Naturally, when you think of exercise you think of losing weight and getting toned.  However, there’s another organ that benifits from excercise, and you may not even know it — your skin.

"It’s no secret that exercise has important benefits for the entire body. But what many people don’t realize is that our skin is the largest organ of our body, and thus, the benefits can be enormous," says Audrey Kunin, MD and dermatologist.

According to WebMD, increased circulation through exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to skin cells more effectively, while flushing harmful toxins out.  Also, exercise will create the ideal environment within the body to optimize collagen production.  Yes, collagen production.  As you may or may not know, collagen is produced in the dermis [second layer of skin] and acts as the skin’s support structure.  As collagen production decreases, wrinkles on the surface of the skin become deeper.

While collagen production is great, exercise may actually have a more “dramatic” benefit for acne prone skin.  When you exercise, your body produces “testosterone-related hormones” such as DHEA and DHT.  These hormones help balance your body by limiting the quantity of male hormones present in the body.  A hormaonal imbalance may have serious effects on your skin.  Not only does exercise balance your hormones, it also causes you to sweat (if your not sweating, go home!  You’re not doing anything but wasting your time) which in turn may unclog pores and prevent inflammation and blemishes.  Stress also affects the condition of your skin, exercising allow s you to release stress (even if it’s just temporarily).  There is plenty of indirect evidence that supports breakouts being the result of increased levels of stress.  Exercise, in general, is going to create a calm center inside AND a clear healthy outside.

Consistent exercise will allow you to:

• Flush harmful toxins out of your body
• Promote collagen production
• Balance your hormones
• Prevent acne and wrinkles
• Keep skin hydrated and supple
• Live an all around healthier lifestyle
• Live and look beautiful longer

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