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Question of the Month:
Q. My friend and I work out together. When we do cardio, I sweat buckets and
she just has a nice glow. What’s the deal? I’ve been training with
my friend for ages so I know it’s not that she’s a better athlete
than me.
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Hey, I’m with you there. When I’m
on the elliptical, I’m the one sweating over the machine like it’s
nobody’s business. Meanwhile, my workout partner has the machine at
its highest level and has just a glimmer of sweat on her upper lip.
With millions of sweat glands in the skin, perspiring (and the subsequent
evaporation of perspiration) is our bodies’ way of cooling us down
when it’s hot or when we’re physically active. In addition,
a lot of us sweat when we are feeling emotional (i.e. nervous, scared or
just plain stressed out).
For most people, sweating is a given when exercising. The best thing to
do is monitor your activities and consider a few of these guidelines:
Heat and Humidity: You know how some people can go into an air-conditioned
room and you’re just fine and others are frozen solid? This could
be the case in the gym. Perhaps the A/C is not blasting right over you,
so when you’re working out you’re feeling hotter and, therefore,
sweating more. You and your friend may be adjusting to the climate differently.
In addition, if the air is humid, your cooling system may not work as efficiently
as it should. Instead of sweat evaporating off your body, moisture and the
excess heat stay put, leaving you overheated and dripping.
Fluids: When working out, sufficient fluid intake is critical. It’s
difficult to consume too much water, but too little and your body has nothing
to sweat out and nothing to cool you down. This could lead to heat exhaustion
or heatstroke, which can be fatal. As a rule of thumb, drink fluids before,
during and after your workout. If your cardio session is an hour or less
then water is fine. More than an hour, try a sports drink to keep your energy
levels stable and replace sodium lost through sweat. Don’t ever skimp
on fluids to avoid looking drenched.
Fashion: Sounds weird, but if you’re not wearing the right gear to
workout this could lead to extreme perspiration. Once upon a time, a grubby,
old tee and a pair of sweat pants were standard gym attire. Those relics,
while great for day-to-day activities, are not ideal for gym-time sweat
management. Try workout clothes made of technical materials designed to
“wick” moisture off your body to the cloth’s surface to
be evaporated.
The more skin exposed, the better. I’m not talking short-shorts or
skimpy bra-tops in the gym, but there are plenty of designs that will keep
you reasonably covered up and cool.
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ANSWERED BY:
Bunmi Adeoye
Associate Editor
Oxygen Magazine |
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