How to Keep Your Skin Clean After a Rough Martial Arts Season
When you step into martial arts you get to know about so many different benefits of martial arts other than self-defense. One of the most talked about benefits of martial arts is the fact that it is very good for physical health so much that it can help you lose weight, burn calories and eventually facilitate in boosting your metabolism. Moreover, it has all the benefits any other heavy-duty workout would have. As a martial artist when you step into martial arts, you will also notice that a lot of people get very smooth, glowing skin because martial arts facilitate blood circulation and offer you radiant glowing skin. Moreover, since you are sweating a lot, you will also notice that the skin is much cleaner and dirt free.
However, on the contrary, some people get a lot of breakouts. The issue is that when you get to use shared mats and you work out a lot, you have to make sure that you clean your skin first. If you do not put your hygiene first, this can backfire, and eventually, all the skin benefits that you have been promised by the use of martial arts will never happen. Also, one of the biggest issues is that most people get bruised due to the abrasion on the mat. This eventually damages the skin barrier so people in these conditions avoid using disinfectant because it stings more. All these things eventually save for the momentary pain but they can not only damage your skin but in the long run, you will never heal. Experts believe that all these issues can be avoided if you know what you are into and you adjust yourself accordingly. This is not just limited to clothing and skincare but also precautionary measures.
With the help of this article, we will mainly look at some of the simple steps that can help you take care of your skin. We will especially look at ways to help your skin get cleaned so the focus will be more on the skincare routine.
Things to Help You Keep Your Skin Clean After a Rough Martial Arts Season
Clean Up Fully
If you wear makeup and do not clean your skin well, this is going to impact your skin. It will clog your pores leaving no room for the sweat to come out. Eventually, this impacts the body, the skin becomes quite rough and there is a layer of dull debris on the surface. Mixed with bacteria and sweat, this makes things worse and impacts the overall skin. In most conditions, this can also result in acne and fungal infections.
Use Less Oil
After cleaning your skin, most people will advise you to moisturize and there is no harm in moisturizing. However, anything that creates an oil-based barrier on your skin will be acting as a surface lube, clogging all the pores and leaving no room for sweat. You need to keep in mind that moisturizer should be very less, with almost no thick oil layer and you then have to absorb all the extra oil so it doesn’t rub off everywhere on the mat.
Disinfect the Area
This is a big plus, this might not be related to your skin directly but it can save you from a lot of trouble to come. Post-COVID, the importance of disinfectant have become quite evident even the gyms and the shared training centers focus on the cleaning and disinfection of things but it is also important to either bring most of the things you will be using with you or at least carry anti-bacterial gels and disinfectants so you can use them to wipe clean the surface and the equipment that you will be used.
Use Dry Things
One of the biggest issues that you will face is a fungal infection. Anything that stays a little warm and moist eventually becomes a hotbed for bacterial and fungal infections. Since you will be sharing the mat or even if you are not sharing the mat, there is a high chance that if you do not dry yourself up and use disinfectant you might end up with some kind of bacterial and fungal infection. Once you feel like you are done with the workout, make sure to get a shower and pat yourself dry fully before stepping out and leaving everything that you have used in a shared setting for the wash.
Cold Shower Helps
Most people think that a hot shower after a good workout can be very relaxing and it will clean your body and soothe your muscles but it has the opposite impact on your body. Experts believe that your body needs a cold shower after a workout, mainly because it speeds up the overall recovery process. When you start with a cold shower, you will feel the impact of a cold press on your whole body. this will not only help you reduce the stingy or burning feeling due to mat rashes and other abrasions but also clean up your body, soothe the skin, and speed up recovery. People who feel they have cramps should switch to cold showers.
Get Your Hands Clean
Your hands will be touching a lot of things including the mat and your skin. This means getting under the nails and fully cleaning your fingers and hands is very important. If you plan on eating something or you just want to be touching things around you or your skin, you should stay very mindful of what you touch.
Bottom Line
To sum it all up, regardless of your gender, your skincare matters a lot. However, as a woman, the skin is relatively thin and can get affected much more easily so the focus should be on saving the skin and protecting the actual skin barrier. Even once you are done with the training session, you need to keep in mind that small steps will help you reduce the chance of pressure injuries even if you end up getting injured the impact will be quite less. Although the pre-workout routine is important, especially for women who wear makeup but post-workout routine is equally important because you are getting out of an environment that is a hotbed for bacterial and fungal infection.
This Article is suggested by Ann Edwards of Elite Sports and Born Tough.
