Can Exercise make your skin look younger?
New research says yes. Learn how exercise can reverse the signs of aging and serve as your most important skincare and beauty treatment.
Can Exercise Reverse the Signs of Aging in the Skin
It may sound too good to be true but exercise not only helps maintain youthful skin but also can help reverse the signs of aging. How exercise helps the body and skin to stay young is because certain compounds are released in the body during workouts to start an age reversing domino effect withih the body (specifically the exerkine protein known as IL-15). First exekines are released during exercise which then stimulates skin cells power centers which then helps skin cells to perform better. When the skin cells are performing better a series of functions are improved that help reverse the signs of aging. 1st being increased collagen production to reduce visible signs of aging in the skin and 2nd triggering cell turnover to improve complexion.
The Secrets of IL-15
A study published in 2015 found that not only does exercise help to retain a more youthful appearance but it also showed that exercise can result in a 25 year reduction in the appearance of aging. The study compared individuals who did not exercise versus those that exercised at least 4+ times per week. The participants that exercised appeared 25 years younger than those that did not. Exercise not only helps to keep skin youthful, but it may also reverse skin aging in those who begin exercising later in life. The study found that the elderly who did not exercise and began an exercise regiment saw visible signs of aging reversed. This is good news for those that are not avid about exercise. Even for mostly sedentary individuals a small workout routine for 30-40 mins a day can help reduce the visible signs of aging. Another study on IL-15 showed that exercise can help skin to repair and heal itself. On average a skin wound or cut can heal 9 days sooner for those who exercise, compared to those who do not.
Other Skin Benefits of Exercise
The Benefits of Exercise on Skin
Exercise gets the heart pumping harder which in turn boosts circulation. This means more nutrients and oxygen can reach the bodies skin cells as well as removing byproducts. Exercise helps to fuel cells with better cell nutrition which increases and improves cell function. Improved cell function improves anti-aging duties that the cells perform.
Exercise also creates more interleukins that stimulate the immune system which in turn can reduce inflammation. Which prevents inflammation from destroying or diminishing the bodies collagen.
The Ideal Anti Aging Workout
According to a new study published today in the European Heart Journal, cardio is king when it comes to the anti-aging effects of exercise. At the cellular level, endurance exercise, such as running, swimming, or bicycling, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) delayed signs of aging more than other forms of exercise such as weight lifting.
In order to get the age reversing benefits of IL-15 from a workout, the workout needs to get the heart pumping. Resistance training will improve anti aging but will not generate as much Il-15 as forms of cardio exercise. The best forms of exercise to reverse aging are walking, jogging, running, sprinting, cycling, swimming, hiking, tennis and any other cardiovascular exercises.
Work Cited :
Carapeto, P V. “Effects of exercise on cellular and tissue aging”. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8202894/
Crane, J D. “Exercise stimulated interleukin-15 is controlled by AMPK and regulates skin metabolism and aging.” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25902870/
Werner, C M. “Differential effects of endurance, interval, and resistance training on telomerase activity and telomere length in a randomized, controlled study”. https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehy585/5193508#supplementary-data
Safar, A. “Endurance exercise rescues progeroid aging and induces systemic mitochondrial rejuvenation in mtDNA mutator mice”. https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1019581108
