A Secret Weapon for Skin Care

A Secret Weapon for Skin Care
by Laura DeAngelis, NASM CPT, AFAA Group Exercise Instructor 


No doubt you visit Yisell’s blog and website for great tips about how to keep your skin looking its best. Whether it’s a skin-smoothing body scrub for the shower, oil-free foundation for the face or night cream to keep those Crow’s feet at bay, many of us invest in products to maintain a healthy glow from head to toe. Well, guess what? There’s a secret weapon that can help these products do their jobs even better. It’s called exercise.

There are a several ways exercise can improve your skin’s appearance:  

1. Bye-Bye Toxins! Whether you break a sweat with a morning run, after-work interval training on the elliptical machine or a Zumba® class, sweating cleanses the body of toxins that can actually clog pores and cause breakouts.
2. Boost Your Blood Flow! One of the countless benefits of exercise is that it increases blood circulation throughout the entire body. That means better delivery of oxygen and nutrients to all your organs, and your skin happens to be the largest organ in the human body. Considering many of us purchase skin care products based on the beneficial nutrients they contain, exercise is a way to compliment those products from the inside out by pushing essential nutrients to the skin so your skin can radiate a  natural glow.
3. Get Rid of Stress! It’s no secret stress has a laundry list of negative effects and wreaking havoc on your skin is one of them. I can honestly say a good workout has always been able to right whatever ailed me whether it was a stressful day at work or a challenging time in my personal life. Stress can also lead to flare ups of certain skin conditions including psoriasis, so exercise can be one way to this aggravating factor in check.

One final note: It is crucial to keep your body fueled with the right foods if you want your workouts to produce maximum benefits, including healthier-looking skin. As a lifetime Weight Watchers member, I follow what I call the “everything-in-moderation lifestyle,” and my daily diet is filled with healthy options like fruits, veggies, whole grains and lean protein. Here’s a link to an article that lists some specific foods that have been linked to better looking skin.  

If you’re still looking for some motivation to incorporate fitness into your life, hopefully knowing you’ll be on your way to achieving that healthy glow from the inside-out will get you moving and start your journey to have fun, be fit and feel fabulous!

Laura DeAngelis is an independent personal trainer in New York City who received her certification through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). She’s also a certified Group Exercise Instructor through the Aerobics & Fitness Association of America (AFAA) and a Licensed Zumba® Instructor. When she’s not training, Laura currently works as the Director of Production at West Glen Communications, Inc. where she also hosts “Health & Home Report.” For more of Laura’s health and fitness tips, check out her blog at LauraLovesFitness.com