Downsides to working out:
1. So. Much. Laundry.
2. I don’t own a laundry machine so I have to traverse to another building to use one. This is not fun in these cold days of winter. Between hot yoga, the gym, and a boyfriend who sweats more than I have ever seen, if we choose not to do laundry on the regular, my tiny apartment becomes a sweat den. Nice visual, right?!
3. Going outside in the winter. Not to work out outside, just making it to the gym. Sometimes A warm bed and a glass of wine sound so much better after a day of work than the gym.
4. Showering all of the time. In the winter. Especially when the hot water and water pressure is not as good at night. (My readers are like, where the hell do you live? A sweat box with no heat?! I’m 26, cut me some slack.)
5. Pimples. They are a real thing in my life again.
It was bound to happen that I would write about pimples on my blog because if there is one serious downside to working out, it has been breaking out. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love that my pants don’t fit me as well anymore, but I hate acne. It takes me back to my days as a yout’ as an acne ridden teenager, crying to my mom that I needed to be put on Accutane, an acne product that guarantees that it will clear your face. At the expense of (say this part really fast):
Pain and swelling of the lipsSevere itchingAlopecia (hair-thinning/hair-loss/baldness)Fragile and weakerskinVision problemsDecreased night vision (onset may be sudden)Conjunctivitis (pink eye)Contact lens intoleranceDry mucous membranes (dry nose, lungs, bladder, anus)Peeling skin on palms/solesNail changesNosebleedsPhotosensitivity (sensitivity to light)Elevated triglycerides in the bloodElevated liver enzymes (indicating liver damage)Tinnitus (ringing in ears or buzzing in ears)Joint pain and muscle painBack painDepression breathe DepressionErectile dysfunction (difficulty in maintaining erection)Violent behavior/aggressionPsychosis (seeing or hearing things that are not real)Suicidal ideation(rare)SuicideattemptsHearing impairmentPseudotumor cerebri (swelling pressure in the brain)Osteopenia/osteoporosis (loss in bone mass and strength/weak and fragile bones)Hepatotoxicity (liver damage)Anaphylaxis (rapid and deadly allergic reaction)Allergic vasculitis (inflammation and damage to blood vessels)Major birth defectsCataracts/corneal opacities (can cause a decrease in vision and lead to eventual blindness)Premature epiphyseal closure (short stature)Neutropenia (low white blood cell count,which makes the body vulnerable to bacterial and fungal infections)Agranulocytosis (a serious condition in which white blood cells decrease in number or disappear altogether) (rare)Rhabdomyolysis (potentially fatal disease that destroys skeletal muscle) (rare)Inflammatory bowel disease (inflammation of the intestine and resulting in abdominal cramping and persistent diarrhea)Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas, an organ important in digestion)Vascularthrombosis (heart attack)Stroke,Seizures.
http://accutanesideeffects.net
I saw that list at the age of sixteen and thought… I can’t have erectile dysfunction problems. Sign me up. And so I began my quest to rid my face of the marks of a true teenager. My doctor, jokes aside, named dr. Shacne, prescribed me my dosage of pills and told me that all females taking accutane are required to take regular pregnancy tests. See why below.
If the warning labels weren’t scary enough, the fact that you could give birth to a real live cone head was terrifying- what the hell was I taking?! I make it like I questioned my choices at sixteen- definitely not, I was excited to never see another pimple on my face. Needless to say, my stubborn face cleared up within months. Granted, I did go through hell for those six months- nose bleeds, cracked skin, slathering petroleum jelly on my face at night to prevent the burning feeling the following day. It was joyous. And then there were the doctor visits in which I bumped into not one, but two classmates at the dermatologist for the same reason- which in high school is social suicide. We stared at each other in acknowledgment- we all have acne.
By the age of 18 my skin was stellar and I was under the impression that I made it into the clear – no pun intended. Or was the pun intended?! Minus my tinged pink skin and butterfly rash that shines through from time to time due to my lupus, my skin was pretty good. Yes, I got the occasional pimple, but nothing to complain about or you’d look seriously petty. But now at the age of 26 I’m suddenly breaking out- all of the time. Everywhere- like my neck, seriously?!
BUT, BUT, BUT- IM TOO OLD FOR THIS!
So I thought. But it turns out that pimples don’t care about your age- to a pimple, it is just a number. And the only explanation I can think of is that I’m now working out. And sweating. So on my mission to rid my face (and apparently my neck.) of newly developed “issues” I took the recent advice I received from a wise woman, John’s mom!
Honey + cinnamon and a little dab and it will zap it. So I was told. And as I made my natural concoction I was excited- I wasn’t just popping a pill and hoping all of my trouble would disappear in the easiest way possible (and by easiest way possible I mean that list I posted above). And I woke up this morning my skin looked better- like magic.
We live in a world that tells us to take the magic pill and you can lose weight, get smarter, get rid of a pimple. Pills work. It’s why we love them and I want to be clear and state that I am not anti-medication. I know that taking a small pill can be the difference in living life for some. But maybe it’s ok to slow it down and ask a mom, google, or Good Housekeeping for advice and a good old natural remedy on how to clear up a pimple. Also, honey and cinnamon are delicious so you can always lick your face when you’re done using it. Or not. You don’t have to do that.
52 Miles per Month 
Honey & cinnamon, huh? I’ll have to try that! I unfortunately know all too well the side effects of that heavy duty stuff, but I am lucky (?) enough that it usually contains itself to my face. I do find the more water I drink and better I eat the better my skin has gotten over the last few years, but there is always that special TOM.
I’m going to try the cinnamon thing again so I can speak from actual experience, but I was fairly impressed! It actually went down in a single night while smelling delicious.
I laughed out so hard about the side effect of an erectile dysfunction. Guys going through puberty clearly have to give up the looks or the other! Hahaha
I use dishwashing soap, I kid you not, but it works wonders! Its all about the sweat and dirt and that’s what dishwashing soap is good at removing.
When you’re a teenager your face is life. Acne is truly debilitating for a teen. I remember how difficult it was and embarrassing it was to go to school looking like Rudolph. Fortunately I didn’t have to worry about male reproductive parts being affected, but I have always wondered if there will be or have been consequences in taking this magic little pill. Dishwater soap is a good one. I used to do toothpaste as well but this smell is too much at night.
That’s very interesting. The professor works out, and I’ve noticed some breakouts–wasn’t sure why either!
Interesting factoid: Different ages tend to get pimples for different reasons. When your a teen, it’s all hormone induced oil production (pizza face, yea blot it, lol). When your older, it tends to be dryness, so be careful how you treat it. It may just be that hot showers are turning your back into the Mohave desert. Most acne washes are for teens so they have salicylic acid [ok, I forget which acid it is but I know it starts with an S], so if it is option 2 it’s gonna make it worse. I wish you luck, an thanks for the tip. I might try the cinnamon and honey thing though.
My sister used to have acne and she decided to give up caffeine and that worked, she stopped breaking out. I’ve never really had a problem with acne except when I lived in the city (I’m guessing because of pollution). I try to wash my face right after I exercise to clean out any toxins I sweated out, but I’ve never gotten acne from working out so I’m not sure if that’s why or if I wouldn’t have anyways, but you can try that too.
The honey and cinnamon advice is really interesting, I’m definitely going to try it the next time I get a pimple.
Ok, clearly you don’t read enough of my posts because if you did you would understand that I will NEVER say goodbye to my true love coffee 😉
What I’m going through now is definitely not acne, though I did have it when I was a teen. Ugh I’m sounding like a proactive commercial… But anyways! They’re just little annoying zits from sweating and working out. The pros of working out outweigh the cons though so alas, I will just have to stick with my honey trick for now!
Thanks for reading and commenting! Come around some more 🙂
Good read, love the ending advice. 🙂
Thank you! I was thinking about how much I love the quick fix from over the counter, but beginning to look into alternatives now 🙂 if you have any good home remedies pass them along!