Since I first started coining the phrase Skin Fitness Expert to represent what I do, I’ve been asked where I came up with the title. For me, Skin Fitness came about from constantly equating what I did for my clients skin with what my personal trainer did for my body.
As I used the analogy, more and more of my discussions with clients had parallels. Your skin has a routine that you do AM and PM every day. I alternate upper and lower body workouts every other day. 2X-3X a week you do specialty home care like a mask or a scrub. 2X-3X a week I do something that will kick up my cardio a notch. Your routine is designed to change as your skin changes. My routine changes as my body changes. You have certain problem areas you are working on like lines and acne. I have certain problem areas like a big butt and tiny arms that I am working on. The parallels can go on and on
As I started linking these two concepts in my mind the physiology of the skin began to click in with the whole fitness idea. The skin is the largest organ of the body. It is also one of the last organs to receive nourishment on the organ food chain. This is why whenever you aren’t feeling well the first thing you hear is “Are you okay? You don’t look so good.” Your skin is one of the bodies first alert system to problems. Yellow skin, pale skin, blue skin, flushed skin, red skin, hives, blisters, rash, I can go on and on. All these are symptoms of a problem that the skin sends out as a warning sign.
The saying you are what you eat has a lot of relevance to the body. I am a firm believer that chocolate and greasy food won’t destroy your skin, but in large or regular dosages it will effect your health and therefore your skin will also suffer. That is why nutrition is a major part of skin fitness. Now I will leave it to a licensed Nutritionist to tell you what to eat, but as a Skin Fitness Expert I can tell you how to feed your skin topically.
In California the most common thing I see is dehydration being treated as oily skin. I will leave off my lecture about water hydration and oil production for another time, but I hear the same thing 99% of the time when I talk to clients about this problem.
“Client, your skin is dehydrated.”
“But I drink a ton of water!” They say in an affronted tone.
Well sometimes what you think is a ton and what is really enough aren’t the same thing at all. Their are often other factors, but one thing is certain – if you aren’t getting enough H2O your skin will tell me, and I will make sure that it starts getting that water topically. A major part of my job is making sure you nourish your skin properly on a daily basis.
Exercise. Now This is a major part of a fitness routine that isn’t really understood in my profession. When you get on my bed for your visits my job is to kick start your skin. If you have ever worked with a personal trainer then you know they push you harder and make sure you do everything better than when you work out alone. Their attention gets you faster, better, more precise results. It’s no different with me. When a client gets on my bed I use alternate techniques and tools to exercise your skin. When you go home we have discussed your home care so that I know you are exercising your skin without me.
As far as I’m concerned Skin Fitness is the future. The days of froofy, luxury spas are gone and total body wellness is in. Facials for purely “aesthetic” reasons aren’t enough. You only get one body, and the best way to take care of it is to keep it all fit. This includes the largest organ of them all – your skin.
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