Happy Sunday. I hope your weekend is going well! Dan and I spent the rest of yesterday working, planning and enjoying happy hour! But it’s not happy hour that I want to talk about today.
I am sure I am not alone in this, which is why I want to share my issue with you. Leave me some love below if you’re in a similar boat.
6 month ago I was a normal girl, I would workout and “glisten” a bit but I still looked like a well put together woman at the end. Sure my face would be a bit flushed but nothing crazy that would make people avoid me.
Fast forward to today, I am a big sweaty mess by the end of workouts and my face looks like a ripe tomato. As a matter of fact I was completed disgusted by myself yesterday when during my run I wiped the bottom of my forearm only to see sweat fly off like rain from the sky. Gross.
I almost feel like if I run into the store after a run or a workout, people part to keep from being close to the “sweat monster.”
What’s happened to me, why have I all of a sudden started to sweat like a teenage boy? The good thing is that I am only sweating more during my workouts not during my day to day life. So should I even be embarrassed? When you’re the only girl in the gym with sweat droplets literally falling off your face, yes it can be a bit embarrassing.
Plus let’s face it, I don’t like getting up off a bench and seeing my sweat imprint behind.
What are causes for sudden changes in sweating?
- Hormonal changes
- Environment (yes it is summer time)
- Workout Intensity
- Medications
- Ailments (ex. being sweating can be a sign of medical issues like diabetes, heart disease and Parkinson’s just to name a few)
- Excess Weight/Body Composition
- Hydration
- Improved Fitness Levels
If you’ve experienced a sudden change in the way you sweat perhaps its one of the above causes. It’s always a safe idea to talk with your doctor regarding changes in your body, sweat included.
In my case, the only one that seems to make any sense is improved fitness levels.
My Fitness And Sweat Levels
I know most people think that the less in shape you are, the more you’ll sweat. But that actually isn’t the case.
As you improve physically, your body becomes more efficient at lowering your core temperature. Since sweat production is the mechanism to make it happen, in shape people tend to start sweating faster (earlier on in a workout) in an effort to keep their core temperature down from the start of a workout to the end.
This makes perfect sense in my case since over the past 6 months is when I’ve been adding more intense circuits, longer cardio runs, and even more intense sprints into my life.
What’s more is that Dan has been working out with me in a lot of these areas and he too just made the comment a few days ago that he felt he was sweating more than he’s ever sweat before.
Weird?
At least it’s comforting to know we’re in this sweaty mess together. The couple the sweats together, stays together!
How To Deal With Sweat?
You can’t just ask your body to hold back on the sweat, but you do have a few options in terms of how to handle it.
1. Suck it up
To be honest this is the path I plan on taking. I am appreciative for my body and the hard work it does to keep me in shape. So what if I sweat? That’s the price I pay to workout and be fit.
I don’t plan on stopping my 1/2 marathon training or cutting back on the intensity of my workouts. So sweat I must.
2. Workout inside
Stay in cooler areas and if you’re able have a fan to help circulate the air in the room which will help the sweat to evaporate off faster. During your workout drink cold water which will also help keep your temperature down more easily.
3. Talk with a doctor
There are steps that your doctor might suggest in terms of medicine, diet or lifestyle changes if you’re sweating more than you’re comfortable with. And again, if this is a sudden change and you don’t know the cause of your sweat, then it might be a good idea to go see your doctor anyways.
4. Hydrate
Make sure to drink up water before, during and after your workouts. For workouts longer than an hour, or workouts you feel were a bit dripper than normal, drink up 1/2 a sports drink or a bottle of coconut water (here’s my favorite) to help refill your electrolytes which are lost in sweat.
5. Wear breathable fitness clothes.
T-shirts weren’t made to wear during workouts. I know we all love to show off the latest 5K we ran or our college logo, but heavy cotton is not the way to go. Wear clothes that were meant to be worn during workouts and have whisking powers to “whisk” the sweat away.
Here are some tips on buying fitness clothes.
Over the past few months I have just acknowledged that fact that I am a sweaty beast. I bring a towel with me now so that I can do a quick wipe down after my workout. After the ridiculousness of yesterday’s sweat, I am thinking about bringing a change of tops too, just to make the drive home a bit more bearable. My shirt was so wet it was as if I jumped into a pool with my clothes on… I wish that were the case!
QUESTIONS:
- Are you a sweater?
- Do you think sweating during a workout is embarrassing or a sign of a good workout?
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Glad you posted that! I too, have noticed I cannot get through much of my workouts without dripping. I am going to say (hope) that it has come from “improved fitness”. Yeah, sometimes I get alittle embarrrased by the amount of sweat I have, but then I try (again, hope) that it makes me look tougher, LOL!
Thanks Kim! I agree, it makes you look like you’re having a better workout than everyone else!
I definitely don’t think yoou should be embarressed at all!! I think you should be proud of yourself for working out. Period A lot of people sweat when they workout, in fact, I would say people who don’t sweat a lot when working out is less common (though that’s only my completely uneduccated opinion). I actuallyy am not someone who doesn’t pour sweat when working out, but have never thought itt “disgusting” of those that do. I do, however, just about always get tomato face! Remember what you said, sweat is fat crying, so sweat away!!
You’re so right… let it cry!!
I know this article is a little old but I wanted to say thank you! I just left a desk job of five years and packed on 25 pounds! I began working out about a month ago and recently noticed I am actually sweating for the first time in my life! I used to just get really red and overheated and never sweat even when I used to run track and field in high school. Now after reading your article, i am excited! It feels incredible, like my body has its own climate control. Thanks so much!
You are so welcome! Keep rocking on, you can hit your goals just keep sweating!
I personally love to sweat it out in the gym. The gym is my time and I like to give it my all. Sometimes it feels as if my body has turned on a sweat faucet but I appreciate it because it stops me from over heating and passing out. However, I love to dance. I go out on the dance floor and I own it!! BUT by the end of the song I am no longer cute. My hair is wet and I’m sweating like the picture above. It’s really embarrassing. I went salsa dancing recently and this guy was trying to teach me how to dance a certain dance. It was very low impact so the moves, in my opinion, weren’t intense enough for me to even glisten. Lets just say when the song ended I was running to the bathroom to wipe off the sweat and pull back my wet crimped hair. I wish I could stop it from happening.
It definitely has it’s pros and cons! That’s awesome you can Salsa!