TheRootedMomEdit

I swear by strength training. I do it for mental clarity & stress relief and it comes without a prescription. It’s also incredible for your skin, especially as we age.

How strength training positively affects our skin:

• Thickens the inner layer of the skin (the dermis). This naturally thins as we age and lose collagen
• Helps the skin’s ability to “bounce back” and supports collagen production
• Lower’s inflammation
• Improves blood flow (delivering oxygen and nutrients to skin cells)
• Balances stress hormones such as cortisol
• Regulates blood sugar spikes

A full-body approach to skincare:

Strength training not only builds muscle, boosts metabolism, and protects bone density, but it also promotes better sleep & helps regulate our hormones (both stress hormones and our natural female hormonal cycle). Everything works together holistically. When our hormones are balanced, our stress is lowered, our blood sugar is stable, and we are actually entering good quality sleep, our skin also reaps the benefits.

I view skincare in the same ways I view health & wellness. Drinking water first thing in the morning helps keep our bodies hydrated throughout the day (which we all know benefits our skin as well). Hydration is also key when it comes to muscle building. Again- everything works together.

Sleep is key, lowering inflammation is key, balancing blood sugar is key. Every one of these benefits our skin positively, on top of keeping our general health in tip top shape.

A simple strength training split I follow weekly:

My goal has been to wake up before the kiddos and get my workout finished for the day. This doesn’t always work out how I would like it to (two year old has a mommy radar and suddenly wakes up too), but I love getting my workout done first thing so that I can be more present the rest of the day. Here is my ideal schedule:

Monday: Walk on treadmill for a 5-10 minutes to warm-up. Lower body workout.

Tuesday: Walk 30-40 minutes

Wednesday: Walk for 5-10 min. to warm-up. Upper body workout.

Thursday: Walk 30-40 minutes

Friday: Walk for 5-10 min. to warm-up. Full body workout.

Saturday/Sunday: Active recovery/rest days. Walk, bike, core exercises, or simply just REST.

My goal is to strength train 3 days/week. If I can walk the others, great, but my main goal is the 3 days of weights. Weight lifting/strength training is what benefits the body & the skin more than anything else. Cardio of whatever form you enjoy is obviously beneficial too for cardiovascular health, but I do prioritize strength training over cardio. Lifting weights allows your body to continue burning calories throughout the day. It is an incredible way to build muscle that will benefit so much more than just our body image as we age.

If something like that also benefits my skin, sign me up.

Here’s to the ladies building muscle & building collagen all at the same time!

Sincerely,