This summer, we have been going back to the beauty basics…building a strong foundation to achieve a long lasting anti-aging routine. Daily habits like drinking enough water and getting adequate sleep are all ingredients, but doing a 10 step skincare routine without exercise is like having salt without pepper, like a fork without the spoon. It just doesn’t work.
It is no secret that the standard American’s sedentary lifestyle is killing us and making us well…uglier. Staring at screens all day makes our eyes bloodshot red, peering down at our phones gives us posture like a question mark, and the list goes on and on and on… Being lazy and disconnected is the normal way of life. But what if I told you there was a solution that combats nearly every aspect of these assaults on our human nature? Exercise connects us deeper to ourselves and gives us so many benefits that pay off aesthetically!
Now, knowledge is not power…applied knowledge is power. So this article is meant to inspire or re-inspire your fitness routine (if not for the health benefits, then for sheer vanity!)… Empowering you with the benefits of exercise for beauty and providing you my top tips to get you into tip top shape this summer!
There are many ways that exercise makes you more beautiful. First and foremost, it raises your vibe. Skeptics will say that’s nonsense, but clearly they have never experienced the happy and content feeling you get when lying in savasana after a hot yoga workout. I mean nobody leaves a yoga session and murders their husband. As Elle Woods says, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands.” Well, she was really on to something. Exercise floods your body with dopamine and endorphins - all feel good happy chemicals that get you high without getting high! It also lowers the killer stress hormone, cortisol. Higher vibe individuals exude happiness, charisma and charm that increases perceived beauty and also perceived trust.
Exercising also elevates confidence. Confidence is the trait that makes you glow from the INSIDE OUT, and we are all about being glowy here. Ed Mylett, motivational speaker and author defines confidence as the result that comes from keeping promises to yourself. Showing up for yourself and for your workout causes you to see yourself differently and believe that you are worthy… all beliefs that compel you to glow with confidence!
Finally, and more scientifically, exercise increases your blood flow and detoxes your skin through sweating. When we sweat, we sweat out dirt and other toxins which helps to clear our skin! Not only that, but a flushed face is associated with youth, higher femininity and increased desirability (which is why we love the blush)! We gotta get sweaty so that we can get pretty, people! Just make sure to wash your face after.
So here are my top tips to incorporate fitness into your life!
1. Sign up for a class.
This one is self explanatory, but just do it. Studies show that you are 90% more likely to finish a workout if just ONE other person is doing it with you. That number increases to 99% if there are 3 or more people. I love to show up and let others bully me into doing the things that I don’t want to do by myself. It will also give you a social circle that you will want to show up for (that’s all crossfit is, anyways).
2, Incorporate walking.
Walking is the easiest and most effective way to get moving. It is so good for your lymphatic system. Good ‘ol TJ (Thomas Jefferson) once said “The sovereign invigorator of the body is exercise, and of all the exercises walking is the best.” And yes, I did just quote Thomas Jefferson.
3. Start with the path of least resistance.
Compare yourself to YOU. Tiny little changes add up to big wins. If you don’t go on any walks right now, start with a 5 minute one. If you have never been to a class, just sign up for an introductory class somewhere. People get into trouble with fitness because they make proclamations to themselves that they will start some big huge routine…but they will always start it tomorrow. And tomorrow is not a day of the week, so it never comes. Just do what you can and make incremental steps towards a more active and more beautiful lifestyle.
What is your favorite way to GET PHYSICAL? Leave a comment below and share your experience with how exercise makes YOU look and feel more beautiful!