Sweat - natures skin cream.....

At Fast Twitch, we beleive that if we want a symptom to go away, we have to treat and/or eliminate the problem. Want to lose fat? Stop eating so much and move more. Want to relieve back pain? Strengthen your core and train for a fuller range of motion (flexibility) in your hips and upper back. Tired? Sleep. Weak? Train. Skinny? Eat. Simple.

Now think skin. What do you do when your skin has blemishes or doesn’t look as healthy as you’d like? Typically, you go see a dermatologist and/or spend hundreds on creams and other magic potions and remedies.  

Ever wonder why your skin doesn’t look good in the first place? Is it because you didn’t proactively apply creams?... or is it because you're no longer as young as you once were, have stress in your life, eat/drink poorly, sleep too little and, oh ya - you dont exercise?...

Now, for some of you, accepting and dealing with the latter is asking too much. If that’s you, stop wasting your time reading this blog cause that’s what we’re gonna talk about from here on out.

Ok, the slackers are gone. The rest of you are still here because you understand that the reality of the situation is as follows: If I'm healthy on the inside, I'm more likely to be healthy on the outside. Rocket science, I know.

But why?... Its pretty simple actually. Annet King (Director of Training and Education at Dermalogica) tells us, “Any increase to the body's circulation will improve the look of the skin, as well as boost detoxification and cell renewal.” She goes on to comment on the stress relieving (mental and physiological) properties of physical activity, “Stress-relieving exercises help to smooth lines (in the face) and lower stress hormone levels”.

But which exercises have this effect? Basically, any exercise that leads to increased fitness (strength, endurance, flexibility and/or relative leanness) will improve the situation - though public opinion and science both tend to lean toward strength training exercise that is geared toward gaining muscle, improving circulation and losing fat (the 4 Fs).

Are there any exercises I should avoid? Glad you asked. King goes on to say the following, "Cardio and running can cause more oxygen or free radical damage, which can break or damage the skin's supportive fibers (collagen and elastin).” But that’s one person... Ok, here’s another, and another… I could go on and on.

There you have it - reason number 1,057 why running is literally the devil. This is science people, not my opinion. I just agree wholeheartedly. Hate the game, not the player…

All of that being said, you are now armed with the information you need to move forward in your battle against crappy looking skin. The question is… what are you going to do with it?