Cool, Clean and Soothing: 3 Post Workout Skincare Tips

Exercise has physical, psychological, and social benefits. It tones both muscle and memory, improves mood and mindset; in short – just do it. But did you know that among its many benefits, regular exercise improves skin health? We’ll get into the how a little later, but if you want to optimize the wonderful impact exercising has on your skin, you should also add a post-workout regimen. It goes a little deeper than taking a quick shower. But don’t worry, these tips can be easily incorporated into your workout routine! 

But don’t worry, these tips can be easily incorporated into your workout routine!

Stretch that Skin! 

So, how does working out affect your skin? Studies suggest endurance exercises and high-intensity aerobic routines may reduce signs of skin aging. Exercise has long-term effects on the skin and doesn’t just make the skin look younger, exercise actually makes it younger by keeping your DNA healthy and young, slowing cell aging everywhere in the body, including the skin.

Exercise also increases blood flow, which helps nourish the skin with oxygen and carries away waste and toxins. The skin also detoxifies through sweating. Our skin pores open up and release the dirt and toxins which accumulate in them over the course of days. Finally, exercise contributes to better sleep, mood, overall health, and even improved social life. You’d be surprised to hear that these affect the skin positively, too.  Put together, all of these benefits reverse skin aging in people of all ages. Just mind these tips, and boost your post-workout skin routine.

The skin also detoxifies through sweating.

Keep Your Skin Clean

Keeping in mind that various impurities accumulate on your skin during exercise, the first thing to do after a workout is wash up. Though sweat has its merits, excess sweat left on the skin clogs it up and creates a moist environment for bacteria to prosper. This is made worse by gym equipment. Just imagine all the other people who have busted their hump and sweated where you have just sat. As we exercise, we’re prone to touch our face, hands, neck, and chest; all easy ways to spread that bacteria on our skin. 

To avoid this, take a shower as soon as possible after the exercise and be gentle with your skin. Shower with lukewarm or cold water, and don’t over-scrub. Make sure to use gentle body and face wash. Post-workout skin is delicate and needs to be soothed. Cool water helps close the wide-open pores. 

Take a shower as soon as possible after the exercise and be gentle with your skin.

Keep Your Skin Moist

After cleansing, smooth and soothe the skin by applying a good moisturizer. We don’t want to breed bacteria immediately post-workout, but we do want to give it a healthy dose of refreshing, clean, and vital moisture. Because you have been sweating, the pore and capillaries of the skin dilate and more blood rushes to the surface, causing redness. The anti-inflammatory and cooling ingredients of a well-chosen moisturizer will calm the skin down and encourage a healthy glow. It will also trap the moisture under your skin, and ensure it stays fresh throughout the day. 

After cleansing, smooth and soothe the skin by applying a good moisturizer.

Just Keep on Drinking

Cool your skin and replenish the water lost during the exercise by drinking plenty of water. Don’t only rely on your immediate thirst and don’t forget your water bottle as soon as you leave the gym. For the skin to recover, you need to keep drinking for a while after your workout. Hydration is key to healthy skin in general, but post-workout your skin is especially sensitive and needs a healthy dose of liquid to cope with the strain. Drinking speeds up recovery time and alleviates soreness. Your entire body will be better off with a sufficient dose of water. This, in turn, will ease the load off the mind and help bear the physical stress of exercise without straining your physical and mental faculties.

Cool your skin and replenish the water lost during the exercise by drinking plenty of water.

Cool and Clean Post Workout Conclusions

Remember, your post-workout skin treatment should be clean, cool and soothing. After an enjoyable and healthy exercise, the skin is vulnerable to irritation and infections because your body lost water and is coated in a layer of sticky sweat. Make it easier for your body and skin to recover by drinking plenty of water, even if you’re not feeling thirsty after you leave the gym and get on with the rest of your day.

This will help regulate the body temperature, restore lost liquid, and reduce the strain of recovery – all of which is good for the skin. These three simple measures will work together to create a clean and cool sensation of overall wellbeing after your workout.