How to Exercise for Glowing Skin (Even If You Have No Time)

It isn’t a secret that exercise is good – no, amazing – for you. Moving your body and flexing your muscles are great for both your physical self and mental well-being, but it’s also a key factor in maintaining healthy skin. So, this gives you yet another reason to make sure you exercise (no matter how tired or unmotivated or busy you feel).

Exercise increases blood flow, which helps nourish skin cells.

Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to working cells in the body, including skin, and helps carry away waste from those same working cells. This helps flush cellular debris and is like cleansing our skin from the inside.

Oxygenated blood is also what makes our skin glow.

Exercise also decreases the levels of the stress-related hormone, cortisol in the body, which can help improve the quality of our skin.

Stress can cause signs of aging, acne and skin conditions such as eczema, so by reducing our stress levels through exercise, our skin will produce more collagen and look clearer, firmer and younger.

In other words, exercise might just be the best free form of luxury skincare.

But we get it – finding the time to fit a workout in can be challenging for a lot of us. When you work, raise a family, run a household and maintain a social life, exercising can often be something that gets pushed aside. When we have a lot going on, exercise is typically one of the first things we don’t prioritize.

There are ways to incorporate exercise into our daily routines, though, so if getting to the gym a few times a week isn’t realistic for your schedule, here are some ways you can still get everything done while still reaping the benefits:

Work out at home

Working out at home saves you the time it takes you to commute to the gym and back and can be done all throughout the day whenever you have a few minutes of spare time. Doing things like squats while you brush your teeth, helping your kids shoot baskets or doing some jumping jacks while you’re waiting for dinner to come out of the oven are great ways to maximize your time and get your heart rate going. It’s easy to underestimate the transformation these little bursts of movement can make, but just like a drop of facial oil or a tiny daily supplement, small things make huge differences over time.

While you’re at work

This is of course dependent on your job, but take the stairs or go for a brisk walk during your lunch hour (plus get your daily dose of vitamin D from the sun). If it’s acceptable, purchase or request a standing desk so you can reduce the quantity of time you’re sitting and stretch our your legs more often throughout the day. Some employees also love sitting on medicine balls instead of chairs so they can fidget (which can actually burn you more calories throughout the day) but also work out the core and legs.

While you're waiting for pretty much anything

We spend a lot of time in a week just waiting. Whether it’s at the doctor’s office, during our children’s extracurricular activities or at the post office, we can use this time to fit in a bit of exercise. Walking around the soccer field while your child plays a game, taking the stairs at appointments or walking around the block while your child is at their violin lesson are all great ways to make the most of your time. (That’s right – sitting down and checking Facebook should take a back seat to a nice walk outside!)

While watching TV

Watching TV is a great way to unwind at the end of the day but it is also a great way to fit in a workout. Doing wall sits, crunches, push ups, etc. while you watch ensures you won’t miss out on the excitement of a new episode and your workout will fly by! By incorporating these steps into your daily routine you will be able to get all of the benefits of exercising without having to make major changes to your life. You can still get everything you need completed and have time to fit in the exercise you need for glowing, youthful-looking skin.