Skincare Lessons from My Fitness Journey

A few months back, I came to a startling realization.

One day I decided to do a push-up. 

Each time I tried, I ended up on my belly, unable to get back up.

I was shocked!
This had NEVER happened before!

I used to be able to do 20 full push-ups in a row, and now I couldn't do a single one?!

Well, I hadn't really worked out in about a year, basically, since the full-scale war in Ukraine started.

I went from being active and strong to inactive and weak.

I was fully out of shape.

It was a bizarre thing to come to terms with, and guess what?

I didn't like it at all. 

Something had to change!

I started practicing push-ups every time I remembered. And even though I fell to my belly each time, I still practiced the motions.

I started going on runs and saw how difficult it was to run half the distance I used to run easily. I would stop and take walking breaks because I couldn't make it.

It felt like my lungs hated me!

While on these runs, I realized this fitness situation could teach us much about skin health. 

And you know, I love to make everything about skincare!

Lesson 1: Consistency over intensity. 

With fitness, a lot of us aim for intensity.

We push ourselves during those few first workouts, overdo it, hurt ourselves, and then we need a break that turns into quitting.

We create big goals -- "I'll work out 5x a week!"then fail and quit.

With skincare, a lot of us aim for intensity too.

We think the more we do at once, the better our results will be.

Many people start not with the basics but with highly irritating actives.

If it stings, it's working! (NOT!)

They overuse these actives, destroy their barrier, and then ALL skincare burns upon application and they can't use anything at all.

They get frustrated and confused, and then throw out the baby with the bath water...Some people decide that all skincare is terrible for them at this point.

Some people decide the skin condition is forever...

What can we do instead?

Aim for consistency.

Instead of 5x a week, start with ONCE a week. Sounds revolutionary, I know. Once a week over 6 months is 24 workouts.

5x a week for one week and then quitting is 5 workouts.

In terms of skincare, where we have to focus on consistency is with our boring basics: cleanse, 3-Step Moisture Method™, sunscreen. 

Doing the boring stuff every day will get you better results than doing the fun stuff occasionally.

That doesn't sound so hard, does it?

Lesson 2: Prevention is easier than reversal!

Starting at zero suuuuucks.

It hurts more, is less fun, and is easier to give up.

If I had been consistent by exercising at least 1-4x a month over zero times a month, I would not have had to start from nothing.

Consistency lends itself to preventing problems, right?

We brush our teeth, preventing tooth decay. 

So much easier than reversing tooth decay! Ouch!

We exercise to prevent pain, injury, weakness, and poor health.

So much easier than starting over from scratch! Ouch!

We skin care to prevent skin damage.

So much easier than reversing damage! OUCH!

It's easier to prevent skincare problems than reverse them.

We often forget that reversal isn't always possible (like severe sun damage, scarring, or thinned skin).

Sometimes reversal becomes expensive and can even be painful. 

We save ourselves a lot of extra time and effort by getting ahead of the problem.

I hate learning this lesson the hard way...Alas!

Lesson 3: Technique matters!

Oh lordie, when I started running, I was trying to be as fast as I used to be.

Big mistake.

This meant that I could run short distances and then be out of breath and unable to run at all. It was painful.

Then my husband dropped a tip that he had learned from professional runners.

"Go slow, and don't stop. If you think it's too slow, it's probably a good pace." 

My mind was blown. Go slow? Too slow? 

That never ever would have occurred to me.

You'd think running was intuitive...But experts at running know stuff that I didn't know!

When I applied this tip and slowed down, I was able to go further without stopping.

I found my runs more enjoyable, so enjoyable that I was SMILING while running! 

This was me -> 😄.

Turns out HOW you run is a game-changer!!

You know where I'm going with this one.

The technique with which you use your skincare products matters. 

When you clean your face improperly, you'll accumulate things over time, leading to minor and later major problems.

When you moisturize improperly, you end up with skin that doesn't function as well as it can, leading to discomfort over time.

When you don't protect your skin with sunscreen properly, you accumulate sun damage that compounds over time, leading to hyperpigmentation, deep wrinkles, thinner and dryer skin, and even skin cancer.

When you know how to do each step well, you can see results instead of regrets! 

Lesson 4: Anti-goals can be more powerful than goals.

I've been fascinated by the idea of anti-goals.

Goals are about knowing what you want, while anti-goals are about knowing what you DON'T want.

We set big goals and think that we'll reach them. Then we put them aside for tomorrow, later...and they never get done.

The goal of being active and fit didn't help me stay active and fit.

However, learning that I couldn't even do ONE push-up?!

Having my back hurt regularly?!

Becoming less flexible??!

I knew I didn't want THAT!

Ugh, that was AWFUL.

See, that's an anti-goal.

Having a goal made me sit on my butt, but having an anti-goal made me move my butt.

When it comes to skin, your goal may be to get clear skin.

But does that help you?

You may want to consider the opposite: what you don't want.

With my skin, I didn't want to:

-think about it from morning to night

-depend on random strangers on the internet for skincare advice

-waste money on products or treatments that don't do anything

-blame my body or hormones

-spend my time leaning over the sink

-skip out on social gatherings and opportunities

-lack confidence

So I turned the ship around.

TO RECAP

• Consistency may get you closer to your goals than intensity.

• Proactively preventing a problem is easier and cheaper and more effective than trying to reverse the problem.

• Know-how can help you avoid mistakes and do things correctly from the start.

• Knowing what you don't want may motivate you more effectively than merely knowing what you do want.

Since I started working out again, I am back to running the distances I used to run with less pain and without stopping. *YAAAAY!*🥳

I have since done ten push-ups in a row, but the goal is still 20! 🥳🥳🥳

All of this is about self-awareness though, isn't it?✨

When you know what the problem is, you can begin solving it.

When you know how you're contributing to a problem, you can start contributing to the solution.

Let me know if this resonated with you.

Love,

Olena