Fitness Tip: Excercise and great skin

In the last two years since I turned 40, I noticed my skin getting gray, pasty, and wrinkled. I really thought it was an age thing, but what it turned out to be was a lack of exercise thing. I noticed a marked improvement to the texture, appearance and color/tone of my facial skin once I started exercising again regularly. After a half hour run or 40 minutes of dancing my skin really glows. But the effects are not temporary. Over the course of several months my skin is smoother, softer and I look slightly tanned (not from the sun either, I wear 20+ sunscreen and mostly exercise indoors). I would attribute this to enhanced circulation, however, there is growing scientific evidence that women who exercise 40 minutes per day, several days per week, also produce more anti-aging hormones than inactive women. So, in addition to improving muscle tone, mental clarity, and physical stamina, it seems that exercising also makes your skin look younger. You don't need to spend a fortune for a "club" membership either; for the price of a good pair of running shoes or a great dance CD, or both, you can dance or run yourself healthy and younger looking cheaply and easily.