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It was the night before the class reunion.
I opened the closet, and closed it again.
I washed my face for the umpteenth time, and looked in the mirror again.
The faces of people I hadn’t seen in years came to mind.
Who I was back then, and who I am now.
I didn’t want anyone to notice the gap.
I applied my expensive toner more carefully than usual.
But something felt missing.
Is adding things from the outside really enough?
Cells have stamina
Skin is made by cells.
Inside those cells are tiny organelles called “mitochondria.”
They produce energy — the power plants of the cell, so to speak.
Aging, ultraviolet light and chronic stress are thought to make these power plants work less well.
Cells that run short of energy tend to fall behind in renewing the skin.
However much good skincare you layer on, if the cells themselves lack stamina, they can’t make full use of it.
Supplementing from the outside, and building stamina from within.
When both are in place, perhaps the skin finds it easier to stay healthy.
👉 To stay young at heart, and in body. — A new anti-aging habit.
Exercise sets the cells in motion
When you exercise, your cells temporarily use up energy.
The cells then sense “this won’t be enough,” and a response is thought to follow in which they try to increase the number of mitochondria and improve their quality.
It has also come to light that moving the body causes muscles to release a natural peptide called “MOTS-c.”
Findings have indicated that this peptide may be involved in cell repair and metabolism, and research into its connection with the skin is under way.
If skincare tends the skin from the outside, perhaps exercise supports the work of the cells from within.
A research group that included Shijonawate Gakuen University reported, in a 2024 review, that exercise may have a positive effect on the physiological functions involved in skin aging.
The key is a load that leaves you “slightly out of breath.” It doesn’t have to be too intense.
Too leisurely, though, and the effect is hard to come by.
Walking around the table, getting down, shooting, walking again — for some people, gentle exercise like that may be a pleasant stimulus.
👉 Maybe the clock can be turned back. — On reverse aging.
On the night of the reunion
The after-party was pool.
With friends I hadn’t seen in years, I hit balls and laughed.
Faces screwed up in frustration at a miss.
Voices of delight when one went in.
Walking around the table again and again, I realized I’d worked up a light sweat.
Outside, the night breeze felt good.
Cool air touched my flushed cheeks.
I hadn’t come to exercise.
I hadn’t come for beauty, either.
It was simply a happy night.
The next morning, I woke earlier than usual.
Somehow, my body felt light.
I’m sure I’ll keep applying things from the outside.
But moving, too.
Laughing, too.
Spending time with someone, too.
Maybe those are precious hours for nurturing the skin as well.
Why not make billiards your next beauty habit?
👉 Before the serum, walk.
👉 Billiards turns out to be a sport that makes you beautiful from within.
👉 See the Yokohama Billiard Hall Guide
References
- Krutmann, J. & Schroeder, P. (2009). Role of mitochondria in photoaging of human skin: the defective powerhouse model. Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings, 14(1), 44-49. doi:10.1038/jidsymp.2009.1
- Sreedhar, A., Aguilera-Aguirre, L. & Singh, K. K. (2020). Mitochondria in skin health, aging, and disease. Cell Death & Disease, 11(6), 444. doi:10.1038/s41419-020-2649-z
- Crane, J. D. et al. (2015). Exercise-stimulated interleukin-15 is controlled by AMPK and regulates skin metabolism and aging. Aging Cell, 14(4), 625-634. doi:10.1111/acel.12341
- Lee, C. et al. (2015). The mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c promotes metabolic homeostasis and reduces obesity and insulin resistance. Cell Metabolism, 21(3), 443-454. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2015.02.009
- Reynolds, J. C. et al. (2021). MOTS-c is an exercise-induced mitochondrial-encoded regulator of age-dependent physical decline and muscle homeostasis. Nature Communications, 12(1), 470. doi:10.1038/s41467-020-20790-0
- Oizumi, R., Sugimoto, Y. & Aibara, H. (2024). The Potential of Exercise on Lifestyle and Skin Function: Narrative Review. JMIR Dermatology, 7, e51962. doi:10.2196/51962
- Bull, F. C. et al. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(24), 1451-1462. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955
