They are the champions of champions! The Women’s US soccer team have returned the World Cup to United States’ home soil! Apart from being exceptional athletes, they all seem to have exceptional skin! But why?
It turns out that EXERCISE has a lot to do with the longevity and youth of your skin. It’s ok if you haven’t spent your life sprinting ten miles a day (like the majestic US women’s team!). It’s never too late to start exercising. Research from McMaster University in Ontario has shown that in addition to helping keep your skin look and feel younger, exercise can actually help reverse the signs of aging in your skin!
“They found that after age 40, the men and women who exercised frequently had markedly thinner, healthier stratum corneums and thicker dermis layers in their skin. Their skin was much closer in composition to that of the 20- and 30-year-olds than to that of others of their age, even if they were past age 65.”
By using various testing methods and areas of the skin, they were able to reject other factors that might have affected the skin, such as sun exposure, diet and lifestyle. Dr. Tarnopolsky of McMaster University said under a microscope, the volunteers’ skin “looked like that of a much younger person, and all that they had done differently was exercise.”
In addition to exercise – research has shown that anything that helps to promote circulation in your body, will help keep your skin healthy and looking vibrant. Dermatologist Ellen Marmur, MD, author of Simple Skin Beauty: Every Woman’s Guide to a Lifetime of Healthy, Gorgeous Skin and associate professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine 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. In addition to providing oxygen, blood flow also helps carry away waste products, including free radicals, from working cells.
Our advice? It’s never too late to start exercising! Get your dancing shoes on, your soccer shoes, your running shoes…! Your skin will thank you and you’ll look younger longer. Combine exercise with a healthy lifestyle, diet and sun protection and you’ll reap the rewards for years to come.