Exercise is always good for the body. It helps the body active, helps with our metabolism and also it improves our mood. I have shared before my struggles with acne and how I struggled with painful clogged pores that caused bumps on my forehead and temples. Read my post about pimples on temples here. For someone who wants to approach acne problem holistically, you might ask the question “does exercise help acne?”. That is the topic that we want to discuss in this post.
Sedentary lifestyle and acne
We all know that stress, lack of sleep, eating unhealthy food, lack of hygiene, physical idleness can all lead to bad skin. We can’t avoid stress but we can only manage our stress. Stress and unhealthy lifestyle can do more harm than we think to the body. Psychological stress can cause physiological stress on the body as well including hormonal imbalance. When you have hormonal imbalance, very often this condition shows up on the skin. How can we mitigate this issue? And keep in mind, there is no one solution that can fix this complex problem. However, if you ask ‘does exercise help acne?’, the answer is yes because it can help with the hormonal imbalance issue to a certain extent.
I often underestimated the importance of exercise for my skin health. Thinking that clean eating, sleeping enough, and a good skincare regime are sufficient to keep my skin clear. No, they are not enough! Especially, if you are the type who sit down most of the time at the office with lack of physical activities.
Exercise and cystic acne
Acne, blemishes, or pimples may be signs that you have toxins and other harmful substances or byproducts from some chemical reactions in the body. As you can tell from their name, the toxins will be toxic to the body and the harmful substances will harm our health if they remain in the body for too long. Physically active people or people blessed with a high metabolism may not face this problem. However, those with lower metabolic rates in the body may need to get these substances out through our sweat! Yes, sweats.
Does exercise help acne?
To answer your question, “does exercise help acne?”, the answer is yes. It did not eliminate my facial acne but it reduced it. Also, acne on my back also improved. Sweating a lot during my exercise helped to open my pores and through sweating, the body detoxifies any unwanted chemicals and substances too. One thing to note is you need to maintain good hygiene after your exercise. Don’t wear sweaty attire too long, but change to dry clothes right after. Don’t shower right after exercising when your body is still wet and sweaty as well. Try to pat dry your skin with a towel before you get into the shower.
Personally, I love doing dancing/zumba and hot yoga. An intense 1-hour cardio by dancing Zumba and a sweat-ful 1 hour of hot yoga were my regular weekend activities at the gym. I love getting soaked in sweat and feel really refreshed afterward.
Should you exercise more?
The answer is clear and it’s a big YES. Not only for your skin but also for your health overall. Skin is just a reflection of your overall body health.
Do exercise that you enjoy. Exercise has been proven to help you to manage your stress as it releases oxytocin which is the “happy hormone”. This very same hormone is released in our bodies when we are in love. For you who’s been in love before, you will know that this hormone will make you feel good.
Learn more about acne, skincare and healthy lifestyle with me!