By Eliza • 6 Comments
If you’re getting a regular workout, good for you! Exercising helps keep weight in check and protects you from a variety of health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer. However, there are good practices you should be following to make sure you’re getting the most out of your session. That includes showering as soon as you’re done. Here are the top reasons why a shower after exercise is something you should never skip.
It’s no secret that sweating heavily doesn’t always smell good. After your sweat session, hopping in the shower helps remove the bacteria that causes sweat to be stinky. That way you can go back to work or out with friends without worry about body odor. If only for that reason alone, a shower is an obvious decision before you leave the gym.
Here’s another reason why washing off all that sweat is so important. Sweat can clog pores, leaving you prone to breakouts. This is true on your face, but acne can also crop up on your back, especially if you sit around in your sweaty gym clothes after exercising. A warm, soapy shower clears away that dirt and all those germs and bacteria that can lead to breakouts.
No girl wants to deal with a yeast infection, right? In much the same way that sweat can lead to breakouts, it can also trigger a yeast infection. So not only do you need to get out of those sweaty workout clothes as soon as you’re session is over, but you also need to shower so that the germs and bacteria go down the drain, rather than leading to icky health issues.
A heavy workout can leave you flushed, red and shiny. However, a nice warm shower can help you cool down so that when you return to regular life, you look glowing, fresh and clean. It can be a pain to reapply the make-up and stuff, but you’ll be so glad you did. And so will your body.
If you’re anything like me, getting sweaty makes your hair frizz out big time. Luckily, a quick shower afterward can help fight this. Use a hydrating shampoo to wash the sweat and other junk from your strands before leaving the gym. Air dry or use the blow dryer, depending on your time frame. You’ll be so glad you took this step.
This applies to both your hair and your skin. That extra shower after a gym session lets you hydrate both one extra time. Use products that do the job for you and make sure you slather on a good body cream after you leave the shower for even more skin hydration benefits. It will be worth it, I promise.
Not only is a skin infection potentially life threatening, but it doesn’t look pretty either. If you have a cut or scrape on your skin, the chances of getting an infection go up, especially if you don’t shower after your work out. If you have an injury, keep it covered while you exercise, then wash up afterward to keep your skin safe and healthy.
Do you shower after you exercise? I make a point of exercising just before a shower so that I’m prepared to wash off when I’m done. Were you surprised to hear anything on this list?