In the daily battle against aging, you probably employ a small army of agents to help turn back the hands of time. Perhaps you take a multivitamin to nourish your skin from the inside out. Maybe you are religious about sunscreen use, slathering it on at the slightest beam of sunlight appearing. You may have even quit smoking, sleep only on your back, eat well, get enough rest, stay hydrated, and take great care of your skin. You might even use a great eye cream, Like Eyelastin, that helps diminish the appearance of the crow’s feet, those spindly little wrinkles that radiate from the outside corners of your eyes. Is there anything else you can do, anything that you are overlooking? Well, you might not like this answer, but adding an exercise routine to your daily activities may actually keep development of crow’s feet at bay.
The most obvious and immediate effect of exercise, especially strenuous, heart pumping exercise like cardio workouts, is a healthy glow to the skin. This is caused by the increase in body temperature, metabolism, and circulation in the body triggered by exercise. The flush may just last during the time you are exercising at first, but over time it will have a cumulative effect of visibly enlivening your skin. People who exercise regularly have a much healthier skin tone compared to those who don’t. This is most likely related to the fact that exercise helps to rid your body of toxins, and many of these toxins are released through the skin. So, basically, you help to open your pores and purify them while sweating away any external toxins that may have settled on the surface of your skin.
In addition to the glow from enhanced circulation and detoxification, exercise may produce more anti-aging hormones in women. A few studies have recently shown that women who work out for more than 40 minutes a day, several times a week, manufacture more of these anti-aging hormones than women who do not exercise.
Increased circulation also helps the body to deliver nutrients to the skin cells more rapidly, which in turn helps them to repair and reproduce at a higher rate in order to fight the signs of aging. The increased supply of oxygen in addition to these nutrients creates an optimal environment for greater collagen production. Collagen is an important structural element in skin that helps it retain its strength and shape, and thus resist wrinkles.
Different exercises have different effects on your skin. Intensive cardio workouts will make you sweat more, which in turn causes greater detoxification and more opening of your pores to renew the skin surface. Pilates, weight training, or yoga help to tone your body and reduce the appearance of cellulite. Certain yoga positions help to tone and relax the facial muscles, delivering results that can be similar to a facelift. Also, many positions cause an increased blood flow to the head, helping your facial skin receive a rich supply of nutrient and oxygen filled blood.
Lastly, exercise relaxes you, which helps to lower stress, which may cause more wrinkles through weakened skin or increased furrowing, frowning, and other expressions of tension that lead to wrinkles around the eyes. As you exercise, your facial muscles relax naturally, and your crow’s feet will soften and helping to prevent the formation of new wrinkles.
