Sweating vs Burning Calories

kindasortachewy
kindasortachewy Posts: 1,084 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Do you have to sweat to burn calories? Yesterday I did my Zombie 5k training in the rain, the a little bit chilly rain - My HRM still read that I burned almost 400 calories but I wasn't sweating, do you have to sweat to burn calories or just keep your heart rate up?

Replies

  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Both are an indicator of effort but just because you weren't sweating doesn't mean you didn't burn calories.
  • nas061
    nas061 Posts: 256 Member
    Do you have to sweat to burn calories?

    no
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    i get sweaty when i sunbathe if its hot.... doesnt mean i burn calories though!
  • kezza8888
    kezza8888 Posts: 75
    Check this link out : http://www.nutracheck.co.uk/Library/Exercise/why-do-we-sweat-during-exercise_1.html
  • Jenny9000
    Jenny9000 Posts: 45 Member
    Sweating is just your bodies way of keeping it cool. Hence you can sweat just laying out in the sun.
    Burning calories ( getting your heart heart in a certain zone or higher ) is what matters. & doesn't require sweating, however it usually results in it.
  • yinkyo
    yinkyo Posts: 78 Member
    I don't sweat easily, it takes a LOT of effort for me to actually sweat, or extreme heat. I would hope that wouldn't stop me from burning calories. And technically you burn calories all the time, so no, I'm pretty sure you don't have to sweat to burn calories. It's just an indicator of working hard.
  • kindasortachewy
    kindasortachewy Posts: 1,084 Member
    Thanks so much all! Sorry if I sound like a silly n00b - I guess I've just heard things like sweat is fat crying and such and wondered if it was better to save my workouts for the hottest parts of the day
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    Thanks so much all! Sorry if I sound like a silly n00b - I guess I've just heard things like sweat is fat crying and such and wondered if it was better to save my workouts for the hottest parts of the day

    no that's actually really dangerous, depending on the temperature, duration and intensity.
    remember though it doesn't matter very much how many calories you're burning.
    what matters is changing your body composition and making the changes you need to in your diet.
    your deficit will come from eating slightly less than before.
    Working out improves our fitness, amount of muscle, bone density, and much more, but we
    don't lose weight exclusively from working out.
  • Xiaolongbao
    Xiaolongbao Posts: 854 Member
    Thanks so much all! Sorry if I sound like a silly n00b - I guess I've just heard things like sweat is fat crying and such and wondered if it was better to save my workouts for the hottest parts of the day

    Definitely not! If anything you'll burn less calories when it's hot because your body will be trying not to overheat. A big part of our energy expenditure is regulating body temperature so actually we burn more calories when it's cold.
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    but not enough to affect her weight loss unless she was much heavier.
  • mcibty
    mcibty Posts: 1,252 Member
    Sweating = Sign of hydration. If you drink a lot of water throughout the day, chances are you'll notice when you work out.
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    but not enough to affect her weight loss unless she was much heavier.

    i meant not enough significant calories to matter. if she was heavier, she would burn more, but there's more to lose, so it's still not significant unless we're talking working in the arctic tundra on a daily basis.

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