You're asking and I'm answering. . .
Dear Fit,
I work out with a friend of mine all the time. Whether we're running, biking, or in a yoga class, she's always drenched in sweat. I feel like we're both equally fit, but I hardly sweat. Does that mean I'm burning less calories?
—Dry Dara
I'm so glad you asked about this because I'm sure other readers were wondering about the connection between sweating and calorie burn too. To see my answer, just read more.
Your body creates sweat to cool you off when your body temperature gets too high. How much you sweat has nothing to do with how many calories you burn. What matters is how long and how intensely you're working out. Any weight loss that you experience immediately after a workout is only water weight, and you'll gain it right back as soon as you rehydrate yourself. So don't worry about not sweating. If you go for a 30-minute run and you haven't sweat a drop, you still burned almost 300 calories.
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However, I would think that not sweating one drop after running for 1/2 hour would be cause for alarm.
1I'm so glad you posted this. I'm not one to sweat, I glisten! I've always thought you were burning more calories if you sweat more! Glad to know all my effort is not for nothing!
2I agree with fleurfairy - I would be worried if someone didn't sweat on a half hour run. Even if you're power walking/jogging you should get a bit of a "glisten" I would think. Granted, this is coming from someone who sweats, but still.
3I knew the answer to this already, but oh how I wish more sweat meant more calorie burn! I'm dripping wet practically before my heart rate starts going up.
4Good to know Fit! Thanks!
5i agree as well, fleurfairy.... could mean you are dehydrated if you arent sweating.
6I agree with Jdeprima, I sweat so bad I wish I was burning more calories, that would be nice!
7I've heard that fitter people start sweating sooner, and sweat more. Of course, every individual's physiology is different, some are just prone to sweat more than others. So "sweating more" and "sweating sooner" is all relative to the individual--don't compare your perspiration to others!
8I've read this too linsita. As a person's fitness level increases so does the body's ability to maintain homeostasis. So when the body's internal temperature slightly increases, the body will sweat to cool down.
9I have a slightly elevated body temperature all the time, so I'm a sweater. *sigh* I always wanted to be one of those girls who looks flawless while jogging, but it never turns out that way. One of many reasons I stopped running in the gym and took it outside.
10I think it also depends on how much water you drink daily. I sweat more now that I drink more water.
11Sometimes, I sweat a lot and sometimes I don't sweat as much. It depends on the outside temperature, what I'm wearing, etc. I do notice though, that I sweat more than my husband does when we bike together. Maybe it's because my body recognizes that it's about to do some serious work, so it starts cooling off right away.
12seriously if it makes no difference then what gives!!! i'm a a pretty little girl.....but no matter what hand to god whether its running or biking or whatever i ALWAYS sweat MORE than anybody else around me at the gym INCLUDING the big men!!! ick i wish it was worth something lol
13Good to know!
14I've always been curious about this! Thanks Fit
15I know this, BUT I still love to be drenched because it's that mental feeling of a successful workout.
16When I am fit I sweat more than when I am less than fit. I am not losing more calories but it is one of my benchmarks of my fitness.
17Now I know...
18Such an interesting post. I often view it as a measurement of how much I raised my heartrate - but I'm sure it is different for everyone...
19Well , its true that sweating burns calories. It is an energy requiring process.Therefore if you increase your sweating with a sweat vest for instance you can potentially burn more calories.However the weight lost during the workout is obviously not representative of calories burned but water and electrolytes lost. It wouldn't make sense anyway as you wouldn't have excreted the waste products from burning calories (unless you decided to go to the toilet during the work out !!). However I'm not sure any viable research has been done on just how much energy sweating uses, it could be minuscule and not have a significant impact on the workout. You also have to consider that overheating and dehydration during the workout may hamper your performance and in that way actually reduce the amount of calories you burned
20As a doctor I must say that yes sweating does somewhat mean more calories. People think that more sweat equal more calories but that's a bit misleading. If you're running in 40 degree weather and not sweating perhaps you're burning 800 calories an hour. Now lets assume it's 90 degrees and you're drenched soaking wet in sweat. Are you burning more calories? The answer is yes. But why?
21When you take in electrolytes it's done by active transport against the concentration gradient which requires ATP. So the more you sweat, the more electrolyte balancing is required thus utilizing more energy.
For the layman, saying no sweating doesn't mean more calories is like the mathematicians view of infinity or anything divided by 0 which is well beyond the scope of the average person.
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