Are you interested in healthier skin as you age? Try lifting weights to thicken the cells just below the surface.

(No. 136) Yes, exercise is the key to everything. Moving with a group can make it so much easier.

Running in Central Park.

My younger brother, Peter, has been running with an organized group in Austin for years, and it has transformed his life. He’s happier, healthier, and hunkier. At his urging, about nine months ago I took up running myself. Some people might call what I do jogging, and others might say I’m just walking really fast, but I’m happier imagining that I’m a runner. Peter said there was nothing quite like the experience of running with a group, so I joined a beginners class sponsored by the New York Road Runners Club that meets two evenings a week in Central Park. I had not run seriously in 20 years. I was pretty flabby, and feeling it. That first night, I took the subway up to the park wearing tights with shorts over them, as dudes will du, and joined a friendly crowd of 20 or so people, along with four helpful coaches, and began running around a baseball field.

This was a fundamentals class for new runners, injured runners returning to the sport (I have met so many injured runners in the last year — it is a sport that can hurt you if you run too hard), and a few old decrepit people like me. On that first night, I could barely muster the strength and willpower to complete the one minute “on” (running) and one minute “off” (walking) for 20 minutes that the coaches encouraged. But I did it, and felt great, and came back on Thursday for more. I ran with this group through the cold, wet dark Manhattan winter, taking my mind off the elements by looking up at the glorious skyline of billionaire’s row and imaging how those oligarchs were passing the time in their high ceilinged apartments while I jogged. (Probably staring at their phones like everyone else, I figured.)

Somehow, I kept going, session after session, so that now, 9 months later, I’m able to run 4 miles without stopping, at a pace of 11:30 (on a good day). I’m still the slowpoke in my fundamentals group, though at 65, I’m not the oldest. One great guy named William, who is 74 years old and is always cheerful and ready to run, inspires me. And during the post run group cooldown, there’s always a collection of us gray-heads within arms reach of a light pole in case we need support during our standing quad stretches.

Each week, I look forward to the Tuesday and Thursday night groups. They’re a light, but gratifying social activity for me. And the workout itself has had such positive effects on my body and mind.

Why am I telling you this? To encourage you to explore exercising with a group, rather than alone, if you find it hard to motivate yourself. There’s nothing like connecting with people who will encourage you to get moving. And exercise is perhaps the most important factor in aging well. Any running store will be able to tell you where to find the best groups in your area.

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Treat your skin to workouts with weights

Dr. Rhonda Patrick

Dr. Rhonda Patrick on Instagram: “Resistance training - not just aerobic exercise - enhances skin health and may counteract skin aging. In a study conducted with sedentary, middle-aged women, it was found that both resistance and aerobic exercise led to improvements in signs of skin aging. We’re talking enhanced skin elasticity and structure, pretty neat stuff. But here’s where it gets really interesting: only resistance training led to an increase in the thickness of the dermis, the inner layer of the skin. So we see an intriguing parallel here – resistance training, well-known for its muscle-thickening effects, also appears to thicken the dermis. On top of that, resistance training was also found to boost levels of a protein called biglycan, which plays a critical role in wound healing and maintaining skin resilience, especially through its interactions with collagen. So, let’s zoom out a bit: As we age, one of the telltale signs of skin aging is a thinning dermis, which is primarily due to a decrease in the activity and number of fibroblasts. These are the cells that produce collagen and elastin, the key structural proteins in our skin. As this happens, we lose skin elasticity, and sagging and wrinkles begin to appear. But based on these findings, it seems that resistance training could offer a powerful countermeasure. It’s doing wonders not just for our muscles and bones, and as we know from other studies, our brain, but now it appears to be a potent ally for our skin as well. For those who are interested in diving deeper into this topic, I’d invite you to check out my recent Aliquot episode on the science of skin aging. You can find that on The Aliquot Preview podcast on Apple Podcasts. Study title:
“Resistance training rejuvenates aging skin by reducing circulating inflammatory factors and enhancing dermal extracellular matrices” #resistancetraining #skinaging #collagen #skinhealth”

June 29, 2023

Here is a link to the study, published in Nature, that is mentioned in the above IG post.

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Hiking has become a regular part of my life — a surprise to anyone who knew me when I was younger, and really wasn’t into it. I'm trying to get in shape for a long hike across the Grand Canyon (yes, walking down to the Colorado River and then back up the other side in one day) in October. But my hiking has become much more than a training tool. Today I went about 35 miles up the Hudson River and hiked the steep slopes near Cold Spring. The scenery was beautiful. The climb up was hard — which is good, because on the drive home I felt totally satisfied with life. I recommend a walk in the woods to anyone who is feeling low. Or if you’re feeling well and want to feel even better. If you’re interested, you can read about five amazing older hikers here.

That’s me, high above Cold Spring, NY.

Until next time,

Stephen