Day Fourteen - To Sweat or Not to Sweat

What I heard over and over in my head yesterday, using a not so good Shakespearean voice,  was "To sweat or not to sweat, that is the question." Then when Phil mentioned sweating last night at our meeting, I thought I would blog about it so I could get the ridiculous quote out of my head.

I know, who likes to sweat. But we need to embrace all the benefits of sweating as we add daily exercise to our lifestyle. Here is the low-down on sweating:

Benefits of Sweating While Exercising

• Cools the Body - We need to sweat to help keep our body temperature from rising as our bodies get warm from all the movement. If we didn't sweat, we could suffer from heat exhaustion or heat stoke.
• Removes toxins from our bodies - I got online and read a lot about this and found conflicting information. Seems like most of our harmful toxins are removed by our kidneys, but sweating does remove harmful metals much faster. (Most people don't have heavy metal toxins so if you aren't a big sweater, no need for concern.)
• Helps improve cardiovascular health - As our body produces more sweat, our hearts work much harder therefore improving the circulation. 
• Skin Care - Sweating helps unclog pores and this in turns improves the skin's texture, clarity, and tone as well as reduces the effects for skin damage and slows down signs of early aging. Gotta like that!
• Burns Calories - When our bodies heat up during exercise, fat becomes water-soluble and leaves the body as sweat and therefore calories are being burned.
• Lowers Stress - Actually sweating does not lower stress, but the increase in body heat caused by exercise does. Our bodies release endorphins and other chemicals that naturally improve our moods and lower stress. Also the fact that we are heating up our muscles can relax them, which lowers stress.

Ways to Replace Sweat

By trainer Kelli Calabrese MS, CSCS, ACE

• Consume 20 ounces of water in the 60 minutes prior to exercise.
• Drink 1 cup of fluid every 15 minutes during exercise.
• Drink 16 ounces per pound of lost body weight after exercise.
• In general, drink at least 20 ounces of fluid at all meals.
• Limit caffeine and alcohol intake.

And there you go, more than you probably wanted to know about sweat. But hey, it's a part of our new lives now that we are exercising daily and working to be strong and healthy. Just remember, when you exercise make sure you have your water bottle AND a towel.