Why does your body sweat? + the surprising benefits of sweating!

Sweat gets a bad rap. We blame it for stink. We accuse it of staining our clothes, and we react in disgust when it appears.

But in actuality, sweat is pretty darn awesome and an essential part of being human.

No, really.

Sweating can be messy (and smelly), but it’s also your body’s natural cooling mechanism.

When your body starts to sense that it’s overheating, it starts sweating as a way to control its temperature. By promoting heat loss through evaporation, sweat helps regulate your body temperature and releases heat.

If we didn’t sweat, our bodies would literally cook from the inside out. Yikes.

In fact, if it weren't for how efficiently we produce and dissipate sweat, our ancestors wouldn't have been able to travel long distances while hunting — and we probably wouldn't be able to do things like run marathons.

Phoebe could not survive without her marathons! No way, jose. OK, half-marathons. But still 😉

Here are some other benefits to sweating…

One of the most efficient ways to detox your body (minus the 7 day juice cleanse) is to sweat. Through excessive sweating, your skin is able to remove toxic compounds from your body through a process of detoxification, flushing out all of the bad stuff.

Putting your body in a situation where it needs to cool itself down by sweating (like a cardio workout) can get your heart pumping, which releases lots of feel good endorphins throughout your body. This can do wonders for your mood and overall well-being.

(However a pounding heart from nervousness and stress-sweat is a bit of a different story as that releases cortisol rather than endorphins!)

Although a sweat session won't help you build muscle, it can assist with muscle recovery. Sweating boosts circulation and helps flush out lactic acid, which can alleviate soreness and speed up the recovery process after a workout.

Just as sweat can flush out certain toxins, it can also purge impurities like pollutants, dirt, and makeup embedded in your skin. Your pores dilate when you sweat, helping to release the buildup inside them.

Truth is, we need sweat. And we just also need the right natural deodorant (like Woohoo!) to keep it in check. Woohoo all natural deodorants control body odour and absorb wetness while allowing your body to sweat.

Aluminium-based antiperspirants, on the other hand, block your pores with aluminium salt, reducing your body’s ability to sweat (and you know how awesome sweating is for you!).

Don’t forget to keep that body of your hydrated if you’re going out in search of a sweat session to make the most of the feel-good effects of this fabulous bodily function.