Life can get super busy. You lunge
from pillar to post in a matter of minutes, forget appointments, miss food
items from your list at the supermarket, can’t fit in daily exercise, or fail
to call people you promised to call. There aren’t enough hours in a day to do
it all.
In the middle of living a full and
enriching life, you skip some of your health habits – habits that sustain the well-being
of your mind, body, and spirit. Exercising is the easiest health habit to
bury in your busy day.
You’ll get to it later.
Even if you have the best intention
to exercise, when you reach the end of the day the only place you want to be is
on the couch or in bed. You promise to get back to it tomorrow. Skip one day, skip the next.
Honor
Your Daily Exercise Routine
My mother never
missed a day of exercise. She did her routine on the carpeted floor of her
bedroom every day before she entered the kitchen to fix breakfast.
She was fully dressed,
in a suit with heels, false eyelashes in place. Those daily 20 to 30 minutes,
with abs and stretch work, gave my mother a perfect figure.
In today’s world, much of exercise has returned to the living room for a class of yoga, or weightlifting, or cardio. No matter what you do, 30 minutes is sufficient to accomplish your daily exercise routine.
Exercise is the most import thing
you can do for your general welfare – a healthy heart, weight control, a longer
life, and tight skin.
Facial
Exercise Alternative
Doing exercises to strengthen facial muscles is a worthy goal; however, how many of you can sustain a daily practice of exercising the face?
There is an easier way to target sagging; that is, anything that gets your blood pumping, such as hiking, power walking, gentle yoga, swimming, or any type of cardio. Either of these will stimulate collagen and bring blood to the facial surface.
Thus, exercising at least 3 times
a week for 30 minutes at a time can help keep your skin looking firmer and younger.
Increase Collagen
Production
When you exercise, tiny capillaries
in your skin dilate, which moves nutrient-rich blood to the skin. These
nutrients help collagen-producing cells (fibroblasts) to work more efficiently.
And more collagen means plumper skin that resists sagging.
This increased blood flow gives you a rosy glow that lasts all day. Note how your skin plumps up when you take a sauna, either hot or wet. That’s due to your blood moving closer to the surface.
Deep Clean Your
Pores
Over the years, I was devoted to
facials and microdermabrasion. I had expert advice that I never forgot.
Thoroughly cleaning your face twice daily reduces clogged pores.
Impurities like dirt and oil stretch
out your pores over time and drag down the skin, leading to an aged, droopy
look, giving your skin a
less youthful texture and ultimately creating the optical illusion of sagging.
When you exercise, you produce sweat,
and sweat cleans the pores by bringing oil, bacteria, and dirt out onto the skin’s
surface. A deep cleanse of the facial surface will give your skin color and
bounce it back to beauty.
Reduce Stress
It is common knowledge that stress
is physically destructive to your skin. Stress leads to the production of cortisol, a
hormone that blocks collagen production. However, over time, excessive stress can
cause your skin to actually lose its internal structure, thereby negatively
changing the molecular structure.
You can reduce stress and lower cortisol levels with regular exercise. A study published in 2008 by scientists from Michigan State University found that cortisol levels drop by as much as 18.5% after an intense workout.
That means exercising regularly will
not only make you feel more relaxed every day, it will also protect your skin
from premature sagging, thinning, and slacking.
Increase Skin Cell
Regeneration
The importance of sleep to good
health cannot be over-estimated. Exercise and sleep have a dynamic
relationship. The more you exercise, the better you sleep. The benefit
translates into younger-looking skin.
While your body rests at night,
natural healing processes are activated – including regenerating your skin’s natural collagen and
elastin – two molecules that are essential in the fight against gravity. A good
night’s sleep can take years off your appearance.
Detoxification
Detoxification is a buzz word in
beauty circles today. It’s meaning refers to removing toxins out of the skin,
thereby, increasing circulation. This process happens when increased blood
flows to the liver.
The blood carries toxins out of the
skin, thereby eliminating them. Note that increased blood flow to the liver
means your blood will be “cleaned out” faster and fewer
environmental toxins will invade your skin.
Posture Improvement
As much as you love your computers
and tablets, they are the primary reasons that your body spends too much time
slouching and your facial skin sagging. It also compromises your neck muscles
and encourages a rounder back.
Make sure your computer is at the
proper height while you work with a straight back. It’s preferable to sit on a
ball or stand. Most importantly, train yourself through exercise to keep your
head held up and align the neck with the spine.
With almost 50 years working out and
teaching yoga, coupled with a swimming routine, my best recommendations for
improving posture are yoga, Pilates, and dancing.
When I’m pressed for time, I hike or power walk around my neighborhood hills (two miles), swim a half mile at the gym, or practice a half hour of yoga.
You will see the results of your healthy
habits in no time. Adhering to a routine of daily exercise will visibly show on
your tighter face and straighter posture. You will look younger, have more
energy, and be more conscious of your mind, body, and spirit connection.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
What are your healthy habits? How often do you
do them? What is your routine? Please share with our community!
