This workout is great for your skin as well as your body

A new workout claims to boost your skin’s radiance, reduce signs of ageing and even banish breakouts.

The workout is based on extensive research into the benefits of exercise for your skin. It was created by Swedish wellness brand FOREO alongside GP and Dermatologist Dr Anita Sturnham and celebrity trainer, Ciara London.

In a report written by Dr Sturnham, it was discovered that certain exercise programmes can promote skin health, impacting anything from cellular ageing, to radiance and acne.

The intensity levels of exercise, the length of session, and even the time of day and physical environment all play a role on the health and appearance of the skin.

They found that resistance training paired with yoga is the best workout combination for boosting radiance. Moderate intensity workouts such as cycling are recommended for reducing acne. High intensity interval workouts appear to be best for reducing free radical damage and boosting collagen.

The ultimate workout for your skin

STEP 1: Pre-workout cleanse – remove up to 99.5% of dirt and oil that can contribute to adult-onset acne breakouts.

Remove all make up and deep cleanse your skin. If you’re choosing to tailor your workout to benefit your skin, then removing your make up is an essential first step before your skin starts to sweat.

Allow 15 seconds rest between every exercise. Repeat all rounds of exercises twice.

STEP 2: Yoga and core – low intensity yoga reduces circulating cortisol levels, which can reduce skin pigmentation.

1. Side Plank – one minute each side
• Laying on one side, either raise onto your hand/ forearm into a side plank. Flag opposite arm for core stability.

2. Walk Outs – repeat for one minute
• Standing at end of the matt, walk out into a plank position, dipping hips down, before reverse walking yourself up into standing.

3. Chaturanga – three rounds of 20 seconds
• In a traditional plank hold, tuck elbows in and lower the body. Your triceps support your hold.

4. High Plank – hold for one minute
• Walk out into a plank position, lock elbows out and plank on hands. Hold for one minute.

5. Low Plank – hold for one minute
• Walk out into a plank position, lower onto forearms and hold plank with elbows on the floor.

STEP 3: Resistance Training – Resistance training elevates the heart rate and boosts blood flow, resulting in skin radiance.

1. Weighted Squat Hold – repeat for one minute
• Sit into a squat position. Body at a right angle, shoulders back and bum out.

2. Plank Rows – 10 reps each arm
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand, planking above them. Row the weights up with each individual arm.

3. Shoulder Flys – repeat for one minute
• Holding the dumbbells, tilt pelvis back and bend forward slightly. Open up arms and shoulders, to create flying motion with dumbbell.

4. Squat Press – repeat for one minute
• Hold dumb bells in hand, resting on the shoulders. Press up weights when standing, and bring back down to shoulders in a squat.

5. Weighted Squat Jumps – repeat for one minute
• Hold the dumb bells by your side. In squat position launch up into a jump.

STEP 4: HIIT – HIIT can reduce free radical damage and mitochondrial fatigue, which have been identified as triggers for skin ageing. It can also promote healthy collagen stores.

1. Plyo Lunges – 30 seconds each leg
• In lunge position, jump up, and land in lunge position.

2. Squat Jumps – repeat for one minute
• Squat hold and launch up into a jump before landing back into a squat.

3. Spider-Man – repeat for one minute
• Plank hold position, then step right foot next to right hand. Then repeat with left hand and left foot.

4. Squat Burpees – repeat for one minute
• Lay flat on the floor before jumping up into squat hold position and launching into a pike jump.

5. Touch Downs – repeat for one minute
• In a squat position, jump in and out. Touching down each time you squat jump.

Allow three minutes before repeating the HIIT cycle.

STEP 5: Post-workout cleanse – remove sweat from the skin

1. When you exercise it is inevitable you will sweat, it’s an important bodily function for removing toxins.

However, leaving it on the skin can result in clogged pores and dehydration, making all the hard work you are doing for your skin redundant. Remove any sweat that has built up on the skin as quickly as possible post exercise.

‘We all know how important it is for our health that we exercise regularly, but the impact of exercise on your skin is something that has been little documented, until now,’ says Dr Sturnham.

‘It has been fascinating to delve deeper into the relationship between the two and I hope that this work done by FOREO will encourage others to consider certain types of exercise as a beneficial element to our skincare regimes.’

But although working out can be brilliant for your skin, the sweating and potential for clogged pores if you’re wearing make up, can make exercise a minefield for breakouts. Dr Sturnham says the best way to get that flawless glow is to couple your fitness regime with regular cleansing.

‘If you are choosing to tailor your workout to also benefit your skin, then it’s important to remember that caring for it topically is also of paramount importance,’ she explains.

‘However you exercise, sweating is inevitable, and while this is an important bodily function for removing toxins and impurities, leaving it on the skin can result in clogged pores and dehydration.

‘If you’re not removing the sweat from the skin, then all the hard work you have done in your skin boosting exercise regime becomes redundant.’

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