As Above, So Below || Exercise
As you may have read in our previous article, we are delighted that sleep has finally been recognised as a cornerstone of health alongside exercise and diet. A good balance of these three work in tandem to make an incredible trifecta for a healthy life, and happy skin.
Just as exercising during the day improves sleep quality (as long as you finish your exercise two to three hours before sleep), sleeping improves the positive impact of exercise! A new longitudinal study from University College London has found that those who exercise but sleep less than 6 hours a night do not reap the cognitive benefits that exercise should bring.(1) To enjoy the improvements that you work so hard for in the gym, make sure you’re aiming for 7-9 hours of sleep each night. At Le Formulaire we are constantly in awe of our intelligent bodies, and how investing time in our own health will reward us in the immediate and in the future. To learn about the benefits and how to create a luxurious sleep routine, see our previous article in this series here.
A consistent exercise routine is a wonderful way to show gratitude for what our bodies can do for us. There is no doubt that maintaining our fitness makes our bodies stronger, minds sharper, and hearts happier - and we are more than delighted to let you know that it does wonders for our skin as well.
Like in sleep, exercise increases blood flow throughout our system. It brings with it nutrients and oxygen, and removes waste products as it passes. This increase in blood flow is not only present as we exercise, but as exercise strengthens our circulation, we reap the rewards of better blood flow consistently as a result. This makes the blood flow to our skin at night even more enriching. Again, this gorgeous synergy between sleep and exercise improves our cells’ ability to replace and repair themselves.
As we age, the mitochondrial metabolism (the energy centre of our cells) in our skin slows down. This leads to structural deterioration in the skin that impairs healing ability, barrier maintenance, and the skin’s intrinsic defences. Research has shown that exercise can have a significant reversal effect on this decline. When we exercise, we create a protein called interleukin 15 (IL-15). IL-15 has a role in regulating our metabolism. This occurs through the skeletal muscle AMP-activated protein kinase and therefore improves our skin’s ability to maintain its health.(2) This mitochondrial action also improves our skin’s moisture levels. It was recently found that the stratum corneum, or outer layer of skin, is better hydrated in those who are active. The study attests that “the higher the activity levels, the higher the hydration”.(3)
The beauty of skincare is that it mimics the processes that occur naturally in our body. The dermatology community is in love with Tretinoin, and for good reason - it increases collagen production and improves skin elasticity, and overtime thickens the dermis which helps prevent skin diseases later in life. A brand new study has shown that a combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training has a similar effect on the skin. Both aerobic exercise and resistance training were shown to improve our dermal structure and increase elasticity, while resistance training alone improved dermal thickness.(3) These changes were observed after only four months, imagine the impact exercise could have over a lifetime!
Exercise allows us to feel the full potential of our wonderful bodies and has a positive effect on our mental health. The improvements seen throughout the body are reflected in the skin, improving its appearance and slowing down the ageing process. Additionally movement has been observed to thicken our skin and reduce wrinkles and strengthen our skin against fragility as we age. Exercising, in combination with good sleep habits and an efficacious skincare routine, will help safeguard your skin glow for years to come.
Joint associations of physical activity and sleep duration with cognitive ageing: longitudinal analysis of an English cohort study. Bloomberg, M, Brocklebank L, Hamer M, Steptoe A. 2023 July. doi: 10.1016/S2666-7568(23)00083-1
Exercise-stimulated interleukin-15 is controlled by AMPK and regulates skin metabolism and aging. Crane, J, MacNeil, L, Lally, J, Ford, R, Bujak, A, Brar, I, Kemp, B, Raha, S, Steinberg, G, Tarnopolsky, M. 2015 April. doi:10.1111/acel.12341
Resistance training rejuvenates aging skin by reducing circulating inflammatory factors and enhancing dermal extracellular matrices. Nishikori, S, Yasuda, J, Murata, K, Takegaki, J, Harada, Y, Shirai, Y, Fujita, S. 2023 June 23. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-37207-9