Do I Always Need to Shower Right After a Workout?

Do I Always Need to Shower Right After a Workout? If the New Year has you hitting the gym more than ever before, you might be wondering what is the proper post-workout shower etiquette. Should you always shower right after your workout? Is it ok to wait a few hours, especially if you workout on your lunch break?

Don’t miss this quick essential shower guide for women who work out:

What Happens to Your Skin When You Workout?

When you are ramping up your heart rate and breaking a sweat, a lot is happening both inside and outside your body. It’s the outside you want to be most concerned with though when it comes to deciding whether to hit the showers or not.

Fortunately, routine exercise is a natural glow-booster for your skin. As your heart pumps faster, it circulates more and more critical nutrients and oxygen to exhausted skin cells. This contributes to that post-workout glow you experience in the hours following exercise. Exercise also stimulates the production of important skin-reinforcing proteins like collagen and elastin as well as feel-good hormones that combat stress (and therefore the changes that trigger signs of aging).

An increase in circulation via physical activity additionally promotes lymphatic flow which helps to eliminate toxins and waste by-products from the body. Not only does this give your immune system a boost, but it also alleviates toxic buildup that contributes to tired puffy eyes.

Last but not least, sweat itself is great for your skin. Sweat is literally the body’s way of flushing out dirt, grime, and toxins that have built up in your pores. It’s what happens to the sweat once you’re done working out, however, that plays the most important role in keeping your pores clear.

Benefits of Showering After a Workout

The smartest way to answer the question of whether or not you should shower right after a workout is to look at all the benefits post-workout showers offer:

Wash away all the gunk you sweated out – once your body has done its job of sweating out all the buildup from your pores, a shower helps to wash it off your body and down the drain leaving you cleansed and refreshed.
Prevent bacteria and fungus build up – bacteria and fungi love a wet, warm environment for breeding. Not only can they lead to funky smells, but they can also contribute to infections like athlete’s foot, yeast infections, and even a staph infection if you happened to have open skin from an exposed abrasion.
Cool down after intense exercise – static stretching is recommended after intense exercise to help lengthen your muscles and slowly lower your heart rate back to normal. After that, however, a quick cool shower can also help bring your body temperature back down and help you reset before finishing out the rest of your day.

What If You Don’t Have Time to Shower After a Workout?

Say you’re running out to meet friends after your fitness class and simply don’t have 15 minutes to shower and prep. Is that ok? Experts say sure, but you will still want to take a couple minutes to clean up.

Keep a pack of baby wipes in your gym bag handy and simply wipe your body down before getting back into your normal clothes. Remember to give bacteria-prone regions like the armpits some extra attention. You also want to make sure you are changing back into clean clothes and preferably ones that are made of natural, loose fabrics that will allow your skin to breathe the rest of the day.

You can also save time by multi-tasking during your shower. Get a shower chair, for example, that allows you to sit in the shower and shave your legs while your conditioner sets in or brush your teeth while your rinse your bodywash off.

Conclusion

If your typical workout involves lying and moving around on mats, i.e. at the gym or even your own yoga mat, you most likely want to shower right away as you can have an increased buildup of bacteria and fungi on your body.

Other than that, however, it’s ok to wait a few hours or even until later in the day to get your cleanse on after a workout. While you’re worrying about showering, however, don’t forget to rehydrate too. Sweat not only means your body is flushing out toxins; it’s literally your body eliminating fluids which you direly need to replace to avoid dehydration.

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