Exercise has been linked to benefits with the skin for years now, and it is no big surprise that if you exercise regularly, your skin will really reap the benefits. So just what benefits can exercise provide for older skin?
The Benefits of Exercise on Older Skin:
Keeping yourself in shape when you are older not only improves your fitness level, helps you to live longer, and help to firm the skin, but it can also help to heal the skin.
Older skin is generally more prone to wounds and sores, and exercise can really help to heal them. Even if you have never exercised in your life, if you start exercising regularly when you are older, you will still see the benefits.
As you get older, less exercise is needed and so you generally need to exercise for around fifteen minutes per day. It all depends upon the type of exercise which you do. If for example you fancy a walk, you only have to do fifteen minutes.
However, if you wanted to ride a stationary bike, you would have to do thirty minutes in order for the benefits to really show. The most essential thing to do before exercising is to warm up. If you do not warm up for at least ten minutes by stretching, you are likely to cause an injury to your body throughout the actual exercise.
Common skin problems in older people include age spots, bruising, Actinic Keratoses, and Cherry angiomas. Actinic Keratoses is basically a thick, rough, warty, growth which appears on sun exposed skin. Cherry angiomas are small, bright red domes which are created by dilated blood vessels.
Exercise helps by boosting antioxidants which fight free radicals which cause ageing. By fighting the free radicals, it leaves the skin healthier and younger looking and feeling, and that helps the skin to heal a lot better. The main benefit of exercise helping to heal wounds is that it stops infections.
Infections can be extremely worrying for elderly people and they can cause a lot of problems. As you get older your immune system is not as healthy as it used to be. This means that there is a lot more stress on it and it is harder to fight off any infection. Even small infections can lead to serious problems and sometimes in extreme cases, it could be fatal.
So what are the best exercises for older people then? Well walking is a really gentle exercise and many older people find it really enjoyable. Swimming is also another popular choice and there are often specially designed swimming days for older people too so check out your local pool to see if they offer these classes.
Some older people even go jogging, but obviously that will depend upon your current fitness level, you may simply wish to just stick to walking.
Generally all exercise can be done by any age. Even yoga can still be done whilst you are in your seventies! There really is no excuse and the benefits far outweigh the effort of having to actually do the exercise! So, if you want your skin to heal a lot quicker as well as keeping it firm and flexible, exercise is definitely the way to go about it!
Exercise generally increases collagen production which in turn helps to keep the skin firm. If you are an older person looking to start exercise, it is always important to check with your doctor to see what they recommend. They will be able to match you to something which will best fit your ability level.
