Weight loss: Is sweating more is a sign of a better workout?

Sneha Biswas | Apr 21, 2020, 13:44 IST
Whether you get drenched in your sweat during your spin class or prefer a hot yoga session, sweating is an inevitable part of our most workout sessions. You might think that going a little extra on yourself till you sweat like a pig means your workout was good enough to aid weight loss, but it isn’t what you think! The amount of perspiration doesn’t have to necessarily be associated with the intensity of your exercise. In fact, sweating is not likely to be a sign of burning calories,fat or weight loss. Sweating more is not a sign of a better workout. Here’s how weight loss and sweating work.

Sweating is the body’s natural way of cooling down the body temperature. Sweating begins with the release of water and salt from the body. This release evaporates in contact with air and leads to the cooling sensation to regulate the body temperature. You might be sweating hard while doing any physical activity, be it a simple household chore or an intense cardio move, but this will cause you to lose water weight. This kind of weight loss is temporary and you can gain back as you hydrate yourself.

It is quite tricky to understand how much you can actually sweat during an exercise. Your perspiration level highly depends on factors, such as gender, age, genes, temperature, and humidity level. Men tend to sweat faster and hard than women while younger people sweat more than aging people. You might also notice that obese patients tend to sweat more than other, this can be due to the fat in their body that generates more heat.

According to research on fitness, as the fitness of the body gradually improves, the body becomes more capable of regulating body temperature. This results in fast sweating in order to cool down the body. This is why you will notice that some fitness enthusiasts can work out better while sweating profusely.

Meanwhile, if you assume that a low-sweat workout means you’re not burning your fats effectively, then you’re wrong. Sometimes, you might not sweat enough even after a benefiting session simply because your sweat is evaporating quickly. This can be due to the air-conditioner, fan or just your genes.

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