That was the huge banner I saw on my local gym’s Facebook page (I only went to the page so I could get a free water bottle J)
SWEAT IS FAT CRYING!! What could this really mean? I pondered. I mean it’s kind of humourous really isn’t it? The idea being that you go to the gym, work out and then you lose the fat, and the fat (sweat) starts to cry like a lost child at the supermarket.
OK, so sweating is what we do when we get hot (like when we are working out, or standing in 40 degree heat outside in the summer – not only getting sweaty but sunburnt as well.). Sweat is our body’s cooling system. When we are too fat (round, heavy, large boned, Rubenesque – see my very first post for fat descriptors) we can be prone to getting hotter faster than skinny folk because it takes us more energy to haul ourselves around. Sometimes this can make us cry and sweat. Often it makes us sit in the shade and rest.
The lovely Sue Read, former elite athlete, personal trainer and currently psychologist extraordinaire (she's been an athletics champ, weightlifter, former goal keeper with the Matildas – Australia’s women’s national soccer team) knows a thing or two about sweat, having done a lot of it in her lifetime.
“If you don’t sweat when you exercise, you may as well stay at home and watch telly”, says our Susie, flexing a knowledgeable muscle or two.
“Sure, sweat helps our bodies to cool down when we are exercising, but it has other important uses as well. It is also essential that if people want to lose weight they must sweat”.
Here are Sue’s top six reasons why we MUST sweat when we are exercising:
1. Sweat tells us when our heart rate is increasing
2. It signals that our metabolism is working
3. Sweat and exercise helps us produce human growth hormone* – which burns body fat and builds muscle!
4. Sweaty exercise produces important "feel good" hormones such as endorphins, which makes us feel happier, calmer and more relaxed
5. It makes as younger looking, leaner and less wrinkly (therefore savimng money on botox and cosmetic surgery)
6. A trickle of sweat looks great on a well-toned back, or a sexy cleavage!
*Human Growth Hormone is a natural hormone secreted by the pituitary gland of the brain. What does growth hormone do? It helps us burn carbohydrates and fat, and build muscle. Best of all it makes our skin turgid – ie less wrinkly, younger looking and lean – it is the hormone of youth!! We love it. We get a free kick of it if we have good quality sleep. A diet high in carbohydrates directly inhibits the production of growth hormone due to the release of insulin, which in turn inhibits the release of growth hormone . That means if we only eat mostly bread, pasta, lollies, cakes, rice, cereal, and ice cream (oh yeah - see my post on "Beige Food") then we are stopping ourselves from getting a free hit of the hormone of youth!
The downer is that human growth hormone is at its peak during puberty, and by age 21, we decrease our natural production by 10% each decade of our life. Before you cry into your glass of wine or bowl of ice cream, there is hope!! We can recreate those youthful bodies by doing these key THREE things:
1. Modify your carbohydrate intake to decrease your production of insulin, particularly at dinner time.
2. Have good quality, worry free, deep sleep. Make sure you have a good "going to bed routine" and make sure you are relaxed before bedtime
3. Have a short, sharp high intensity exercise session just about every day. Ideally, this means interval training, and some weights work
The great news about all this is you don’t need to hit the gym for hours on end every day. You can get a hit of the elixir of youth with half an hour high intensity a day! and because exercise can help regulate sleep...well the answer's obvious, isn't it?
Human growth hormone is at its peak production at night time - IF we don’t consume too many carbohydrates before bed and IF we get good quality sleep. We can keep our human growth hormone levels at a high level and avoid the ravages of ageing just by doing a few simple things.
So…go to it!! Get up, get moving and get sweaty. Cry me a river.
