11 ways exercise can make you more beautiful

Most of us hate going to the gym and exercising. But while you might think that weight loss is the only benefit of working out, you should know that it is great for your beauty too. Probably the most effective way to have glowing skin and healthy hair, exercise helps you look and feel better in more ways than one. Here are the 11 beauty benefits of exercising.

1. Helps keep pimples at bay: Exercise is a great way to get rid of acne. Not only does it help increase blood flow to your face, but the production of sweat also helps unclog your pores, getting rid of oil and dirt therefore  making you less prone to acne. Exercise also helps lower stress levels, gets rid of cellular debris and helps control the production of testosterone-dependent hormones like DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) and DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) that are also responsible for acne.

2. Is the best to have glowing skin instantly: When you workout there is increased blood circulation in and around your face, helping it beam with that natural glow. Apart from that exercise also causes the release of the ‘happy hormones’, and the rapid breathing helps oxygenate your skin making it healthier. All this put together gives your skin a healthy glow.

3. Can help keep your hair healthy: While you exercise, your scalp gets some much needed nourishment too. Exercise helps increase blood flow to your scalp, keeping your hair and its follicles healthy. It also helps circulate oxygenated blood to your hair which makes it stronger. Apart from that exercise also significantly reduces stress, which is one of the leading causes for hair loss. You can read more about how stress leads to brittle hair and hair loss.

4. Helps get rid of cellulite: Cellulite can be an ugly thing to deal with, especially if you have been on a weight loss regime but are not able to get rid of it. Here’s where exercise comes into play. According to yoga and Ayurvedic texts, cellulite is thought to be due to a malfunctioning lymphatic system. When you exercise, the working of this system is normalised, in turn helping to get rid of cellulite. You may also like to read about natural methods to beat cellulite.

5. Helps keep wrinkles at bay: Exercise can be your natural anti-ageing treatment too. When you exercise it relieves stress which reduces the production of stress-related hormone cortisol in the body. Cortisol intereferes with the production of collagen, the protein that helps keep your skin supple and elastic. Apart from that, exercises also boosts the production of collagen, which helps your skin repair itself, delaying the onset of wrinkles and other signs of ageing. Here are some natural ways to keep wrinkles at bay.

6. Improves digestion: According to Ayurveda improper digestion is often the cause for breakouts on the skin and even lends the dull pallor to your skin. Exercise can remedy that too. According to a study published by the Gastroenterological Society of Australia exercise helps strengthen the walls of the abdomen and the intestinal muscles breakdown food more efficiently — moving it along your digestive tract faster. In an interview with Women’s Day.com Dr. Katz, MD, director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Centre said, ‘Regular exercise can help prevent constipation.’ So much so that even short, intermittent walking throughout the day can help keep your digestive tract in check. You may also like to read about how you can detox your body with Ayurveda.

7. Helps you sleep better: According to a study published in the Journal of Sleep Medicine Reviews, exercising helped you sleep better by increasing your total sleep time. Sleeping is an essential component when it comes to looking better when you wake up. Apart from looking refreshed, when you sleep your body produces growth hormone that helps repair and rebuild body tissues. It also helps in maintaining the production of collagen that helps keep your skin looking healthy, wrinkle free and youthful. Yoga can help you beat insomnia too, here’s how.

8. Improves your posture: Working out helps strengthen all the muscles in your body, especially those that help support you — the ones in your back, core, buttocks, hamstrings and chest. As these muscles become stronger it helps improve posture. And since, while working out, you are required to pay attention to your posture it makes you more aware of the way you stand, walk and sit — all in all helping improve your posture.

9. Helps beat anxiety, stress and depression: During a workout, your brain releases potent relaxing chemicals like seretonin and dopamine which help relieve stress and anxiety. In fact a research[3] found that  exercising helps beat depression too. This happy state helps you look better too. Not only does it lend a healthy glow to your face, but your body language also improves making you look all the more beautiful.

10. More confident about the way you look: Exercising not only helps you feel better mentally, but also helps you look good. The glowing skin, weight loss and beautiful hair helps you feel better and more confident about the way you look.

11. Reverses the effects of oxidative stress: Exercise is great when it comes to beating oxidative stress. Not only does it help release various happy hormones like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, but it also helps reverse the ageing process at the cellular level. According to a study conducted published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine exercise helped beat stress and tended to work on the cellular level by reversing the damage done to them due to oxidative stress. While, one stint in the gym won’t turn back time, but regular exercise will definitely help your skin look more youthful and healthy.

Originally published on www.thehealthsite.com