Exercise for Your Body AND Skin Health

Just as ‘abs are made in the kitchen,’ healthy skin is made from breaking a sweat.

You can eat well, rest well, and lather well in top-of-the-line skin care products, but without a vital piece to the puzzle, your skin can still fall flat.

Yes – we’re talking about exercise, and regardless if you like to push yourself in that capacity or not, your skin craves it.

Exercise for Clear Skin. Exercise for Beautiful Skin.

For some individuals (us included), it can be hard to completely believe that exercising benefits the skin when you’re in the middle of a run or yoga class or weight lifting session because – let’s be honest – we feel more red and blotchy than dewy and glowing.

But make no mistake about it, your skin is reeling from your decision to get up and get moving.

Here is how exercising benefits your skin health and complexion:

When you not only exercise for heart and lung and muscle health, but also exercise for clear skin that radiates vigor, you will notice a lot of incredible beauty benefits.

  • When you workout, you boost whole body circulation, increase blood flow to your skin, and promote the surge of your skin’s metabolism.
  • This increased blood flow nourishes your skin with vital and fundamental nutrients and oxygen.
  • When you exercise on a consistent basis, your skin repeatedly receives and feeds off of these life-giving components (blood, oxygen, nutrients).
  • It is scientifically proven that a steady fitness routine can not only make you and your skin feel younger, but it can also begin to reverse the signs of visible aging,1 making you look younger as well.
  • Astonishingly, feeling and looking younger because of healthy, regular exercise is possible even if you don’t start working out until later in life.1
  • Let us not forget to mention ridding your skin of toxins. Yes, that widely used saying of sweating out the toxins is valid, for when you enhance blood flow, you’re helping skin cells regenerate and remove toxins and waste products, including free radicals, more efficiently.

 

What about exercising and chronic skin conditions?

Exercise wins here again. Understandably, red, blotchy, sweat filled pores can seem like a recipe for breakouts and worsened skin conditions.

In reality, and backed by science, exercise decreases cortisol – our body’s stress hormone. In turn, lowered levels of cortisol can be beneficial for chronic skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and acne.

How does exercising benefit skin during weight loss or weight maintenance?

If you’re on a weight loss journey, you are well on your way to an incredible achievement. Depending on your goals and exercise plan, excessive weight loss can sometimes result in loose, stretch-marked skin. But it’s truly all about understanding your skin as it transforms with you that can make all the difference.

Of course, whether you have five or fifty-five pounds or more to lose, exercising will benefit your skin just the same, as discussed above. To help you navigate your skin changes during weight loss, and to learn how you can work toward healthy, beautiful skin as you shed the pounds, download our free Weight Loss & Your Skin Guide.

Exercises for Glowing Skin and Hair

When you begin to focus on your skin health during exercise, it’s common to wonder if there are specific ways to exercise that benefit the skin more.

At ReTone, we’re not only passionate about making sure your skin is healthy and beautiful – we care about your overall health, too. As the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle and thriving skin, we’re here to share a few tips on exercises for glowing skin and hair. While we are not hair experts, it is proven that the increased blood flow and nutrients from exercising helps hair become stronger and healthier and promotes growth by stimulating the hair follicle3]

While not a comprehensive list, here are simple ways you can exercise for skin that glows and exudes radiance:

*Always remember to consult a medical professional before beginning any new exercise routine, especially after weight loss, weight gain or pregnancy.

 

Skin Tightening Exercises

Tightening your body’s largest organ with exercises can prove to be a challenging feat, but by pursuing a balanced workout regimen that includes strength, resistance, and cardio training, your skin will benefit.

Additionally, when discussing general skin tightening exercises, moves that build and tone muscles – like weight lifting and bodyweight exercises, such as push-ups or certain yoga poses – will develop the shape of yours. As a result, loose skin will essentially fill out from the underside.

Stomach Skin Tightening Exercises

We’re loving these stomach skin tightening exercises that not only create abdominal muscle definition, but also tighten up other areas of the body, too:

  • Static Knee Press
    • Begin by lying flat, face up: On a hard floor with a yoga mat (or a layer of your choice) under you, lie face up with your legs lifted, knees bent at 90 degrees.
    • Flex your feet toward your shins and balance your knees directly over your hips.
    • Use resistance: Place your hands flat on your thighs and begin pressing your thighs toward your hands and your hands toward your thighs. You should create significant tension with them pushing against each other.
    • Resist moving your arms and legs by engaging your abs: Draw your navel in toward your spine and push your back to the floor as you brace against the force provided by both your hands and legs.
    • Release and repeat: Hold each push for a count of two and release/relax for a count of one. Repeat up to 10 times.
  • Plank Saw
    • Enter the plank position: On a hard floor with a yoga mat (or a layer of your choice) under you, get into the plank position – a push-up-like position but with your forearms on the floor.
    • Be sure your body is tight and rigid from head to ankles.
    • Double check that your hips are not sagging down or that your bottom is not hiked in the air; you want your back, hips and legs to form a straight line.
    • Hold this position for five seconds.
    • Begin the saw motion: Bend at your hips and start walking your feet toward your face. Your butt will rise toward the ceiling.
      When you’ve walked your feet as far in as they’ll go, your body should be in a triangular shape.
    • Return to the plank position: Slowly walk your feet back out to the initial plank position.
    • As you walk your feet out, keep your abs tight and your butt/hips controlled (try not to allow them to sway side to side).
    • Pause and repeat up to 10 times.
  • Ab Pulsing Lifts
    • Begin by lying flat: On a hard floor with a yoga mat (or a layer of your choice) under you, lie on your back and extend your legs up toward the ceiling.
    • Lay your hands on the floor alongside your hips.
    • Begin the lift: Tighten your abs and squeeze your leg muscles.
      With your legs remaining together and straight, lift your legs off the ground and continue moving until your toes are pointed toward the ceiling and your hips and lower back are off the ground.
    • When you are at the “top” of the move, the only things touching the ground should be your arms, shoulder/upper back area, and head.
    • Pause in this up position for a count of one.
    • Lower your legs back down: Slowly lower your legs and hips back to the mat, remembering to keep your abs and leg muscles tight.
    • Pause and repeat up to 15 times.

 

Skin Tightening Exercises for Arms/Legs

While the abs always seem to get all the attention, skin tightening exercises for arms/legs are just as important to ensure your whole body and every inch of skin look and feel great, too.

For the arms, try:

  • Triangle Pushups
    • Did you know, according to the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and scientists at the Exercise and Health Program at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, the triangle push up registered the most muscle activity among all the exercises tested in a study, making it the number one exercise for eliminating arm jiggle.2
    • Get in position: Assume the traditional push-up position, making sure to keep your abs and glutes tight.
    • Move your hands together so that your two pointer fingers are slightly touching and your two thumbs are slightly touching.
    • There should be a triangle shape formed by your fingers touching.
    • You can modify: If you would like, you can complete these in modified form, where you perform your push-ups on your knees. You will want to place your weight on your knees and hands, ensuring your back is straight at all times.
    • Begin: Slowly lower your body until it almost touches the floor and push up with your arms until they are fully extended. Keep your pointer fingers and thumbs touching at all times.
    • Repeat up to 15 times.
  • Triceps Dips
    • You will need a chair for this exercise.
    • Get in position: With your entire body facing away from the chair, place your feet on the floor a few feet from the chair.
      Place your hands behind you on the seat of the chair with your fingers facing toward you.
    • Keep your legs straight out in front of you.
    • Begin: Slowly dip down by bending your arms behind you and go as low as you can but don’t allow your butt to touch the floor.
    • Slowly raise your body back up using your triceps until your arms are completely straight.
    • Repeat up to 20 times.

For the legs, try:

  • Squats
    • Get in position: Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
    • Begin: Bend your knees and slowly lower your body until your thighs are about parallel with the floor.
    • Slowly begin to stand up again.
    • During each repetition, make sure your back is straight and your abs are tight.
    • Repeat up to 15 times.
  • Front Lunges
    • Get in position: Stand with your feet slightly less than shoulder width apart.
    • Begin: Take a giant step forward with your left leg and lower your body until your right knee almost touches the floor.
    • Push your body back up to your standing position using your left leg.
    • Be sure your shoulders are relaxed, your back is straight with good posture, and your abs are tight.
    • Repeat with your right leg and continue to alternate legs.
    • Repeat up to 15 times on each leg.

Of course, don’t stop there. Look for other effective skin tightening exercises to keep your momentum going.

Take Care of Your Skin Pre- and Post-Workout with a Multifaceted Approach

Hands down, exercise is critical for glowy skin, but keep in mind that your skin still needs nurturing before and after a workout.

Before you work out, it’s best to remove all makeup so your pores open and breathe freely as you move and sweat. Sweating with makeup can easily create clogged pores. Also be sure to apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen (SPF of 15 or higher) and use as directed if you’ll be exercising outside.

After you workout, try to avoid wiping sweat from your body with your hands, as this action can introduce bacteria and dirt into your open pores. It’s also exceedingly beneficial to get out of your workout clothes as soon as possible to avoid unnecessary breakouts from the lingering sweat and bacteria on your clothes.

If you elect to take a full shower or just quickly rinse your face and body after your workout, your skin will need (and love) a boost of hydration afterwards.

This is where a multifaceted body oil comes in:

Give Your Skin a Boost of Unrivaled Support with an All-Natural, Comprehensive Body Oil

When your diet, sleep and exercise habits are aligned and helping you achieve optimal health, your skin will still need a little help to stay smooth, firm, supple – especially as you move in and out of weather conditions and dry air-controlled environments (all things that can drain your skin of vital hydration).

At ReTone, we don’t believe you need to apply a plethora of skincare products to your skin to give it the support it needs, nor do we believe in making products that are overly expensive.

We firmly believe that skincare should be simple and straightforward, so we’ve created a breakthrough body oil that will give your skin everything it needs and deserves.

Combined into one powerful, comprehensive formula, ReTone’s Body Oil will give your skin unrivaled support to flourish and deliver the entire spectrum of support it needs – staying moisturized and hydrated, achieving a more even tone, fighting aging, and maintaining a youthful glow.

Containing four nourishing oils (tamanu, argan, rose hip, jojoba), Gotu Kola, and Vitamins E & C, ReTone has all the bases covered after you shower off that sweat.

Never adding any fillers or artificial colors, ReTone’s Body Oil was made with
your utmost safety in mind.

Give ReTone Body Oil a try and see the difference in your skin for yourself.

Try ReTone Body Oil

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Resources:
1 Health. 15 Ways Exercise Makes You Look and Feel Younger. Accessed February 27, 2019. https://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20909808,00.html?slide=68685#68685.

2 Shape. The #1 Exercise to Ditch Arm Flab. Accessed February 27, 2019. https://www.shape.com/blogs/working-it-out/1-exercise-ditch-arm-flab.

3 Everyday Health. The Beauty Benefits of Exercise. Accessed February 27, 2019. https://www.everydayhealth.com/news/the-beauty-benefits-of-exercise/.