Get Fit, Look Fabulous: 5 Ways Exercise Boosts Your Beauty
Get Fit, Look Fabulous: 5 Ways Exercise Boosts Your Beauty
Regular exercise also gives you a healthy, glowing look and an unmistakable va-va-voom that you just can’t get any other way.
Even the smallest victories resulting from exercise can have a significant impact on how you feel and look. While some may overlook these benefits, those who actively seek them out will find them to be just as valuable as weight loss or muscle gain. Regular exercise triggers a range of powerful physiological and biochemical processes that benefit every cell in the human body, according to Tim Church, MD, PhD, Director of Preventative Medicine at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La. In fact, the rewards of exercise are immediately tangible. Within an hour of exercising, you will feel less anxious, enjoy better sleep that night, and for 72 hours following exercise, your body will process blood sugar more efficiently. If you need more motivation to start exercising, here are a few ways it can make you feel and look fantastic.
1. Smoother, More Radiant Skin
When Genma Holmes, a 43-year-old working mom from Nashville, experienced adult acne three years ago, she was horrified. Despite feeling like a "hot mess" with her face dotted with pimples, she took charge of her health last year by walking two miles a day and working out on an elliptical trainer three times a week. While she expected to shape up, she was amazed when her acne cleared up as well. Holmes is not alone in experiencing clearer skin from exercise. According to Audrey Kunin, MD, a dermatologist in Kansas City, MO, and author of The DERMAdoctor Skinstruction Manual, breaking a sweat during exercise is the equivalent of receiving a mini-facial. When your pores dilate, sweat expels trapped dirt and oil, but it's crucial to wash your face afterward to prevent the gunk from being reabsorbed. Exercise also benefits the skin by reducing body-wide inflammation, regulating skin-significant hormones, and preventing free-radical damage. As you exercise, the small arteries in your skin expand, delivering nutrients that repair damage from the sun and environmental pollutants while stimulating collagen production. Collagen-producing cells in the skin, known as fibroblasts, become lazier and decrease in number as we age, but exercise helps fibroblasts work more efficiently, resulting in younger-looking skin.
2. Greater Self-Confidence
Confidence is a trait that exudes physical appeal and charisma. According to a recent British study, individuals who began a regular exercise program at their local gym felt better about their self-worth, physical condition, and overall health compared to those who remained sedentary. Even before seeing significant changes in their bodies, those who exercised regularly reported an immediate improvement in their self-worth. "You don't need to improve your fitness level to improve your self-perception of how fit you are," says Adrian Taylor, PhD, lead investigator of the study and an exercise researcher at the University of Exeter in England. This immediate boost in self-perception can lead to healthier self-esteem since our self-worth is closely linked to our energy levels, feelings of competence, and perceived attractiveness. Feeling confident in one's own skin is a beautiful thing, and there's nothing more attractive than self-assurance.
3. Increased Stature
Annie Appleby, a yoga instructor and founder of YogaForce LLC in San Francisco, started practicing yoga to alleviate stress. Several years later, during a checkup, she was amazed to discover that she had grown one and a half inches. Her clothes fit better, and she felt more comfortable in her body. The reason behind this phenomenon is not yet understood, but exercises that stretch and strengthen muscles simultaneously, such as yoga or Pilates, can improve posture and add height, according to Dan Bradley, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at the Texas Back Institute in Denton, Texas. Poor posture can cause some muscles to contract while others to lengthen, resulting in a loss of height. When you consciously work to balance your muscles, your back will elongate, your posture will improve, and you may grow taller. For individuals with a swayed back, core-strengthening exercises like planks, farmer's walks, and bird dogs are particularly beneficial. Resistance training using bands, machines, or free weights to strengthen the upper back can help restore lost height for those with hunched shoulders. Furthermore, improving posture through exercise can make you appear slimmer, more toned, and more self-assured.
4. Less Stress and Anxiety
Anxiety, fear, and uncertainty can sap your energy and dampen your mood, which can be reflected in your appearance and the way you carry yourself. Approximately 40 million American adults suffer from anxiety disorders, which can strip the smile from their face and the spring from their step. However, exercise has been proven to alleviate most mild to moderate cases of anxiety and quickly improve mood.
Jack Raglin, a sport psychologist at Indiana University, claims that exercise is like taking a tranquilizer, but better since it also improves health and fitness. Studies from Raglin’s lab have shown that even as little as 15 minutes of exercise can create a sense of calm that can last for hours. He recommends aerobic exercise, such as running, cycling, or swimming, or a combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise, such as weight training, for the best results.
Raglin and his team conducted a study in which 16 athletes had their anxiety levels tested, underwent 30 minutes of resistance training, and then another 30 minutes of cycling. After the workout, the students' stress levels had dropped dramatically and continued to decrease over the next hour.
Dorothy Foltz-Gray, a writer in Knoxville, Tennessee, finds that a bike ride at the end of a busy workday provides her with immediate relief. She says that she can leave her desk feeling anxious, grab her bike, and feel a smile spread across her face as she glides along the bike path. This sudden burst of freedom reminds her of being 12 years old again, grinning at other bikers who are feeling the same sense of liberation.
5. Better Immunity and Detoxification
As the spring cold season approaches, exercise's ability to enhance the immune system is not to be overlooked. By increasing the production of white blood cells, such as neutrophils and natural killer cells, exercise helps to prevent bacteria and viruses from taking hold. This translates to fewer instances of feeling run down and a faster healing time for minor injuries.
Moreover, exercise supports the lymphatic system, which is responsible for eliminating waste. Without the help of nearby muscles, roughly 500 lymph nodes in the body can't function efficiently. During exercise, contracting muscles squeeze the nodes, facilitating waste removal and reducing puffiness.
According to David Nieman, director of human performance labs at Appalachian State University, regular exercise that raises your heart rate is key to achieving better circulation, and subsequently, boosting your immune system. He found that only 45 minutes of walking per day could cut sick days by up to 50 percent.
Elle Swan, a life coach, attributes her seven-year streak of not missing work to her regular exercise routine, which includes Bikram yoga, group cycling, and weightlifting. She used to catch four colds per year that would often lead to sinus and ear infections, but now she never gets sick.
To sum up, there is no supplement or medication that can match the immune-boosting effects of regular exercise, as stated by Nieman.
Experts in exercise research concur that enhancing fitness levels through physical activity is beneficial for almost every system in our bodies. And it doesn't matter what type of regular exercise you engage in, as you will reap the rewards of these improvements. According to Talbott, many people think exercise is only about burning calories; however, it offers numerous other benefits. Exercise aids in stress management, improved sleep, and overall good health. These small benefits accumulate and ultimately result in a more stunning and dazzling version of yourself.
