Sweat gets a bad rap. Sometimes it stinks, sometimes it stains clothes and we tend to be disgusted by it when it shows up. However, we should be embracing sweat. We should be making it a goal to sweat at least once a day. We need sweat! The chemical makeup of your sweat is dependent on the foods and beverages that you consume. Sweat tastes salty because it has a high sodium concentration with smaller amounts of chloride, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Sweat is not triggered by your heart rate or by movement, but by receptors in the hypothalamus area of your brain.
When your body starts to heat up due to exercise, being outdoors or working, your brain reacts by releasing sweat from over 2.5 million eccrine glands. These glands are spread out all over your body, they pour out liquid through our pores which helps lower your body temperature. We have two different types of sweat glands: the first one is eccrine sweat glands- these glands produce a watery substance that works to cool your body down, you can find them on your hands, feet, brows and most of the large areas of your body. The second one is called apocrine sweat glands- these glands create a thicker, plasma-like substance with fatty acids and protein byproducts. These sweat glands are found on your scalp, armpits and other various places. They are usually triggered by emotional stress. Sweat caused by stress and anxiety tends to smell bad and that’s why people call it “stress sweat.”
Sweating helps your body to heal. More and more studies are emerging about the detoxifying abilities of sweat! It helps to clear out a range of toxins. It is already naturally occurring we just like to give it a little boost here at Purify An Urban Sweat Lodge! Especially, if you have been at work all day and did not have enough time to get your sweat on!
Some examples of toxins that were found in sweat were phthalates, heavy metals, bisphenol, and pesticides. Phthalates are found in plastic products and are endocrine disrupters. Heavy metals such as aluminum, copper, nickel are more likely to exit the body through sweat than other ways of getting rid of toxins. Bisphenol A- otherwise known as BPA is found in canned foods and plastic water bottles. All these toxins building up in your system put a lot of pressure on your body and cause your organs to work even harder. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to break a sweat, the majority of exercises and sports help to clear you out: running, brisk walking, biking, swimming, Bikram Yoga, tennis, paddle boarding- the list goes on. A low impact option is an infrared sauna or body wrap. Researchers found that the sweat from an infrared sauna/body wrap contained more bismuth, chromium, cadmium, uranium, and mercury compared to other methods of sweating.
Other Benefits Include:
-Sweating boosts your endorphins. Which are the feel-good hormones. Endorphins are the reason why people walk out of a workout class smiling!
-Sweating helps prevent cold/ flu.
-Sweating detoxes your body!
-Clears pores and keeps your skin clear. Sweating opens up the pores and releases the toxic build-up that causes blemishes and pimples.
-Sweating helps wounds heal quicker.
-Sweating reduces your risk of kidney stones- sweating helps all the way down to your bones. It helps eliminate some of the calcium and salt in your bones which then aids in reducing the calcium and salt in your kidneys and coincidently salt and calcium create kidney stones. Also, the more you sweat, will lead you to drink more water and that also helps prevent kidney stones.
Sweating daily is a powerful habit to get into! Commit to sweating every day! You don’t have to get locked down to one type of workout. Make it fun, try new things, lay in a Purify infrared wrap and sweat it out!
It is important to be hydrated in order to maximize your sweat session. You should also try to replace minerals lost post-session. Coconut water is a great source of potassium or having a few slices of an orange will help give you that vitamin c energy boost.
Next time you feel tempted to stay inside on your couch in the air conditioning think about spending some time in a Purify session and about all the sweaty benefits! It is worth it to keep your internal detox systems healthy and well-functioning! Get your sweat on!
Warmly,
Samantha Albano
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