Odd, I know. I remember walking down the street toward a cafe after teaching a gnarly cycle class one day and passing Ryan Gosling. Drops of sweat were literally dangling from the ends of my hair, which was falling loosely out of my ponytail. My shirt had pit stains, not to mention the ugly sports bra sweat lines. Not only were my cheeks bright red from exertion, but my entire face looked like I had spent the day lying at the beach basking in baby oil.
So not attractive, yet I felt so confident about my ability as a cycle instructor, as an athlete and as a woman. Ryan caught my eye and said hello. It's all about the sweat.
So what causes us to sweat?
Eccrine glands in the skin are designed to help our bodies adjust to different temperatures, whether hot or cold, aka thermoregulation. When we begin a challenging workout, the brain sends a message to the eccrine glands to dissipate excess heat.
Sweat is composed of mostly water, however, it also contains urea, minerals and lactate. Some sweat may have a flavor to it. I once read a post on Facebook about what you are eating too much of if your salt tastes a certain way. For instance, salty sweat meant you were eating too much sodium in your diet. If the sweat is sour, there is too much dairy in your diet. However, this post claimed that if your sweat tasted like margaritas... well, that was enough said. Sweat truly can give you a look into your food choices though. It can be a great indicator of a balanced diet!
Margarita-flavored sweat... yeah, not so sexy...
Not to fear, there are many sexy things associated with a good sweat. For example, sweating leaves your skin glowing (or just beat red like mine) and helps detoxify your body. It can help strengthen your immune system and boost your mood. When you think about it, sweat is medicine! And the best part is, all it costs is some hard work!
So lace up those running shoes and get outside! Pay attention to your body and how great you feel as the sweat begins to pour! Perspiration at its finest!
No comments:
Post a Comment