How to care for your skin when you spend tons of time outside, according to a Pilates Instructor.

Spending time outdoors is one of the highlights of my job.              

As the founder of an online Pilates studio, Go Chlo Pilates, I'm constantly rolling out my Pilates mat in new (Instagramable) locations. 

I’ve filmed Pilates classes at the beach, in parks, my own backyard... heck, anywhere there’s room for a mat really. 

Ah, the perks of on-demand Pilates.

I’m a trained physiotherapist and Pilates Instructor, so while I’m outside squatting, lunging, curling and planking for my online classes and videos, I'm conscious to keep my skin protected as well. 

Over the past year, I've learned so much more about my skin and loved experimenting with different products to protect, hydrate and replenish it. You know, with skin being the largest organ in the human body, and all. 

As someone who spends tons of time outside, here are the top tips I've been following to keep my skin safer and in its best shape: 

1. Safety first, obviously.

While it feels great to feel the warm rays of sunshine on my skin, it feels even better to actively care for and protect it. I’ll always seek out shade where possible and will always don a hat and sunglasses between filming. 

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Sunscreen is also my best friend (I learned from You Beauty's Leigh Campbell, of course). 

I stick to SPF 50+, one that's invisible and doesn't leave me with a white sheen. So whether I'm filming instructional videos outside or just Zooming my classes that day, I've got very high UVA/UVB protection, and love that there's so many non-comedogenic (protects the skin without clogging pores) options on the market now. And also not greasy! Wins all 'round.

2. Actually understanding what your skin needs.

A big lesson I have learnt on my “skin journey” is knowing what my skin actually needs, in order for me to target those concerns and really see results. 

Being that I’m a physio, and no qualified skin expert, I definitely recommend that anyone seek out a personalised assessment like I did to see what ingredients would be the best for your skin type and skin worries. 

I used the BOOST LAB Skin Advisor, and discovered that it’s one fancy piece of skin technology. It only took a few minutes and was SO useful. I was taken through a series of questions like:

• How would I describe my skin? Think terms like dry, tight, greasy, shiny, soft and comfortable. 

• What did my skin feel like in the morning?

• What did it feel like in the evening?

• What did my pores look like? 

• How often did I get blemishes or pimples?

And then the cherry on top was the selfie cam, which assessed my skin to gain an even deeper understanding. Very cool. 

The BOOST LAB Skin Advisor helped me confirm that the areas I want to work on are anti-ageing (as I'm outdoors with UV protection a concern), dull and congested skin (from the grime outdoors and any pollutants in the air) and hydration (to reduce the symptoms of my sensitive skin). 

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3. Picking the right skincare for your daily routine.

When I did that skin assessment and was armed with personalised beauty knowledge, the fun part for me was finding skincare products tailored to my skin needs. I definitely recommend doing the same, particularly if your line of work, like mine, impacts the health of your skin.

Although I wouldn't be without my SPF, cleanser, toner, oil and moisturisers in my beauty arsenal, it's the serums I really need to express my love for, as they (I'm calling it) do the heavy lifting.

The serum stage is my personal favourite. Not only do I find it quite therapeutic to apply them, but I love how my BOOST LAB serums are highly potent, so I know they're definitely working their magic to target the individual skin concerns I'm wanting them to.

Image: Supplied. 

My particular BOOST LAB serums I use morning and evening include powerhouse ingredients like pollustop, vitamin C, vitamin E, hydrolysed hyaluronic acid and D-Panthenol. I know I just said some long words, so let me explain.

For anti-ageing, it's all about the BOOST LAB Multi-Peptide Anti-Ageing Serum for me.

It includes pollustop, an ingredient that forms a breathable, protective barrier on the skin to keep airborne particles from entering the skin. This is very handy as my skin is exposed to all different outdoor locations where I practice Pilates throughout the week. This serum helps reduce my redness too, and any irritation on my skin that might crop up. 

Image: Supplied.

Another serum I layer is the BOOST LAB Vitamin C Brightening Serum. A few things I love it for: it helps keep my skin protected from inflammation caused by UV/pollution (that's the Vit C doing its thing) while moisturising my skin and neutralising UVB rays from sun exposure too (thanks to Vit E). 

This serum's a hard worker! Vitamin C and E are the ultimate couple goals I've realised these last few months too, which are the heroes in this beauty product.

Other effective ingredients I use, and definitely recommend, are hydrolysed hyaluronic acid and D-Panthenol, both found in BOOST LAB 2D-Hyaluronic Hydro Boost Serum.

Image: Supplied. 

They're lightweight, super hydrating and are gentle enough for sensitive skin, like mine. My skin feels really nourished and calmed after using this serum, so I definitely recommend it to others outdoors a lot too as it helps replenish and strengthen the skin's moisture barrier.

Now we all have that under control, I'm off to figure out which I love more: Pilates or my serums? Hard to say.

BOOST LAB have designed highly potent serums to target individual skin concerns that give your skin the supercharged boost it needs (no matter what challenges your lifestyle brings). Check them out here.

Feature Image: Supplied.