7 Reasons to Embrace Being Sweaty

With the onset of this hot, humid summer, I am reminded once again of how much I sweat. I think I sweat more than the average person. Even when I run outside in the winter, after I finish I am a sweaty mess underneath all my layers. After a summer run, I am literally dripping from head to toe. I've been asked many times if I got caught in the rain. My running clothes are wrung out and hung to dry until laundry day. If I shower too soon after I run, I sweat in the shower. I sweat after the shower.

It may seem gross, it may seem annoying, but there are benefits to sweating, even for a profuse sweater like me. I found 7 reasons to embrace the sweat!

Sweat is our built-in air conditioning
Sweat is the body's way of cooling you down during exercise or when you're hot. If you didn't sweat, you would overheat, which could lead to fainting, heat exhaustion, or heat stroke. The fitter you are, the faster you'll sweat because your body is trained to recognize when it's time to regulate its temperature.

Sweat makes you glow
It isn't just the moisture on your skin that gives you a post-workout glow. Sweat brings more blood flow to the surface of the skin. Not only does this give you a healthy complexion, it also helps remove toxins that can lead to age-related changes in the skin. Sweat can help prevent acne, too, as long as you wash your face after you work out.

Sweating helps you detox
Several studies have shown that sweat helps remove toxins from the body. Sure beats a juice cleanse, in my opinion. Even though sweat is cleansing, it doesn't give you license to go out, party until the cows come home, and then run a marathon!

Sweating lowers the risk of kidney stones
What the what? Sweat makes you rehydrate and that helps flush the kidneys. Sweat also helps remove excess salt from the body and retain calcium in your bones instead of the kidneys.

Sweating boosts your immune system
Sweat contains substances that help fight serious invaders like bacteria, fungi, and viruses.

Sweat aids in recovery after a hard workout
By bringing blood flow to the muscles, sweat helps remove products of a hard workout that can lead to soreness and help the body repair itself.

Sweat makes you feel like a badass
As an athlete who sweats profusely after a hard workout, I can 100% agree that a sweaty workout makes me feel good Sweat produces endorphins and who doesn't love those? Plus, all that sweat is proof that you worked hard and there is no denying a sense of satisfaction with that!

If it seems like we sweat more in the hot, humid summer weather, it's because we do. When the air is saturated with humidity, it takes longer for sweat to evaporate. The body loses its natural ability to cool itself. In these conditions, make sure you take it slow and cool yourself down after you're done.

I don't know about you, but after learning about all these benefits of sweating, I say bring it on! There's nothing more satisfying than finishing a hard run or workout. The sweat is the reward! Let's embrace the sweat!

I've found some really good reasons to love sweating! /via @oldrunningmom #runchat #running

Do you sweat a lot? What is your favorite way to sweat? 

I'm linking up with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics.