Last updated on September 22nd, 2018 at 10:34 am

Acne is not only painful, it’s also something that everyone else can see from just looking at you. (duh!)

Now, any grown up would agree that we’re all different and we all struggle with something. Some things we can change, some things we just can’t.

When it comes to acne, the good news is that you can actually do something about it. It doesn’t need to stay there forever with you. It’s not like you’re born too short or too tall. Acne is something you can find a solution for, if you’re willing to test and try. But you have to be patient and consistent.

Now. The best way to successfully change things in life is to first try what worked for others.

While what you’ll read below is not specifically for you, these tips have worked for others who have acne and other skin issues, according to studies.

Whether or not it will work for you? Well you’ll need to try and adjust.

What exactly can you do about acne?

There are different factors involved in acne, but among the most important ones are:

hormonal disturbances
inflammation
bacteria called P. acnes

By changing your diet you can do something about all of these causes.

In fact there are two foods that can make acne worse and if you get rid of them, you might actually get rid of acne as well. So here they are.

1. High glycemic foods

White flour, white rice and sugar are a source of fast glucose for your body – they are also called high glycemic foods.

This means that the glucose in these foods is absorbed into your bloodstream very quickly. So when you consume high amounts of carbs that are also absorbed fast, your blood glucose levels rise like crazy. (1)

What does this have to do with acne?

This way of eating increases the activity of insulin and insulin-like-growth factor aka IGF-1. (1) Remember this IGF-1, it’s an important molecule in acne.

(Are you still with me?)

These molecules have many important functions in the body, but higher levels & activity are linked to increased sebum and androgen (these are steroid hormones like testosterone) production. Both of these outcomes are risk factors for acne. (2)

In fact females and males with acne have increased levels of IGF-1 in their blood. (2)

Also a study showed acne patients eat on average a diet with a higher glycemic index/glycemic load than people without acne.(1)

I know, you probably know many people who eat a high-glycemic diet and don’t have any acne. Don’t look at them. Look at your diet. Do you eat a lot of high glycemic foods or not? If not then maybe you need to eliminate the other type of food on this list.

If yes – switch to a low-GI diet. Eat more fruits and vegetables, seeds and nuts, legumes, fish and whole grains instead of refined grains. Try to avoid foods with high glycemic load that are made with white flour, sugar, white rice or potatoes.

2. The Other Food

Struggling with acne and breakouts? Well, it’s not a fun ride, but there are two main foods shown to make things better once you remove them from your diet. And trust me, with a few easy lifestyle adjustments you’re not gonna miss them at all. Even more than that - there is one surprising fitness supplement that could actually be causing your acne - even if you had none to begin with. Click through to discover the two foods that you need to avoid to get rid of acne, learn how to eat better for healthier skin and what supplement you need to avoid as the plague for clear skin.

Increased consumption of milk is linked to higher risk for acne

Something else that increases the levels of IGF-1 in the body is milk.

I never really thought about what milk actually is. I always thought of it as something that’s needed to make cheese or something to make coffee more bare-able.

But the fact is: milk is a liquid that makes a small baby grow very fast.

It contains a TON of growth hormones and anabolic steroids. So when you drink milk, you’re basically drinking growth hormones and anabolic steroids.

And we humans make it a little worse than that. Because on top of the natural hormones that the cow produces, dairy cows are often treated additionally with bovine growth hormone. Why? Well to be able to make milk all the time. (1)

It’s been demonstrated that the milk from these dairy cows contains increased amounts of IGF-1. (1) This is why you might have also noticed that some types of milk do not make your acne worse. Hate it or love it, milk is just not what it used to be.

There are a number of studies showing that people who struggle with acne drink milk more often than people who don’t have acne(3, 4, 5, 6), so eliminating milk is definitely worth a try.

2a. Oh, yeah and this surprising “food” also causes acne

Certain protein supplements are shown to cause acne – especially in women.

Another thing nobody mentions is protein supplements.

Specifically whey protein supplements.

Whey protein makes 20% of cow’s milk (1) and it might be among the factors contributing to the development of acne.

It’s been apparently a thing for many years, that bodybuilders & athletes would get acne when they supplement their diets with whey protein (7, 8). One of these studies also reported acne went away after the volunteers stopped supplementing.

Well, according to one other study women are very likely to develop some form of acne after taking whey protein for a while (about 2 months).

The shocking part is that everyone in that study, male or female, with or without family history of acne, developed some form of acne by the end of the study. In fact people who didn’t have any history of acne in the end had more acne lesions than people who were already treated for acne. (9)

Takeaway?

Well you do the math.

As for acne in non-Western populations?

Well in some of these societies people don’t have even one case of acne (10).

For example Eskimos.

Long long time ago a doctor named Schaefer observed that Canadian Eskimos didn’t have all the diseases we had – among them acne (11).

Surprisingly, or maybe not that surprisingly, when the Eskimos transitioned to a more modern way of life and started eating like us they developed the same diseases incl. acne.(10)

Now I know it’s not easy to give up on those two foods and eat like you’re not living in the civilization. It’s not realistic. But eating more fruits and vegetables, small amounts of whole grains, fish, legumes, nuts and seeds is definitely worth a try.

After all what do you have to lose really? Missing out on some sweets and dairy for a month? In exchange for better skin, health and body? What if that’s your solution, what if after a few weeks your skin has improved? What if it works and you haven’t tried it?

Remember, you need to be consistent and patient. Most of these studies reported improvement after more than 8 weeks. But if you really clean up your diet and stay on track I’m sure you’d see improvements sooner.

Hope this information helps you and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

My workout routine has changed a little bit over the summer. Along my favorite Barre and Pilates workouts I started doing more of my own workouts, around 2-3 times a week. Everything at home or outside, because me and the gym = no amigos, but rivales.

I think once you get familiar with working out, different exercises & their proper form it’s important to start trying to create exercise routines for yourself. This way you can do exactly the workouts that challenge you, without dull moments, that are also suitable for your own level.

That’s what I’ve been doing for 6-7 years now and I find the workouts that I do for myself the most effective ones for me. On the other hand I really love yoga, barre and pilates so I want to keep doing those as well on most days. Exercise should bring results, but mostly it should be fun.

The other thing I started doing this summer is that I started incorporating some weights into my workouts every now and then. You know, the ones I found from my dad? Nothing huge, just 8 pounds in each hand. I do arm workouts, leg and butt workouts, upper body workouts – and they get very challenging when I add that much weight. I’ve only used 2 pounds in the past and I used to hate weights. For now I actually like them and I haven’t become Arnold Schwarzenegger yet, so…And how can I, he’s older than me.

So this workout is a leg workout, that will also tone your booty and has a cardio component to it to burn some fat as well. I made sure to include some inner thigh work, as this is kind of a problem area for me – my inner thighs have their own life and they like to move wherever they want.

I did this workout in 15 minutes last week, after I woke up at 6am and then headed to my morning walk. Which is ironic…next day I almost couldn’t walk because everything hurt. So make sure to stretch after the workout, if you’ll need to get from point A to point B by foot the next day.

You can do this workout at home, outside or at the gym – it’s short, but very effective! Don’t forget to play your favorite music while you’re doing it and have fun!

Also, and I have to say it every time, please consult with your doctor when you start a new workout regimen.

15-Minute Workout To Tone Your Legs and Burn Fat

This short leg workout is made out of 5 different movements that target your lower body muscles.

2 rounds with almost no rest between each movement was what worked for me and it took me 15 minutes to complete the entire thing.

If you need breaks: make them. For every exercise, it’s really important to keep your core tight and keep the proper form as shown in the videos below. Also make sure to have your water there and to use weights that are suitable for your fitness level or no weights at all. I used 8 pounds, but even without weights I would feel this workout.

20x Skaters

video demo via Howcast, this is the more cardio part of the workout

20x Reverse Lunge with Front Kick

video demo via FITNESS Magazine, this move was challenging for me, especially my knees so I did no weights.

20x Side Lunges

video demo via LIVESTRONG.COM, love this move – it’s simple, but tones many muscle groups (inner thighs, glutes) – I used weights here.

20x Inner Thigh Leg Lifts

video demo via Howcast, lovely to take a break on the mat while toning those inner thighs!

20 Side Lunge To Curtsey Lunge

video demo via Health Magazine, loooved this move! I felt my low back muscles tighten as well, it’s really important to keep core very strong here. As mentioned in the video, this move works your coordination and balance as well – awesome move!

Now that you’ve been through all the exercises once, do it again.

Don’t forget to stretch

My favorite part after the workout. While stretching, I feel so strong, relaxed, just awesome. It’s like the hard work is over, time to relax and enjoy. Here’s a 13-minute routine to stretch your lower body – pretty similar to what I always do.

I hope you enjoy this 15-minute leg workout for women, let me know how it was for you.