Top 5: Skincare Tips For People Who Work Out

Going to the gym will help you to look after your body, but sweating for long periods of time can wreak havoc on your skin. If you’ve recently started working with one of the many certified personal trainers in London and have noticed your skin suffering, you might need to switch up your skincare routine. Don’t worry, with the following steps, you’ll be able to get your skin back on track in no time.

Don’t wear makeup to the gym

If you’re used to wearing makeup every time you leave the house, you’ve probably been working out with a full face without thinking too much about it. While you might look a million dollars, makeup actually contributes to the clogging of your pores as sweat builds up behind it. When you’re at the gym, your skin needs to be able to breathe easily. If you feel very self-conscious going out without makeup, swap your foundation for a light, tinted sunscreen or moisturiser. And if you’re worried about removing your makeup when you turn up at the gym, keep a small bottle of micellar water and some cotton pads to hand.

Wash your face after working out

Once you’ve finished exercising, you’ll want to get any sweat that’s accumulated on your skin washed off as soon as possible. Sometimes using just water will be enough, but if your skin isn’t too dry or sensitive, choose a creamy or oil-based cleanser to really melt any build-ups off your face.

Moisturise your skin

You should always moisturise your face after cleansing, but especially so after sweating in the gym. Choose a hydrating moisturiser that has a light texture that won’t clog your pores. Pay attention to your moisturiser’s packaging and check that the bottle says non-comedogenic, so you know it won’t contribute to any breakouts.

Keep it gentle

If your skincare routine usually contains anti-ageing serums and acid peels, you might want to hold off using them straight after working out. Instead, save them for your nighttime routine before bed. Always give your skin time to recover after sweating in the gym, as it will be more sensitive. To reduce redness and irritation, consider adding a cooling, soothing mist or gel to your post-workout routine. Look for ingredients like green tea, cucumber, aloe vera or cica.

Use a high-quality gym towel

The gym towel you use during your workout can significantly impact your skin, especially if you’re using it to wipe your face. Make sure you invest in a towel that’s of a medium absorbency and wicks away sweat from the surface of your skin. It’s also a good idea to change your towel often and wash it in between uses to avoid transferring bacteria to your skin. You should always have a separate towel for your face that you don’t use anything else, otherwise, it’s like spreading all the germs on your hands over your face. Make sure that this towel is only used for its intended purpose - wiping away sweat. Don’t use it interchangeably to wipe down machines or to sit on whilst your exercise!

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Health & Lifestyle: 7 Natural Products To Help Ease Muscle Aches & Pains (Post-Gym/Exercise)

Whether you're embracing the new normal of returning to your favourite gym or you're continuing to work out at home, here are seven natural products which can help to ease some of those post-exercise muscle aches and pains.

Bath & Shower Helpers: Magnesium & Sea Salt

One of the best ways to relax your muscles after a tough workout, especially if you've been lifting weights or doing high strenuous exercises such as HITT or spinning, is to take a warm bath and there are countless products that you can use. Popular favourites are Epsom Salts of course, but I wanted to feature a product that has Sea Salt instead as some people can find Epsom Salts to be a bit too irritating if they have sensitive skin, so Sea Salt is often better tolerated by all skin types. I'm a big fan of JOIK Energizing Bath Salt* (500g, £6.50, link) which is 100% natural and has invigorating citrus essential oils to give your body and mind a stimulating boost, as well as helping to relax muscle tension.

I also love REN's amazing luxury Anti-Fatigue range and the SLS-free Atlantic Kelp & Magnesium Body Wash* (250ml, £22, link) is ideal for those who don't have a bath, or are short on time and want to use something quick and easy in the shower to instantly revive tired skin. I featured the Exfoliating Body Scrub from this range in my last Empties post which is another long-time fave of mine.

Topical Treats: Creams, Gels and Sprays

Pop into any health store and you'll find a huge selection of topical products to soothe aching muscles in a variety of formulas and formats so you can pick and choose depending on your personal preference. If you want a cream product, Ying Yang Skincare MSM Cream* (180ml, £24.95, link) is one of the best that I've tried as it contains a potent and effective blend with 9% MSM to provide comfortable relief to overworked muscles - perfect for using after Hot Yoga or running. 

For something more affordable, I highly recommend Organii Soothing Arnica Gel* (50ml, £3.95, link) as Arnica is a fantastic natural ingredient for helping to reduce any kind of inflammation and swelling. It's also useful for those who suffer from muscle pains related to Arthritis, and it's a must-have if you do any contact sports where bruises may occur.

My overall favourite topical product though is a high-quality Magnesium Oil Spray and when you're buying one, make sure it's 100% natural and contains a high dose of Magnesium Chloride for the best results. I've used this one from KIKI Health* (125ml, £12.50, link) for years and I always have a bottle in my gym bag. Magnesium is one of the most important minerals in your body but it's quickly depleted with intense exercise so a topical spitz applied to aching muscles can reduce painful spasms and contractions within minutes.

Internal Supplements: Turmeric & MSM Flakes

Supplements are a useful addition to anyone's daily routine and if you regularly exercise, two that I find helpful are Turmeric and MSM Flakes (Glucosamine is also a must if you're over 50 yrs old). I regularly purchase Twenty First Century Herbs Turmeric Supplements (30 capsules, £5, link) as they don't contain any unnecessary fillers/bulking agents and are vegan and gluten-free. Turmeric is an incredible natural anti-inflammatory so it's another product that I recommend trying if you suffer from any regular joint pain or have Arthritis etc. 

MSM Flakes are a nutritional form of sulphur which can be taken internally with benefits ranging from maintaining healthy joints and muscles to improving skin, hair and nails. Again, I always suggest purchasing a product which is high-quality and 100% natural such as KIKI Health MSM Flakes* (100g, £9.95, link) and these are easy to dissolve in a glass of juice or a smoothie. They are an 'acquired' taste though so if you don't find them palatable, stick with the MSM Cream above or try the 'pinched nose' technique when you take them!

Have you returned to the gym since they re-opened?

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Introducing: SportFX - Sweatproof, Gym-Friendly Makeup & Skincare

Whether you wear makeup to the Gym or are just looking for a long-wearing makeup range to last you through a busy day at work, SportFX is a brand worth looking into.

I recently read a magazine article where they polled 100 female gym goers and found that at least half of them regularly wear makeup to the gym. The main reason given was because they said makeup helped to give them a confidence boost, which I can totally understand. Sweating it out during a session of Hot Yoga or Weight Training can leave you looking like you've just run a marathon, so if wearing makeup to the gym gets more women into doing regular exercise, then I'm all for it!

Surprisingly though, whilst many makeup brands now offer longer lasting foundations, there aren't many around who have a full range of gym-friendly, sweatproof products which is why I was so curious to try out SportFX. Their entire range is described as 'active makeup and skincare' with innovative long-wearing, sweatproof formulas. Best of all though, their products are very affordable (think high street/drugstore prices) so I couldn't wait to put some of their bestsellers to the test.

 SportFX Cool Down Primer & Recovery Gel* (30ml, £9.99)

If you want your makeup to stay put, applying a primer is one of the easiest steps that you can take to ensuring that it looks good for longer. This gel-based Cool Down Primer promises to be high endurance and contains Aloe Vera Gel, Vitamins C, E & F and the anti-inflammatory Panthenol, to instantly soothe and calm down any redness. It feels really nice and cooling on the skin and provides a lovely smooth base for applying makeup. I put it through its paces during a sweaty cardio session and it really does help to keep everything in place, plus my face looked a lot less flushed and red too - win win! This would be a great primer to use during the Summer months as well. 

 SportFX Balance Boosting BB Cream SPF 20* (30ml, £12.99)

I wasn't expecting much from this Balance Boosting BB Cream as I've tried some similar products from a few other brands in the past, but this one certainly fared better than those. Like the primer, it has a special high-endurance formula which is both fragrance and paraben free. The BB Cream comes in four shades (Medium is pictured above), and is enriched with antioxidants to protect the skin. The formula is quite thick (and best applied with a sponge), but it's sweat-resistant, breathable and matte, and the coverage is what I'd expect from a BB Cream. This held up really well during the sweaty cardio session and was still looking good afterwards. Thanks to the added SPF 20, I'd recommend this to anyone who is looking for a long-lasting, matte, light coverage base for everyday wear, and oily skins will particularly love it.

 SportFX Blend & Go Makeup Blending Sponge* (£4.99)

To apply the BB Cream, I used the Blend & Go Makeup Blending Sponge which has an 8-sided design that can be used with liquids, creams and powders for a flawless finish. The sponge is soft, bouncy and easy to use, with the angled sides allowing you to get into those tricky areas, like around the nose, quickly and effortlessly. I also like using the tip of the sponge on its side for applying concealer underneath the eyes. A clever little makeup tool - well done SportFX!

 SportFX Sport Stamina Mascara* (£9), Shape Up Brow Pencil* (£7.99) & Definition Duo Eyeliner Pencil* (£9.99)

If you're going to wear any kind of eye makeup to the gym, it's a no-brainer that the formulas will need to be waterproof, and all three of these from SportFX proved that they were smudge-proof when I tested them out. The Sport Stamina Mascara is infused with a nourishing and strengthening formula, and contains ingredients such as Sweet Almond Oil, Mango Butter, Carnuba Wax, Coconut Oil and Beeswax. It gives the lashes a good boost of both length and volume, though it did get a little clumpy at the edges, but given its performance, I didn't mind too much.

The Shape Up Brow Pencil comes with an inbuilt spoolie on one end and has an angled pencil tip on the other. It feels a little too dry and waxy for my liking, but if you're prepared to work with warming it up beforehand, it'll happily stay put all day. The Definition Duo Eyeliner Pencil, on the other hand, has a lovely smooth formula that's highly pigmented and is super easy to use. One end features a dark brown and the other a black, so this skinny duo twist-up pencil is a must-have for eyeliner junkies.

 SportFX Performance Powder & Bronzer Compact Duo SPF 15* (13g each, £14.99)

To complete a full face of makeup, this handy Compact Duo features a mattifying powder on the top for a smooth and shine-free finish, and a slide-out bronzer underneath for an all over healthy looking sun-kissed glow. Both of the powder formulas are paraben free and have natural pigments to allow the skin to breathe. I really like both of them - they're finely milled, easy to apply and work with, and the bronzer looks very natural on. The compact has a decent sized mirror in the lid too, making touch-ups before and after the gym a breeze. 

 SportFX Raspberry Rhubarb Recovery Lip Balm SPF 15* (8g, £4.99)

This lip balm was the only product that I tried from SportFX which I was very 'meh' about, simply because it doesn't really do anything that a good quality lip balm does already (the hint of pink tint and the rhubarb custard scent were good though). It feels initially moisturising on the lips thanks to ingredients such as Shea Butter, but I did find that my lips felt dry again after an hour or so, which made me need to reapply it more often than I wanted to. There are so many other amazing lip balms in this price bracket that you can pick up, so I'd give this one a miss. 

 SportFX Time Out Face Mist & Fix* (30ml, £5.99)

For that final step in your makeup routine, a setting spray is an essential helping hand, and this one not only fixes your makeup in place, but it also can be used as a refreshing, hydrating facial spritz whenever you need it. The mineral oil and paraben free formula feels nice and cooling and helps to control shine, so your makeup stays looking fresh for longer. A steal at just £5.99 and the perfect size for tucking into your handbag to use on the go.

SportFX Face Off Duo Eye & Face Makeup Remover Wipes* (20 wipes, £6.99)

When you want to take it all off, these makeup remover wipes do the job effectively and quickly. The box of 20 wipes contains 10 sachets which have a specialised oil-based wipe on the left for removing eye makeup and waterproof mascara, and a micellar water infused wipe on the right for taking off the rest of your makeup. Both of these feel soft on the skin, work incredibly well and removed everything easily! 

Shop the full range of SportFX makeup and skincare at sportfx.com

Do you wear makeup to the gym?

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