My skin never looks better than when I am exercising regularly. Immediately after exercise, I am glowing, and even the next day, I have a rosy complexion and noticeably plumper, firmer skin. There does seem to be many benefits of exercise for your skin.

But there is a school of thought that exercise can cause premature wrinkles.

Back in the 1990s, the hit US series Ally McBeal (of ‘dancing-baby’ fame – you had to be there) featured a ‘face bra’, designed to prevent facial sagging caused by high-impact exercise such as running. It makes sense – I never exercise without a sports bra, but can still feel my cheeks bouncing!

Having said that, the increase in blood – and, therefore, nutrients – flowing to the skin is a definite benefit of exercise, as is the amount of extra water you consume during and after a workout. These factors largely account for both the immediate and the longer-lasting skin benefits that come with exercise.

If you are worried that high-impact exercise is having a detrimental effect on your skin, why not try swapping some of your workouts for low-impact alternatives such as swimming, cycle or yoga?

But remember that weight-bearing pursuits – where your feet pound the ground – are essential for building and maintaining bone and muscle mass, so don’t cut them out altogether.

Some people swear by facial exercises to stop gravity taking its toll. Given that the face is covered by so many muscles, it stands to reason that strengthening and toning these muscles will help to maintain the outward shape of the face.

Then again, making 50 extra smiley faces every day might bring on the crow’s feet faster than if you stayed stony-faced for the next 20 years!

On the whole, I believe the seemingly never-ending list of health benefits that exercise is proven to bring far outweighs any potential downsides. And even working alongside sports experts and fanatics and having several friends with an obsession for marathons, I have yet to meet anyone with exercise-induced wrinkles. Far from it, all the regular exercisers I know are pictures of health!

Do you spend lots of money and lots of time on buying and applying anti-aging lotions and potions, only to be disappointed time and time again? Do you wonder why some people show their age, while others seem to look great, year on year?

While much of it might be down to our genes – which we are powerless to change – what we do on a daily basis can also have a dramatic effect on our outward appearance. But, you can nourish your skin naturally….

Skin is not only affected by what it comes into contact with on the outside. What we eat and drink each day can also have a huge impact on the condition of our skin from the inside.

Many skin-care products talk about ‘nourishing’ and providing vitamins and minerals to your skin, and come with a hefty price tag to boot! But you can nourish your skin naturally and provide it with all the goodness it needs simply by eating a healthy, balanced diet.

Include plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables in your daily diet to ensure you get a broad range of vitamins and minerals you skin needs.

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Oats have long been famed for their nutritional value. Oat bran is a particularly good source of B vitamins, vitamin E, protein, fat, and minerals, as well as being rich in beta-glucan, a heart-healthy form of soluble fibre.

Oatmeal has a documented ability decrease low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (‘bad’ cholesterol) and reduce coronary heart disease, as well as being associated with a reduction of insulin dosage in people with diabetes.

As a regulator of inflammation, it has been used for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, and may also have anticancer properties.

But did you know that oatmeal also has an excellent safety record and a long history in the treatment of dermatologic disorders?

With its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, colloidal oatmeal – that is, oatmeal that has been ground so finely that it will remain suspended in water to form an emollient-like solution – is available in various forms such as bath treatments, cleansing bars, body washes, shampoos, lotions, creams, and shaving gels.

You can also get the benefits of oatmeal by preparing an oatmeal bath. Sprinkle finely-ground oatmeal directly into the running water and soak in the bath for 15-20 min.

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