What do pregnancy glow and our favorite shimmering highlighter have in common? They both bring radiant-looking skin (albeit one with more side effects) — and that’s something we wouldn’t mind enjoying all day every day, especially during this exhausting year.
Besides keeping a regular skincare routine packed with glow-giving ingredients (we’ll cover that topic later), there are ways to glow up from the inside out. We’ve gathered some of the top expert-driven tips for getting dewy-looking skin — check them all out below.
Add a heart-pumping workout
Getting in some cardio can also help increase your blood flow — which “helps flush cellular debris out of the skin,” dermatologist Ellen Marmur, MD, tells WebMD. That’s different detoxifying the skin, she says (detoxing is the liver’s job); rather, “blood carries oxygen and nutrients to working cells throughout the body, including the skin.”
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Drink plenty of water
There’s a reason why this is a tried-and-true tip, but it’s also worth noting that more H2O won’t be a cure-all (as Marie Claire’s editors discovered) for other underlying conditions that affect the skin. That being said, drinking enough water can help you avoid dehydration, which takes a visible toll on your skin. The Institute of Medicine recommends that women drink 72 ounces or 9 cups daily, according to Byrdie.
Load up on vitamin-rich foods
As Healthline notes, vitamins C, D, E, and K are all essential for maintaining healthy skin. On top of safely soaking up the sun’s rays (which helps your skin naturally produce vitamin D), the best way to eat your way to a glowing visage is by consuming nutrient-packed produce and foods such as kale, nuts, omega 3-rich fish (think responsibly-sourced salmon and tuna), broccoli, and spinach, to name just a few. Check out our recipe section for more ideas.
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Take a daily multivitamin
Although nothing can replace a healthy and well-balanced diet, taking a multivitamin can potentially fill in for what you’re missing — but you should always consult with your doctor first. Pregnant women, vegans, vegetarians, and older people are among those who might benefit from multivitamins. It’s also worth pointing out that because the necessary dosage can vary per person and product, you should make sure that you’re not getting too much of certain nutrients.
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Get enough sleep
The ideal sleep number is seven hours or more every night in order to reap the benefits of regular snoozing. New York-based dermatologist Y. Claire Chang, MD, tells Shape that “a recent study found that chronic poor sleep was associated with increased fine lines, uneven pigmentation, and reduced elasticity.” Translation? All of those things leave your skin un-glowy. Chang adds that between 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. is when our skin stem cells go into rapid growth cycles, and she suggests taking advantage of night skincare products with regenerating ingredients such as retinol and antioxidants.