When we think about the visible benefits of exercise, we tend to focus on muscles, posture and how our clothes fit. What’s exciting about some of the latest research is that science is beginning to support the anecdotal evidence that exercise gives our skin a beautiful glow!
In the latest issue of Scientific Reports, researchers recruited 60 sedentary, middle-aged Japanese women to do either aerobic or resistance training for 16 weeks. At the end of the study, the researchers concluded both forms of exercise made skin more youthful (more elastic and increased collagen production), but resistance training seemed to have an edge when it came to the thickness of the deeper layers of the skin.
This supports earlier research done by McMaster University Professor Mark Tarnopolsky that connected exercise with more youthful skin. His study in 2014 found that exercisers over 40 had skin more similar to individuals in their 20s and 30s!
More positive news…
- A 2021 study found that regular exercisers had higher skin moisture levels
- Exercise improves sleep, which can help your skin look more lovely!
- Exercise can lengthen telomeres, reducing biological age.
For years I have noticed that the women who take my fitness classes have beautiful skin for their ages – the glow of health that just can’t be re-created through makeup or other methods.
What has been you experience with skin and exercise?
Read more:
Nishikori, S., Yasuda, J., Murata, K. et al.Resistance training rejuvenates aging skin by reducing circulating inflammatory factors and enhancing dermal extracellular matrices. Sci Rep13, 10214 (2023).
Denham J, Sellami M. Exercise training increases telomerase reverse transcriptase gene expression and telomerase activity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ageing Res Rev. 2021;70:101411. doi:10.1016/j.arr.2021.101411
Barre with Justine 
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