We are constantly being reminded of the health benefits of exercise and being reminded that we should do more of it. But what if exercise could also make you gorgeous as well, would you do more of it? Of course, exercise doesn’t offer the quick-fix of cosmetic surgery, but the benefits make the effort more than worthwhile. Obviously cosmetic beauty treatments still have their place in helping people to feel more body confident, but we’re talking about a holistic approach where cosmetic treatments supplement a good fitness routine and healthy eating for the best overall results.

If you need any further convincing as to the beauty benefits of exercise then read on:

• Keep wrinkles at bay – Wrinkles are caused when the natural collagen in the body starts to break down, resulting in saggy, wrinkled skin. Collagen is the body’s scaffolding; it is a connective tissue that holds your skin, bones, muscles, ligaments, cartilage and organs together. When you do strength or resistance training your body produces more collagen to strengthen the muscles and keep your skin from sagging.
• Clear skin – When you do aerobic exercise such as running or cycling, your circulation is boosted. This means that oxygen-rich blood is being pumped around your body much quicker, and any toxins are removed from your body more quickly and efficiently. The sweating caused by aerobic exercise also helps to flush out toxins that could lead to breakouts of spots and blackheads.
• Restful sleep – Sleep is the body’s natural way of repairing and restoring itself, but the stress hormone cortisol can get in the way of a restful night’s sleep. When we experience stress our bodies produce cortisol to help us deal with it. For example, if you boss shouts at you yet you just sit and seethe at your desk then the cortisol builds up in your body. Exercising helps to use up that cortisol and prevent it building up, thus allowing your brain to switch off at night and make way for restful, restorative sleep.
• Weight loss – When you exercise not only do you burn calories, but you transform fat stores into muscle. One pound of muscle burns 50 to 150 calories per day while the same amount of fat burns around 3 calories per day. So even when you’re on a rest day you’ll still be burning more calories via a raised metabolic rate!