Sweat during exercise means....

chocolatnoir

I've always been in fairly decent cardiovascular health and ever since I started running as a 15 year old I have sweat a lot.

I have also read/heard that sweating is a sign that your body is cooling itself off effectively and that you are hydrated. At 31 I still sweat as soon as I start working out- whether it is running, stairs, or a rigorous yoga practice. I think it is good!

However, a friend's personal trainer recently told her that the fact the she is sweating a lot is a sign that she is not eating healthfully. Really? Has anyone else heard this before?

bethvandenberg

ummm no never heard that one......

whittrusty

Sounds bogus to me.

bethvandenberg

Excessive Sweating While Exercising Means You’re Not Fit (myth)
In fact, it's just the opposite. Sweating during exercise is a sign of an efficient cooler. An athlete who has adapted to keep the body core cool during exercise will shunt blood to the skin’s surface more quickly and release heat from the body. At the same time, the sweat glands increase their output and thus cool the body during sweat evaporation. While fit people produce more sweat than sedentary folks, they lose less sodium, because more of it is reabsorbed by the body. The result is a more efficient cooler.

porcelain_doll

I've always been in fairly decent cardiovascular health and ever since I started running as a 15 year old I have sweat a lot.

I have also read/heard that sweating is a sign that your body is cooling itself off effectively and that you are hydrated. At 31 I still sweat as soon as I start working out- whether it is running, stairs, or a rigorous yoga practice. I think it is good!

However, a friend's personal trainer recently told her that the fact the she is sweating a lot is a sign that she is not eating healthfully. Really? Has anyone else heard this before?

Wow, a personal trainer said that?? My trainer used to reassure me that sweating a lot was good for me when I'd become embarrassed about it. She said it is a way for the body to detoxify itself. I can't believe some of the stuff these people come up with! I've never heard anyone say that sweating a lot during exercise is a bad thing!

MrOutfit

I second or 3rd that...sweating is good. Some sweat more than others. My personal opinion if you don't sweat, your not revving the engine enough to burn fat .

mizfit

Check out the recent post under search called "Sweat and weight loss myth" sent by bigdawg025

reyessam

I agree with what everyone is saying here... that sweat is a good thing... I never heard anyone trained or not say that sweating was a bad thing... if so, then I have issues... as I sweat as soon as I start working out too...

leslielove

unless not eating healthfully means not getting enough water, that's pretty much bs. make sure you're hydrated and keep on sweating. its good for you.

ObviousIndigo

I second or 3rd that...sweating is good. Some sweat more than others. My personal opinion if you don't sweat, your not revving the engine enough to burn fat .

I hope that this isnt tru because I work my BUTT off doing exercises and very rarely sweat a lot. I mean, I sweat but not like other people...it doesn't poor off my face or anything. This concerns me now.:(

bobinkansas

I bet that personal trainer wants you to hire him to set you up on a "really Healthy" diet. I believe if you are eating good fruits and vegetables, drinking lots of water and not a lot of highly processed foods and your calorie count is good, you're eating healthy. Oh yeah, don't drink diet or regular soft drinks.

BoresEasily

The trainer's a blithering idiot. Everyone sweats or doesn't sweat differently but it's not a sign of bad nutrition. Since becoming more fit I sweat as soon as my heart rate starts climbing. I drench my clothes from head to toe, it's kind of annoying.

ashley0616

I hope sweating a lot is a good sign, because I am a sweater. I helped some friends move yesterday and I was pouring sweat in about 5 minutes, but I could tell that I was working hard and it felt GOOD. I think your trainer is talking out his *kitten*.

eillamarie

I was a nationally and internationally competitive swimmer, I trained for 10 years & had to eat well otherwise I wouldn't be able to train like I needed to. I would sweat as soon as I started working out, didn't matter if it was 30 degrees C out or -5 degrees C out. Your trainer has no idea what they're talking about, & I'd seriously consider getting a new one if I were you. Yes it's true that a bigger person is more likely to sweat than a smaller person, but when it comes down to it even Olympians sweat buckets...and they usually eat perfectly!

TrainingWithTonya

Remember that a personal trainer is only as good as their education. I've been a certified personal trainer for 14 1/2 years. I didn't know squat the first 10 compared to what I know now that I'm almost through with my bachelors in exercise physiology. A personal training certification just covers the basics. None of the ones I've taken, even the ones considered to be in the top 5 quality wise, covered the physiology of sweating. I actually learned about it in Applied Nutritional Science, so even my counterparts in the bachelors in exercise physiology only got a cursory coverage of sweat in comparison so what I learned through my nutrition minor. Sweat is not a sign of poor fitness or nutrition. Sweat isn't a detoxification. What was said earlier about sweat being a sign of a good cooling system and being more fit is true. However, when you are sweating a lot, you need to make sure you are replacing that lost fluid because dehydration is a bad thing that will effect not only performance but also all of the body's normal functions. When you sweat, you also lose sodium and other electrolytes. If you are a fit individual who is sweating during a long workout (over an hour) then you need to replace not just water lost during sweat, but also the electrolytes. This is why Gatorade and other sports drinks were invented. As for worrying about your sweating, don't. Just make sure you replace the water and electrolytes. Drink 4-6 ounces for every 15 minutes of exercise and you should be fine. Remember though, that while you can lose up to 3 liters per hour from sweat, you can only replace 1 liter per hour from drinking, so keep drinking even after the workout.

eillamarie

I second or 3rd that...sweating is good. Some sweat more than others. My personal opinion if you don't sweat, your not revving the engine enough to burn fat .

I hope that this isnt tru because I work my BUTT off doing exercises and very rarely sweat a lot. I mean, I sweat but not like other people...it doesn't poor off my face or anything. This concerns me now.:(

Danni don't fret. Some ppl just don't sweat a lot, others sweat buckets. I'm a big sweater, always have been and always will be. It doesn't mean anything. I know a woman who was hiking in the Middle East & couldn't sweat because that's just the way her body is (her fiance had to keep pouring water over her head to keep her cool)

TrainingWithTonya

I second or 3rd that...sweating is good. Some sweat more than others. My personal opinion if you don't sweat, your not revving the engine enough to burn fat .

I hope that this isnt tru because I work my BUTT off doing exercises and very rarely sweat a lot. I mean, I sweat but not like other people...it doesn't poor off my face or anything. This concerns me now.:(

Sweating has nothing to do with how hard you are working. If you are working out in a cool room (I keep my gym at 60 degrees year round so I don't sweat too much.), even the fittest person doing the toughest workout won't sweat as much as they would in a warmer environment. If you feel like you are working hard, you're getting your heart rate up, and/or are barely able to carry on a conversation, then you're doing just fine with your workout, with or without sweat.

lastchance2010

that sounds like crap to me.

TrainingWithTonya

Oh, and FYI, if you are wiping the sweat off or wearing those moisture wicking fabrics, then you will sweat more. Basically, if the body doesn't get the cooling effect it needs from the evaporation of the water from the skin then it will produce more trying to get that evaporation which is what actually cools the body. So, if you don't want to sweat as much, don't wipe off what sweat you are producing.

lastchance2010

I hope sweating a lot is a good sign, because I am a sweater. I helped some friends move yesterday and I was pouring sweat in about 5 minutes, but I could tell that I was working hard and it felt GOOD. I think your trainer is talking out his *kitten*.

that's funny! :laugh: I'm quite a sweater too....to me sweating is a good sign that I'm getting a good work out or that its a really hot day!!! LOL

eglass64

If you aint sweating you're not hitting it hard enough...