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How To Make
Your Skin Look Younger
From
BODi Fitness &
Health
We always hear from our customers
(who often feel they're crazy) that "even" their skin is looking younger since
they started to exercise. It's not their imagination – they have improved
the health of their skin by living a healthier lifestyle.
Nowadays,
there seems to be a lotion or cream to cure just about any skin ailment. While
there are indeed some wonderful elixirs out there, I ask you, if you wanted to
tend to your liver, would you put Lubriderm on it? If you wanted to make sure
your heart will stay young and vital, would you slather on some Oil of
Olay?
Of course not. But get this: the skin is an organ just like your
heart and your liver. In fact, it is the largest organ on the human body. So,
if you do the math, it seems obvious that you should keep it healthy the same
way you keep all the rest of your organs in shape: diet and exercise.
Of course, every organ is different. While diet and exercise is universally
beneficial, they affect each organ in diverse ways. Here's a break down of how
your outer-casing benefits from a health-filled regime.
Of course, every organ is
different. While diet and exercise is universally beneficial, they affect each
organ in diverse ways. Here's a break down of how your outer-casing benefits
from a health-filled regime.
EATING FOR YOUR EPIDERMIS
All kinds of vitamins and minerals do all kinds of things for your skin. Zinc
and protein speed healing and reconstruct damaged tissue, as does Vitamin C by
aiding the production of collagen, the protein building blocks vital to all
your connective tissue.
Vitamin E helps with circulation, which
flushes out toxins.
Both C and E deliver anti-oxidants, which are
believed to fight against sun damage, smoke and the dreaded hole in the ozone
layer, although they are by no means a substitute for sun block and a good hat
-- or for giving up smoking.
All these damaging effects create free
radicals, nasty little oxidized molecules that are believed to cause tissue
damage at the cellular level. Among other things, free radicals contribute to
the development of cancer. The best way to neutralize them is with
anti-oxidants, like the ones you get from many fruits and vegetables, including
oranges, berries, leafy greens and beets. You'll also find anti-oxidants in
green tea.
You'll hear talk from time to time of the anti-oxidants in
chocolate, but keep in mind that chocolate also over stimulates oil production,
so you wouldn't be doing your skin any favors, plowing though those
M&Ms.
And then there's water. As with everything else to do with
your body, H2O makes all the difference. Eight glasses a day will hydrate your
skin, flush out toxins and regulate your oil glands, which is great news for
your complexion. Water is also excellent for skin elasticity. Unfortunately,
stretched skin often won't completely shrink-to-fit, but keeping hydrated will
definitely help.
FITNESS FOR YOUR FLESH
Most of us
work out to get our heart rate up and our abs rippin'. If that's all you
thought exercise did, welcome to the bonus round! Working out also does wonders
for the skin by toning, reducing stress and increasing circulation. Increased
circulation means your blood can deliver oxygen and nutrients to your hide.
But wait, there's more! Exercise also makes you sweat, which flushes
toxins out of your system (with help from that water I was badgering you about
earlier). It also releases sebum, a mixture of fatty acids, waxes,
triglycerides and cholesterol that acts as the skin's own built-in moisturizer.
Researchers at the Eberhard Karls University in Germany believe sweat also
releases dermacidin, an antibiotic that limits disease-causing bacteria, thus
reducing your chances of skin infection.
So don't stop moisturizing
and definitely keep slathering on the sunscreen. It's important to take care of
your skin that way. But remember, some of the best ways to tend to your flesh
involve working from the inside out.
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