Exercise to a clear and stress-free skin

By: Maria

I was underweight for the longest time of my life, and I was so tired of people calling me things like “sticks” or “bones”. Therefore, I decided to start exercising to get a more “curvier” look. Once I started exercising I not only saw a difference in my body shape, but I also started noticing how my skin was starting to glow. After only noticing my skin “glowing”, I started noticing it clearing up. However, I still did not make the connection between exercising and my skin yet. When my college work started piling up and I wasn’t managing my time enough I put aside exercising thinking it will only affect my body shape. Needless to say, in addition to the difference in my body shape I also noticed my acne starting again and getting more as the days went by. With stopping exercise, I also noticed myself getting more stressed. Stress is also another reason why people break out, and that was even a stronger reason as to why I was breaking out.

According to the WebMD, Dr. Stephanie S. Gardner says: “By increasing blood flow, exercise helps nourish skin cells and keep them vital. ‘Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to working cells throughout the body, including the skin,’ says Marmur. In addition to providing oxygen, blood flow also helps carry away waste products, including free radicals, from working cells. Contrary to some claims, exercise doesn't detoxify the skin. The job of neutralizing toxins belongs mostly to the liver. ‘But by increasing blood flow, a bout of exercise helps flush cellular debris out of the system,’ Marmur tells WebMD. ‘You can think of it as cleansing your skin from the inside.’

After I read the paragraph above, I realized exercising is not only the solution to better self-confidence (because of better body shape) but also for a better skin and acne-free face. That is where I decided to start exercising again. During my finals last semester, not only did I notice the exercising was helping my stress to reduce by a ton, but my acne reducing by a ton as well.

If you are dealing with stress and/or body image issues and/or acne issues, I really advise you to start exercising. I guarantee that you will see a huge difference. It won’t hurt to try it for awhile! Exercising will not only help you handle your stress much better, but it will also boost your confidence by giving you a better body shape and better skin!