Exercise stimulates the production of collagen. “Studies show that collagen is in a constant cycle of creation and destruction in the body; age and environment play a factor in the breakdown,” Redpath adds.
Can exercise boost collagen levels? There are a few ways that exercise can boost collagen levels: Exercise delivers nutrients, like vitamins and oxygen, to skin cells, helping them repair and multiply. Specifically, these nutrients feed the fibroblast cells in your skin that produce collagen.
Exercise serum increases collagen content and improves mechanical properties of engineered ligaments.
Endurance exercise–like running, swimming, or bicycling–and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) both slowed signs of aging compared to lifting weights–at least on the cellular level.
Exercise has the potential to help improve the look of crepey skin. When we exercise, our muscles get longer, stronger and tighter, which can firm up the skin around those muscles. As a result, our muscles become more visible, potentially diminishing the appearance of loose, crepey skin.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand with arms at your sides and palms facing forward. Keeping your torso stationary and elbows tucked close to your sides, bend your elbows (not your wrists) to curl the weights up to your shoulders. Pause, then slowly return to starting position. That's one rep.
Running increases the production of human growth hormone—your body's natural youth serum. "This helps you produce new cells, which can make your skin look a lot more youthful," says Webb.
Scientists say that a lifetime of frequent, brisk walks can make you feel and look 16 years younger when you reach midlife. Researchers at the University of Leicester, who studied the genes of 400,000 Britons, found a clear link between walking faster and a reduced biological age.
By strength training either by using resistance bands, weights or aerobic exercise, such as swimming, you can rebuild muscle and prevent bone loss. Taking care of your core and your spine has the added benefit of keeping your body and joints strong, and your taller posture will shave years off of your appearance.
Eating foods rich in vitamin C and amino acids can increase the levels of hyaluronic acid and collagen in the body as both are important for skin. Foods such as oranges, red peppers, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and strawberries are all rich in vitamin C.
Slather on a vitamin C serum in the morning. The vitamin is an antioxidant that protects the collagen in your skin against UV damage, says Chwalek. More than that, she says, it triggers collagen formation and stabilizes the collagen proteins in skin.
Collagen levels decrease with age and, unfortunately, there's no way to prevent this. The good news is that there are several cosmetic treatments that can rebuild or restore collagen.
“HIIT training, and resistance workouts are the best forms of exercise to focus on in the gym for collagen production because they stimulate the human growth hormone.” For those who are intimidated by the acronym, HIIT workouts don't require a gym membership, fancy classes or a personal trainer.
A diet full of protein-rich foods, whether from plant or animal sources, can help supply these critical amino acids. Other nutrients that aid the process of collagen production include zinc, vitamin C, and copper. So, fruits and vegetables high in vitamins and minerals are also a friend to supple skin.
Here's why. By increasing blood flow, exercise helps nourish skin cells and keep them vital. "Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to working cells throughout the body, including the skin," says Marmur.
While the benefits of walking are well known – from reducing blood pressure to lessening the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes – new scientific findings say walking is a powerful tool capable of slowing the aging process and even reversing it.
The length of participants' telomeres was also measured, and researchers found that people with a faster self-reported walking pace were more likely to have longer telomeres. The findings suggested that brisk walking led to a lower biological age, rather than the other way round.
"Aerobic exercise such as running, swimming or rowing raises metabolism during and after the activity, making it less likely that calories will be stored around the abdominal area, or anywhere else, as fat," Sutton says.
What is runner's face? If you haven't heard the term, you've likely seen it. It is the face of a lifelong runner with leathery, saggy skin and a gaunt appearance. It is the result of lots of sun exposure and little body fat.
Runner's belly or runner's gut occurs when the digestive system becomes irritated during long-distance running [1]. Running is one of the most strenuous forms of exercise on the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, with some studies indicating that up to 80% of runners experience gastrointestinal symptoms during a run [2].
How can I naturally rebuild collagen? You can naturally support the collagen production process by using topicals such as vitamin C and retinol, collagen peptide supplements, eating a nutrient rich diet, and avoiding habits that damage the collagen (such as poor sleep and sun exposure.)
Does Collagen Tighten Saggy Skin? Studies have indicated that supplemental collagen is beneficial for skin health, including tightening sagging skin (known as elasticity), boosting hydration, and lessening the appearance of wrinkles.
Of course, you can't reverse the signs of aging completely. You can go the nonsurgical route and add firming creams or facial exercises to your skincare routine. There are also cosmetic procedures that provide quicker results, such as laser surfacing or ultrasound skin tightening.