resistant hair as a result. The increase of blood flow also assist our skin in facilitating the skin's natural exfoliation process and gives us more of an overall glow.

Endorphin Increase: it is often said that when you look good, you feel good, but is perhaps even more true that when you feel good, it shows on the outside. Any type of exercise, but especially vigorous more aerobic exercise pumps up the release of endorphins-- nature's "feel-good" or positivity hormone making you feel more energized, happier, and more stress-free. By the same token, more gradual, more relaxing forms of exercise such as yoga also help to calm the mind and body and have a great effect on hormone balancing and decrease the production of cortisol (a stress response hormone that has been shown to be a key component in the formation of acne).

Sleep Improvements: As much as exercise works to help amp up the body's activity that boost of activity also helps to get better quality sleep at night. When we sleep well, everything in our body renews better on the inside as well as the outside, which, again, helps the glow of our skin, the brightness of our eyes, the strength of our hair, nails, and teeth, literally almost everything. So anything you can do in the day to help lull you into relaxation at night will only serve for better beauty rest.

No matter if you are a jogger, a swimmer, a fan of the treadmill or a total zen yogi, exercise in any form is a great way not just to your very best health, but looking your very best too.