DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF, BUT LET THEM SEE YOU SWEAT!
The (Unexpected) Benefits of Sweating
It may be cold outside, but keeping your body warm, is vital to your health. We all need to sweat to maintain healthy fitness levels and achieve goals like losing weight and becoming more lean. But did you know that sweating actually has tremendous benefits beyond those usually associated with hitting the gym? Sweating cleanses your body, gets rid toxins and increases your metabolism. Sweat is made up of mostly water but also contains sugar, ammonia, lactic acid, minerals and urea. It’s your body’s way of regulating its temperature to bring it back to normal, and it does wonders for you.
Here are some of the greatest benefits of sweating:
- Say goodbye to breakouts! Sweating helps cleanse your skin because your pores dilate to allow moisture to escape. This helps to flush out any grim or dirt that has started to accumulate in your pores. Just remember to wash your skin after exercise to get rid of that salt!
- It’s a natural pain reliever! When you exercise, it excites various neurochemical pathways in the body and causes the release endorphins, which can ease soreness.
- Sweating actually helps strengthen your immune system because as your body heats up, it produces more white blood cells (the workhorses of your immune system). Your sweat also contains a naturally occurring antimicrobial peptide called dermcidin, which has been proven to fight tuberculosis germs and other dangerous pathogens.
- Sweating allows the body to eliminate toxins and impurities. Think of it as a natural detox, without the juicing!
- Lower your risk of kidney stones! A study conducted by The University of Washington http://www.apa.org/monitor/2010/06/exercise.aspx found that people who regularly exercise sweat out salt and tend to retain calcium in their bones, rather than having them — salt and calcium — go into the kidneys and urine where stones form. Frequent sweaters also tend to drink more water and fluids, which is another stone prevention mechanism.
- It’s a great stress reliever because when you sweat, your muscles loosen, and aided by the heat and humidity, help relieve the stress and fatigue brought on by muscle tension.
- When you sweat, your metabolism increases as a result of your heart working harder to supply your body with blood and oxygen.
Overall, the benefits to sweating are phenomenal. Make sweating a part of your daily routine, through a balanced nutrition and exercise program. Whether you sweat through working outside, at the gym, or sitting in a steam room or sauna, LET THEM SEE YOU SWEAT!
