If you don't break a sweat, are you burning less?

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ladyduval
ladyduval Posts: 10
in Fitness and Exercise
Morning all,

I was just wondering, I have been doing some small work outs at home from the TV and sometimes at work I walk. It seems when I am home I am sweating more than when I walk at work. I BARELY break a real sweat at work, and I actually walk for longer there sometimes. Home I am only doing about 20 min increments or sometimes 10 at a time and my forhead is sweating. When I use the exercise calculator and put in my work out (I put everything at home under aerobics because that is primarily what I am doing) it out weighs the walking for 25-30 minutes. Anyway, please advise. Thanks!!:smile:

Replies

  • TanMac
    TanMac Posts: 77
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    Interesting question. I am not a big sweat person. I often wondered if this means I'm not burning a lot of calories. When I watch Tony Horton sweating like a pig I begin to question what is wrong with me!!

    My guess is that everyone is different
  • UntilNextTime
    UntilNextTime Posts: 19
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    When I was strictly walking 4mph, I only burned 315 calories an hour and I didn't exactly break a sweat. For the past week, I have upped the speed to 4.5mph with intense hills and I am wiping sweat out of my eyes 15 minutes into 60 minute workout and now I burn over 600 calories an hour. So, I am going to say that it plays a part. You should check your heart rate during each workout and that should help you determine the elevation difference. You definitely burn more when your heart rate is elevated. And you sweat to cool your body down.
  • mum23
    mum23 Posts: 248 Member
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    no idea!
    great question tho.
    i feel better when i am sweating it out. it makes me feel like i am working my body!
  • oldtyke
    oldtyke Posts: 149 Member
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    I'm sure I read somewhere that the fitter you get, the more you sweat.
  • ExerciseGeek
    ExerciseGeek Posts: 183 Member
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    Hey, found this on a website (link at bottom) this could help you :)

    When you exercise, the muscles generate too much heat for the air to absorb. Then skin and the body's interior signal to the brain to begin the sweating process. Some people have fewer than two million sweat glands while some have as many as five million -- So we all sweat at different rates.

    Research shows that when you increase stamina and conditioning, you begin to sweat “more efficiently.” (I've endearingly named this process your sweatness.) In other words, you sweat earlier, or at a lower internal temperature, than previously. Sweating earlier helps the body better regulate core temperature in all climates and at all activity levels — One more benefit of cardiovascular exercise. So, you may just be starting to sweat earlier than when you were less fit, which is most likely what you're experiencing.

    Furthermore, humans tend to be a little cooler in the morning, a little warmer in the late afternoon, which means the time of day you're exercising could have something to do with it too.

    One last point is that women run about half a degree higher after ovulation (which could lead to sweating more) and excess
    Regardless of how much you sweat, always drink before, during and after exercising.

    http://www.fitsugar.com/You-Asked-Does-Fitter-Mean-Sweatier-560399
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    I'm sure I read somewhere that the fitter you get, the more you sweat.
    This was the case for me. When I started working out hard, I barely sweated, I just got hotter... and redder... and hotter... and redder...

    Now it seems like my sweat response has kicked in. Icky but healthy!

    As to relative exercise, you'll notice that you sweat less when walking outside as it evaporates more readily. But I have to say I honestly feel if I'm doing cardio and I don't feel like I need a shower afterwards, I could have done better!
  • ExerciseGeek
    ExerciseGeek Posts: 183 Member
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    Im the same BerryH:smile: , I dont feel like im actually working out unless i had a pool of sweat around me:noway: . I feel so much fitter after soaking wet. Urgh, not nice sweat, but a great feeling whilst working out :laugh:
  • marianne_s
    marianne_s Posts: 986 Member
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    Morning all,

    I was just wondering, I have been doing some small work outs at home from the TV and sometimes at work I walk. It seems when I am home I am sweating more than when I walk at work. I BARELY break a real sweat at work, and I actually walk for longer there sometimes. Home I am only doing about 20 min increments or sometimes 10 at a time and my forhead is sweating. When I use the exercise calculator and put in my work out (I put everything at home under aerobics because that is primarily what I am doing) it out weighs the walking for 25-30 minutes. Anyway, please advise. Thanks!!:smile:

    The best thing to do, is to get an HRM that can measure how many calories you burn during your exercise.
  • chellekoren
    chellekoren Posts: 273 Member
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    Gotta say that I love this question and the answers that have followed. I so do not like to sweat, I mean poor off of me. I have always had it in my head that it means that I am out of shape. I am now going to tell myself that I am getting in better shape, "improving my sweatness" if you will.

    Chelle
  • kevanos
    kevanos Posts: 304 Member
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    I think if you don`t break a sweat, your heart rate isn`t getting high enough, so you`re not burning enough calories.
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
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    I totally agree with the HRM---if you wear one of these you know for sure what your heart rate is and how many calories you are burning regardless of sweat.
  • jackiemarie
    jackiemarie Posts: 111
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    Thanks for posting this topic!!! I was curious about sweating as well but I have been sweating so much during my workouts!!!! And I start sweating quickly into the workout, I thought that maybe I wasn't as fit as the other women in my class!!!! I actually heard someone in the exercise class say ( to someone not sweating ) "your so healthy you don't sweat at all" and I was over there pouring sweat!!!! So I was thinking maybe I was unhealthy ! But that article really helps thank you!
  • eortiz391
    eortiz391 Posts: 1
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    :flowerforyou: Some people just sweat more than others and some not at all, . It also depends on the intensity at which you are working out.. So it depends on the person
  • JoEllen92
    JoEllen92 Posts: 58 Member
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    Most people don't sweat when walking because it doesn't raise your heart rate high enough,you can still burn calories of course it'll just be at a slower rate.
    I sweat loads during the 25 minutes of doing the shred and I burnt just under 200 calories , walking for an hour burns 200 calories so you burn the same ammount of calories doing a higher intesnity workout
    it just takes a lot less time which is probably why you sweat more.
  • ladyduval
    ladyduval Posts: 10
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    Thanks guys. Everything everyone wrote was super informative. I am going to look into a heart rate monitor this weekend. Though walking I know helps, but if I can do better doing less time high cardio or even the same time high cardio and burn more then that is what I am going to do. You all rock! Good luck to each and everyone on their journeys and thanks for responding to my post!! :smile: :bigsmile: :heart:

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