It doesn't matter if you are stacking wood for the winter, hitting the gym to stay fit, or suffering through another heatwave sticking to the leather couch of your uncle's house; sweating is everywhere. Even though we all often associate sweating with a bit of discomfort in the heat or due to excessive physical exertion, sweating actually has quite a few other benefits that are not as often discussed.
That's right. Whenever you have those unwanted pit stains from a rough yoga session, you are helping your body more than harming it. From promoting healthier skin that glows to regulating your internal and external body temperature, sweating is critical to the overall well-being of our bodies.
Time to take a journey into how you can benefit from the many ways sweating transforms, regulates, and promotions a healthier lifestyle.
What are the Benefits of Sweating?
Everyone has between 2 and 5 million sweat glands spread over every inch of their body. You could be a toddler running away from their parent when it's changing time or a 98-year-old Grandmother trying hard to blow out those birthday candles. We all sweat.
Luckily, there are several health benefits to letting that sweat drip, drip, drip.
#1 – Promoting Healthier Skin
Sweating is more than that Instagram-worthy post-workout glow. Inside your sweat is a special compound called dermcidin. This natural antibiotic peptide helps regulate bacterial growth on and around your skin. It helps protect against specific forms of infections while maintaining your skin health – leading to a shiner, more radiant glow. That means the next time you break a sweat, know your body is giving you an extra dose of quality care.
#2 – Regulating Body Temperature
Of course, we have to mention the temp control. Sweating is your body's way of keeping cool when you heat up due to outside temperature, pressure, or exercise. This helps you prevent overheating and allows you to push through those intense workouts. Think of sweating like your body's personal AC system.
#3 – Speeding Up Post-Workout Recovery
The average athlete can sweat off 2 to 6 percent of their body weight in water. That is a staggering statics. Your body recognizes the need to cool you off and expel toxins through metabolic waste products. That process helps you recover quicker during post-workout. That's why you hear so many trainers yelling in your ear, “sweat it out baby!”
#4 – Reduce the Risk of Kidney Stones
Sweating isn't just about external benefits. It also can benefit your internal health by reducing the formation of kidney stones. As you sweat, your body excretes salt and other minerals that can contribute to kidney stone formation. However, when you couple sweating with proper fluid balance, you ditch the risky bad minerals and toxins and increase the H2O moving through your system – a critical factor in preventing kidney stones.
#5 – Promoting Heart Health
Everyone knows that physical exercise is a key weapon in the fight against heart disease. What you might not know is that sweating it out at least four times a week is likely to cut your risk of high blood pressure by half. That is especially true if you are enjoying a quality sweat in a sauna. Overall, you want to be working out enough to boost your blood circulation, improve vascular function, and enhance the overall efficiency of your cardiovascular system.
Not Everyone Sweats the Same
Even with all those incredible benefits, it's important to know that not everyone will sweat the same as the next. We are all individuals with experiences, bodies, and systems unique all their own. Sweating is like a fingerprint. The composition of compounds you sweat out is entirely your own. However, there are a couple of things that are universal when we compare sweaty bodies.
Men Vs. Women
Even though women are found to have more sweat glands (on average) compared to their male counterparts, men's sweat glands tend to produce more sweat overall. This difference has a lot to do with our body size, weight, and competition, as well as the unique hormones inside each of our bodies.
Adults Vs. Children
This is a hotly debated topic. Children have more sweat glands than adults, but do not have the internal temperature regulation set up and tested as well. That is why you see kiddos with night sweating or random hot flashes. Even so, children will sweat less in hot temperatures or through exercise than adults. Their bodies simply take longer to develop sweat regulation. Stick a 7-year-old and an adult on a treadmill, and you’ll see that grow up pay the sweaty penalty faster.
Older Vs. Younger People
As we age, we lose our eccrine sweat glands. These are key to keeping elasticity and wound healing in adults. That means the older you are, the harder it will be to sweat as much as you used to. Of course, there are always exceptions, usually related to night sweats or health ailments. This is also why staying active as you age is critical. You get to fire up your remaining glands for overall skin care.
Healthy Vs. Unhealthy People
The fact is, the fitter you are, the sooner you will start to sweat. This is because your body already knows what is going on. It can tell you are about to work out and will begin to cool you off faster to get a longer, more refined session than usual. On average, maintaining your overall health and hydration is crucial to experiencing the full benefits of sweating.
The reality is that sweating is not just a bodily function that keeps you cool on a sizzling summer day. It is a natural process designed to improve your overall health and well-being. Embrace your body's natural cooling mechanism and learn to appreciate the incredible benefits sweating can bring to your life.
Time to get out there and break a sweat. Even better, exercise at home with any of our Redliro Treadmills. These are designed to be your essential “go-to” workout machines that quickly fold up so you can get in that fantastic workout and then move on with your day. Who knows, maybe a little bit of sweat is all you need for a brighter, healthier future.
