And how does it impact your appearance?
Doing sports improves the complexion and general condition of your skin
As shown by a scientific study, regular workouts are good for skin hydration (1), one of the key elements to a radiant and fresh-looking complexion. Dry skin is prone to wrinkles and imperfections, such as pimples or acne. It also loses firmness and elasticity, and sometimes turns ashen.
Obviously, it needs to be stressed that physical activity is not a miraculous remedy to all skin problems. The people who took part in the test had healthy skin, so the experiment only demonstrated that sports improved skin hydration. Keeping moisture locked in the epidermis, on the other hand, can prevent skin problems from occurring and developing.
Other tests on mice (2) show that endurance sports delay ageing processes, and it’s not just in the skin, but in the entire body.
Sports and healthier hair?
Here, things are getting a little bit more complicated. No scientific research has ever clearly proven that physical activity has a direct impact on hair condition – that is, density, thickness or shine. However, it does depend on your physical and mental health whether the hair will shed, break and be difficult to care for. A healthy body will repay you with a good hair condition, and regular sweating during workouts means that your body can get rid of the accumulated toxins.
Chronic stress poses a major threat to the condition and health of your hair and is a hair loss factor (3). Stress can trigger spot baldness (often in men), telogen effluvium (excessive shedding, common in women) and trichotillomania, a health condition that gives a strong urge to pull out one’s hair. And how does sport relate to this? As shown in a report by MultiSport “Two years in the pandemic. Report from a study of physical activity and well-being of the Poles”, regular physical activity strongly contributes to reducing stress and improving mental condition:
“Being physically active, on the one hand, helps us cope with negative emotions, reduces stress, and on the other hand, it supports empowerment and control which we are lacking today. As soon as we decide to live an active lifestyle, every workout will be a proof of our empowerment and a source of satisfaction. It will also improve our self-esteem.” (4)
It follows that reducing stress has a positive impact on our well-being as well as hair condition.
Physical activity means being slim
Things are different for everyone, of course, but people who watch their diet and make sure they work out regularly can expect to lose body fat and tone their muscles. We don’t need science to prove it, just have a look at professional athletes. However, there’s another very interesting aspect to this: as shown by a survey on students (5), physical activity has a positive impact on how we feel about our body and on our self-worth. It means that owing to exercise, we feel better and more beautiful.
Sports and posture
Slouching, tense muscles or bad posture cause people to become inhibited. A good posture does not determine one’s beauty (which is relative and arguable), but it does improve our image and radiate confidence. Hours spent in front of a computer and on a couch take their toll, but sports and the right set of exercises can help you. A study (6) has shown that postural improvement obtained by workout programmes not only improves the figure, but also contributes to a better quality of life – for instance, by relieving back pain.
We’re prettier when we’re happier
Depressive mood, chronic stress, serious sleeping problems, fatigue – deteriorating mental health affects the look and feel of your body. This is manifested in many ways: by weight gain or uncontrolled weight loss, stress-induced skin problems and diseases, fatigue and skin pallor, poor condition of nails, etc. Physical activity really improves our well-being. Mateusz Banaszkiewicz, psychologist, says:
“Hormones secreted during physical activity also play a significant role in improving our mood, such as dopamine – the motivation hormone, serotonin – the happiness hormone, or oxytocin, the social bond hormone, which increases trust, regulates stress, helps identify emotions, reinforces social behaviours and brings relief in solitude. Research shows that even 10 minutes of physical activity can make people feel happier, and the more often and longer we work out, the better the outcomes are.” (7)
So what we want to tell you here is: move your body! Work out a few times a week, choose a discipline you enjoy. This will help not only your beauty, but everything about your body and mental health.
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Sources:
(1) Ryosuke O, Yoshie S, Hiromi A. The association between activity levels and skin moisturising function in adults. Dermatol Reports. 2021 Mar 17;13(1):8811. doi: 10.4081/dr.2021.8811. PMID: 33824705; PMCID: PMC8018252.
(2) Crane JD, MacNeil LG, Lally JS, Ford RJ, Bujak AL, Brar IK, Kemp BE, Raha S, Steinberg GR, Tarnopolsky MA. Exercise-stimulated interleukin-15 is controlled by AMPK and regulates skin metabolism and aging. Aging Cell. 2015 Aug;14(4):625-34. doi: 10.1111/acel.12341. Epub 2015 Apr 22. PMID: 25902870; PMCID: PMC4531076.
(3) Can stress cause hair loss?, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/expert-answers/stress-and-hair-loss/faq-20057820.
(4, 7) Mateusz Banaszkiewicz, Zdowie psychiczne w czasie pandemii – aktywność fizyczna ma znaczenie, [w:] MultiSport. Dwa lata w pandemii. Raport z badania aktywności fizycznej i samopoczucia Polaków.
(5) The Influence of Sports Participation on Body Image, Self-Efficacy, and Self-Esteem in College Students, Front. Psychol., 05 February 2020 Sec. Movement Science and Sport Psychology https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03039.
(6) Kim D, Cho M, Park Y, Yang Y. Effect of an exercise program for posture correction on musculoskeletal pain. J Phys Ther Sci. 2015 Jun;27(6):1791-4. doi: 10.1589/jpts.27.1791. Epub 2015 Jun 30. PMID: 26180322; PMCID: PMC4499985.