It's hardly news that exercise is great for your heart, lungs, and mental wellbeing. However, there's another reason to get moving: Regular exercise is one of the keys to healthy skin. Who knew?

The skin is the body’s largest organ.

Firstly, we need to ask, what is the purpose of our skin?

The skin provides a protective barrier against mechanical injury (blow, crush, cut, or any penetrating wound), thermal and physical injury and hazardous substances. Since your skin covers your entire body, it is obvious that its main function is protection. It also prevents loss of moisture. Without the skin, our bottom layers would dry out within hours of exposure. It also acts as a sensory organ, sensitive to touch and temperature.

The skin consists of the Epidermis (top), the Dermis and at the bottom the Hypodermis.

Through exercises, we increase blood flow, thus helping to nourish skin cells, keeping them healthy and vital. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to working cells throughout the body, including the skin. In addition to providing oxygen, blood flow also helps carry away waste products, including free radicals, from working cells. Contrary to some claims, exercise doesn't detoxify the skin. The job of neutralising toxins belongs mostly to the liver.

Sweating regulates your body temperature, hydrates your skin, and balances the levels of electrolytes such as sodium and calcium in your body. Sweat is released through the pores, and this can help to clear pores of dirt, trapped oils, dead skin cells and bacteria.

A person who exercises vigorously and regularly has lower levels of circulating stress-related hormones, which helps to improve the health of the blood vessel lining. Moderate exercise everyday can strengthen the heart and arteries, making the circulatory system even more efficient. That improved circulation floods our skin with oxygen and nutrient-rich blood cells.

We use our eyes to attract attention when flirting, so you don’t want them looking puffy, red, or tired. The key to keeping the skin around your eyes in good condition, is Lymphatic flow. The lymph system removes toxins, and exercise helps to stimulate it. This helps to reduce water retention and improve puffiness and dark circles.

While moderate, daily exercise is good for us, more extreme workouts are not necessarily better - and in many cases can contribute to premature aging of the body. This is usually caused by extreme long distance running or heavy weightlifting. A lot of our youthful glow is in our face, and the fat pads in our faces give us a more youthful look. If the fat pads are reduced due to excessive exercise and weight loss, it exposes the hollows in the cheeks and underneath the eyes, contributing to a gaunt look and an older appearance. Overly strenuous exercise can also exacerbate conditions like varicose veins and rosacea.

Exercise such as yoga, lightweight resistance training, swimming or other exercises in a pool are often better for the body because they are not as hard on ligaments, organs, and joints. Workouts can also be effective in improving posture.

A word of warning. The main danger of exercising outdoors is sun exposure. The best advice is to avoid exercising outside during peak sun time, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. There are some skin conditions that can be aggravated by physical activity, for example, eczema, but, that's no reason not to exercise. If you are concerned about a skin condition coupled with exercise, consult with your GP before you begin.

Once you have done your daily workout routine, don’t forget to cleanse your whole body from head to toe to thoroughly remove the toxins and dirt that have been excreted from the body.

Don’t forget, happy skin for a more youthful look!