Thursday, September 17, 2009

Break a Sweat Every Day

To sweat or not to sweat? Sweating, at times, gets a bad rap, and when you think about it, actually ponder the merits of having your skin break out in a cold (or hot) sweat, it’s a wonder we don’t all go running for the hills. But there’s the rub—if you did head for the hills at a good gait then chances are in no time you’d be drenched in sweat. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, sweating is as important for your health as proper diet, exercise, positive attitude, and the rest of all the good stuff I advocate at this site and livelife365.com.

There are many reasons why we sweat—hot weather, exertion, sickness, nerves, anxiety—all sharing one commonality: we need to! Why? Because sweating regulates the body’s internal temperature. When any of those above situations occur, you heat up inside. If you don’t have a place for this increased heat to go, you’re in trouble. But for most of us, the brain recognizes this warm up, sends a signal to the sweat glands, and, voila, in no time your hair becomes a matted mess (not mine: I Miss My Hair), your armpits a river of sorrow, your back and belly, face and neck, hands and even feet are suddenly coated in liquid. Again: This is a good thing!

Sweating:
· cools down the body
· removes excessive heat
· regulates your internal temperature
· removes small amounts of waste (like chlorine)

But even more importantly, if you’re sweating it usually means that you are moving around, exercising, working in the garden, playing with your kids, taking a walk or run, or just fooling around with your significant other. Many studies have shown that some of the healthiest cultures in the world find a way to sweat every day—you should too! Me? I like to:

Break a Sweat Every Day



Is it possible to sweat too much? Or too little? Yes, and yes. Hyperhidrosis is excessive sweating, that, while maybe embarrassing or uncomfortable, is usually not a cause for alarm. But anhidrosis, which is a rare disease where one has little or no sweat, can lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke because the lack of sweat limits the body’s ability to cool itself down.

Pop quiz:

Q: Does sweat have an odor?

A: Believe it or not, sweat is odorless. It is the bacteria on one’s skin that mixes with the sweat that causes body odor.

So, working out, running around, exercising and frolicking in the sun, getting a good sweat going, is always a good thing, right? For the most part, yes, but you must stay hydrated or you could become very ill.

Symptoms of Dehydration:
· dry mouth
· tiredness
· thirsty
· weakness
· headache
· dizziness
· rapid heartbeat
· confusion

Symptoms of Dehydration



If you have any of those symptoms, you immediately should:
· seek shade
· drink water
· chill out, and drink more water

If left untreated, dehydration can cause a multitude of far worse maladies. Your best bet is to drink plenty of water while breaking that sweat and use common sense. Or, watch this video:

How to...Prevent Dehydration



Breaking a sweat every day is one of the healthiest things you can do, just remember to replenish those liquids you are sweating out to keep dehydration at bay. And, as always, have fun while living life every day in every way.


Until next time…


peace,

Mike

28 comments:

Rod said...

Good points Mike, working out and braking into a good sweat makes me feel alive, but you got to listen to your body, once you ignore it and get to the heat stroke area, that's scary and life threatening, especially for the very young and the very old in people's family, you got to watch out for them.

Ann Martin Photography BLOG said...

"Believe it or not, sweat is odorless. It is the bacteria on one’s skin that mixes with the sweat that causes body odor."
That's an interesting tidbit. Makes perfect sense, still, I had no idea.

Susan Blake said...

Valuable post Mike! I took up yoga because I hated to sweat in aerobics - Ha! (Please tell me that was not a plastic water bottle - tisk tisk! The thought of you, my health guru, using a plastic water bottle made me sweat!)

Sagan said...

Today I'm going to the gym to break a sweat with my friend. Woohoo!

Anna said...

Really good advice as usual, Mike! I've learned my body's warning signals when I need to stop and when to drink more water. And I drink a lot of water!

kRiZcPEc said...

Thanks, I used to think that the sweat itself smells.

Faisal Admar said...

mike, i sweat a lot as i play badminton 4 times a week. i play seriously as i play for my company and also with some friends. we join competition and also friendly match with other state or country.

i have 2 questions mike...

1. how to kill the bacteria on our skin in order to make our body doesn't smell at all when sweating?

2. what do you do for living as i realize you have so much time to be spent on exercise and healthy diet? :) i adore you. bet you are doing share and property investment too?

Kathy Dobson said...

Hi Mike,
Thanks for the education on 'sweating'...
Normally I drink loads of water but I've had a change in routines and my water consumption changed...I could tell.
So, thanks for the reminder to drink plenty of water and the valuable education.
Kathy

Cascia Talbert said...

Great tips, Mike. I wasn't aware that the bacteria is what causes the odor and not your sweat either.

Rick (Ratty) said...

Another very good lesson. A nice side effect of the activity that makes us sweat is that it leaves us with a very good sense of well being; maybe tired, but good. I was just trying to decide if I want to go for a hike right now. I think I will.

betchai said...

Sweating is like the reward of exercising for me :)

Redkathy said...

Hydration is a must for anyone living/visiting Florida! Great info.

Unknown said...

rob: heat stroke is a major problem; and i agree, working out, sweating, is all part of feeling more alive, without it one is incomplete...

ann: yes, good to know that sweating is good for you and doesn't make you smell bad...

suzen: ya got me, it was plastic, but i only use one and refill it--does that make me less evil?

sagan: hope you had a great workout!

anna: the body usually lets you know--a good thing.

kriz: nope, just gotta watch that bacteria

faisal: cool, my wife and i have a badminton net set up and try to play every now and then...the best way to remove the bacteria is to use an antibacterial soap. as for what i do for a living, i work 40-50 hours per week and manage my time to fit exercise and diet into my every day life...

kathy: staying hydrated is essential, but you can drink too much, so you still have to watch it...

cascia: thanks for the visit...

ratty: good point; exercising and working up a good sweat always makes me feel better

betchai: i like that: "a reward."

redkathy: i used to live in new england and while the humidity isn't as bad as florida, it was pretty thick and drinking agua was mandatory


peace,


mike

V said...

hey mike. i'm not much of a sweater (or a coat either hehehe), but the body is sooo awesome, if we sweat, i know it's for a reason, like you mentioned. it cools the body down. we have our own internally built AC. is that not awesome.

Robin said...

Hi Mike - you have reminded me I could really get more intense exercise - I go for walks every day and do some yoga - and they don't really raise a sweat.

heidi said...

I don't mind sweating when I work out but I hate it at the beach! I never knew sweat was odorless! Neat!@

vicy said...

I don't normally sweat at the gym lately coz I just walk very slow at the treadmill but my husband does when he do the cardio which he said makes him feel good and to him working out is very refreshing.

Unknown said...

natural: the body is indeed awesome, we just have to listen to it sometimes...

robin: yoga and walks are great; as for the sweating, maybe it's just me, but i sweat all the time...

heidi: i sweat at the beach too

vicy: walk a little faster and maybe you'll sweat some more...


peace,

mike

John @ Family, Fitness and Finances said...

Hi Mike, I sweat without trying. I guess that means I must be extremely healthy! :)

Unknown said...

john: why not?...thanks for the visit...

peace,

mike

HR Recruiter said...

Wow! I like your blog so much. The video really helps me to do some exercise. Honestly, I am a fat girl and I am so lazy to exercise. My friends always invite me to go to a gym. But I always end up going home early and eat burgers and pizza and also pasta. Then get some beer and sit down to my computer. Then I end up surfing the net until I get sleep. Am I so lazy?

mike said...

Your right. I try to walk fast enough each day so that I break out into a sweat. Its only by doing this you know its doing you good.

Nabeel said...

the fountain you put together looks lovely .. and the sound of the water is soothing :)

Unknown said...

hr recruiter: next time skip the pizza a beer, join your friends for a workout, then treat yourself to something rewarding...

mike: walking is healthy, walking and sweating is even healthier...

nabeel: love my fountain, don't know what i'd do without it...


peace,

mike

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dancilhoney said...

I would definitely recommend starting out with something that doesn't involve a needle...such as the Stop Sweating book

Elsa said...

Drink lots of water as one excessive sweating remedy :-) avoid spicy foods too.

ashishmaihu said...

I’m thinking about setting up my own but I’m not sure where to start. Do you have any tips or suggestions? With thanks
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