beauty week : keep moving

We automatically think of exercise as loosing weight – but there are many reasons why keeping a regular work out regime improves your health and even your skin.

I’ll be honest with you, I am not trying to loose weight. In fact I’m trying to gain weight (healthy weight) by eating healthy and building muscle. Maybe most are not in my shoes. But we all kind of want the same thing – to get healthy and while we’re at it – why not look and feel better too.

“It’s no secret that exercise has important benefits for the entire body. But what many people don’t realize is that our skin is the largest organ of our body, and thus, the benefits can be enormous,” says Audrey Kunin, MD, a Kansas City, Mo., dermatologist and author of The DERMAdoctor Skinstruction Manual.

Among them, is increased circulation and delivery of nutrients to skin cells, whooshing away potentially damaging toxins. Another is giving skin the optimum conditions for making collagen, the support fibers that help keep wrinkles and lines at bay.

“In the long run, people who exercise have a better complexion overall. If they have acne, it’s better controlled, and if they have occasional breakouts they are definitely less severe, and clear quicker and easier,” says Goldberg, director of Skin Laser and Surgery Specialists of N.Y./N.J., and a clinical professor of dermatology at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

What a regular work out can do for your skin:

• weight training reduces the appearance of cellulite
• stretching tones and conditions the muscles and helps muscles to relax
• aerobic exercise, such as walking or bicycling, also offer a “cleansing” effect on skin by removing toxins from the skin, (do not wear anti-perspirants when you do an intense workout, you need your body to release those toxins through sweat).

If you can fit a variety of these types of exercises during the week, you will start feeling more rejuvenated, and happier and even look more beautiful on the inside and out.

Things to keep in mind. Keep it safe – discuss an intense workout regime with your doctor. Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate throughout the day by drinking 8-10 cups of water. Do not wear antiperspirants when doing an intense workout (shower after ;)) and Repeat and Have Fun.

Let’s find the motivation together and get moving.

Here’s my goal for each day of the week:

– walk, at least 1/2 hour at a time x 2 (aim for morning and evening)
– do walking lunges with dumb bells, 15 minutes
– do arm lifts with dumb bells, 10 minutes
– stretch throughout the day
– work on ab crunches

I have a lot of weakness still from MG so I have learned to spread out my work out throughout the day. Which works great anyway with a kid around. Each of my exercises seems very subtle but I still challenge myself and do feel so much better when I keep moving.

(if you have MG, my own personal tip is to work out as much as your body allows. When working with dumb bells, work out near a bed or sofa in case you get weak and fall. You may experience unusual weakness the day after – plan around that and continue the following day.)

When I can’t get any exercise done, I put on some dance music after dinner
and I dance with my daughter ;)

So who’s with me? What’s your goal for the week?

Come and check out step #3 tomorrow on the Beauty Week!

source: web md