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The New York Post wrote a revealing page six story on Madonna’s old hands. Well, it’s about more than that, but that’s the lead.

The premise of the story is that the skin on our hands — especially for fair-skinned women — tend to show age more than we realize. Age spots, wrinkles, and big, bulky veins are big give-aways to our age.

Especially if you are Madonna and the rest of your bod looks so good.

Anyway, read the story, you might find it interesting that the next plastic surgery fad will be all about the hands.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a little tired of forking over all this cash for beauty products. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a sucker for a new skin care treatment — especially if it will improve my melasma or acne — but sometimes I’d rather spend my money on something else (like a latte:).

Here are a few skin care treatments that won’t cost you a thing; or at least they won’t cost you much.

Water

Drink it.
Try drinking a few extra glasses of water a day. Hydration leads to moisturized and clear skin.

Splash it.
If you have redness or dry skin that you just can’t seem to shake, try to rinse with luke warm water in the morning only. In the evening you should still use a gentle cleanser, but some skin types might benefit from a water only rinse from time to time.

Freeze it.
A frozen washcloth or ice pack can reduce puffiness and redness all over you face, but especially around your eyes.

Swim in it.
The ocean’s salt water is a natural treatment for acne breakouts.

Cardio Exercise

If you read our post, Five skin fitness benefits to exercise, then you already know how exercise can make your skin look younger and healthier. But it’s worth repeating especially because exercise is free!

With 30 minutes of increased heart rate three times a week, you will encourage collagen production, have a rosier complexion, see less cellulite, and experience fewer breakouts.

Stretching

Just like with cardio exercise, some stretching exercises can be beneficial for your complexion too. Hand stands and yoga poses like child’s pose and bowing pose bring blood to the upper body and head circulating more nutrients and oxygen to the skin.

Exfoliate

In the post, The long forgotten wash cloth, I talked about how the washcloth can do wonders for cleaning and softening skin – especially elbows, knees, and feet. Try other inexpensive exfoliators like baking soda, sugar, and oatmeal to save yourself a few dollars from all those expensive scrubs and peels.

Know of other skin care treatments that are free or cheap? Share your skin fitness  ideas by leaving a comment here.

Oh, where to begin with the benefits of exercise. It strengthens your heart, builds muscle, burns calories, levels out your mood, leads to better sex and sleep, and here’s one you don’t hear very often: exercise is good for your SKIN FITNESS!

As if you needed any more reason to exercise, here are five more reasons to get off your butt and into the gym.

Sweat your skin clear
When you exercise you sweat, right? Well, the sweating process is your body’s way of cooling itself and a way to eject toxins and other built up fluids in your system. In other words, sweating is a bit like self cleaning.

Burn up that stress
With stress comes an increased production of testosterone-based hormones in the system. Translated — with stress come acne break outs.

However, when you exercise you burn up some of those hormones and you encourage your adrenal glands to produce less of them.

Stretch out cellulite
When you practice yoga, spend time weight training, or incorporate other slow and controlled movements into your workout, you are literally stretching the fibers directly beneath the skin. Cellulite forms because fat is stuck between these tense fibers. If your muscles are strong and those fibers are stretched, fewer pockets of fat will form.

Circulate those nutrients
Doctors recommend 30 minutes of cardio activity at least three times a week. This will keep your heart pumping strong and your circulatory system in tip top shape. With this improved circulation, your skin will receive all the nutrients it deserves.

Additionally, cardio exercise rattles toxins free from the body.

Breath deep for more collagen
During exercise more oxygen is pushed into and through the body, which promotes cell growth and the production of collagen. Collagen deteriorates with age and the  harmful environmental elements, but with exercise you are doing your part to slow down that deterioration.

It’s important to know that you cannot spot train your skin. No particular exercise will make one area of you skin tighter, more supple, or a different color. But overall exercise does do wonders for your complexion and the youthfulness of your skin.

There’s no reason not to exercise for the sake of skin fitness.

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