The one perk to the pandemic is that working from home (no commute!) has given people more time to exercise. And now that many gyms are closed, and people are nervous about clustering inside in large groups, more and more of us are exercising outside. The result: the streets are filled with runners, walkers, and bikers. In fact, last April, sales of bikes, bike parts, and bike accessories grew 75% compared to the year before, according to the
N.P.D Group, a market research company—and America is currently experiencing a
bicycle shortage. While these outdoor exercise habits are keeping our bodies safer, healthier, and fitter—they can wreak havoc on our faces. Read on to find out how to get in your workout, while also protecting your skin.
Outdoor Workout Warnings
A study on mice that appeared in the journal
Mechanisms of Aging and Development shows that exercising for 30 minutes a day can cause skin damage. Why, you ask? Exercise generates heat, and heat has a variety of adverse effects on the skin. For one, blood vessels dilate during exercise to bring warm, oxygenated blood to the skin’s surface to help release heat, leaving skin looking (temporarily) red and blotchy. Then there’s the issue of sweat, which is the body’s built-in cooling system. When temps rise, thousands of endocrine glands located throughout the body release perspiration—which is mostly made of water and minerals such as sodium—to regulate body temperature, and this loss of fluids can dehydrate skin.
Workout the Right Way…for your Skin
There are three things you can do to enjoy (and reap the benefits of) your sweat sesh, without damaging your skin.
Focus on Hydration
Dehydration not only causes rough skin texture and makes wrinkles more pronounced, but it also impairs the body’s ability to generate more sweat, holding heat hostage within the body. And heat, research shows, can be as be as aging to the skin as the sun’s rays. A review of research published in the Journal of Dermatological Science suggests that heat exposure triggers MMP proteins that break down collagen (leading to wrinkles and sagging), and melanocytes, which are pigment-producing cells that cause brown spots. That’s why Saudi Arabian women have "sun damage" even though they wear face coverings and are not exposed to the sun, and bakers—who spend all day working in the kitchen, not sunbathing on the beach—have spots on their arms caused by heat emanating from the ovens. Exercising outside, like most of us are currently doing, creates additional skin issues. Exposing your skin to the elements—cold air, whipping winds, beating sun—can result in inflamed, red, chapped, itchy, or sunburned skin. Pour Moi Skincare is formulated to prevent heat-triggered skin damage and protect your face from the environmental stressors in your particular climate. All of the Day Creams include a super-hydrating Geo-hydradynamic Complex of three different sizes of hyaluronic acid molecules plus truffle oil from France to protect against dehydration. They also contain squalane oil (a natural component of skin sebum that is packed with antioxidants, boosts moisture, replenishes fatty acids, and helps the skin barrier repair itself) to protect against temperature fluctuations. In other words, it prevents your skin from freaking out when you leave your comfortable 70-degree home and head out for a run on a 30-degree day.
Adjust Your Skin Care Regimen to Work With (Not Against) the Climate You’re Exercising In
Whatever climate you live in, the best way to beat the heat (or the cold) during your workout is to slather on Pour Moi products to help combat the environmental aggressors attacking your skin while you’re outside. For example, the
Desert Day Cream protects skin from low humidity, wind, and intense sunlight with cutting edge water- and oil-based hydrators, while the
Tropical Day Cream packs ingredients like humectants, to trap moisture, and coconut acid, to keep the gunk in hot, humid air from clogging your pores. Those who live in cool, rainy regions, like the Pacific Northwest, need to slather on the
Marine Day Cream to combat intense humidity. The Marine Day Cream contains marine bioactives that stimulate skin’s ceramide production for optimal moisture balance. And those who call mountainous regions home are particularly susceptible to intense UV sunlight. The
Mountain Day Cream contains ingredients like French Water Active and Red Snow Algae from the Swiss Alps to protect skin from high altitude UV exposure. Now that cold weather is upon many areas of the country,
Polar Day Cream (which is spiked with ingredients like hydrating glycerin and lecithin) can be used to prevent skin from becoming dry, chapped, and flaky.
Cleanse Skin Post-Workout
You’ve clocked the miles outside (for your bod) and now it’s time to do a bit of clean up (for your skin). It goes without saying that after a heart-pumping workout, your skin is most likely covered in a layer of sweat and grime that you need to get off. A gentle cleanser like the
Clarifying Polish, is a jelly balm-to-milk formula that gives skin a triple treatment: cleanse, soften and exfoliate. Utilizing Pour Moi’s signature Geo-hydraDynamic Complex, plus sugar crystals and antioxidants, this polish can safely clean skin of common air pollution including dust, dirt and smoke. Applying a skincare regimen that best reflects the climate you live in (and work out in) daily is sure to keep your skin in as good a shape as your body. #Nowthatsclimatesmart #geomoisturization
