I want to talk this week about sweating. Over the years we’ve had some really interesting comments from people around sweating – feeling uncomfortable and not enjoying feeling hot and getting sweaty. I’m the complete opposite. I absolutely love being sweaty (obviously in the right context). If I’m walking to a meeting, I don’t want to be sweating and sit there with sweat running down me in the office.
But otherwise, I spent quite a lot of my time getting hot and sweaty deliberately. Whether that’s going down to the boxing gym a couple of times a week, whether it’s going to a spin class which is a cauldron for getting hot and sweating. I also have an infrared sauna in the backyard and I’m in that probably four or five times a week. In the summer months, I’m hot the minute I get in, so I’ll do 20 minutes. In the winter and perhaps spring and autumn months, I’ll be in there for about half an hour, but absolutely dripping in sweat.
I’ve also recently been diagnosed as perimenopausal, so I’m having hormonal flashes which some of you will be familiar with – it means that I’m hot a lot! Because I’m used to sweating in the context of exercise and of the sauna, the hot flashes are not too distracting for me yet.
I just want to urge you to not to be afraid to get hot and sweaty. It’s good for a short period of time to get our heart rates high enough that the body needs to sweat.
The process of sweating is no indication of poor fitness. On the contrary, it’s an indication of the body working really efficiently, because that’s how we cool ourselves.
The only way my dog can cool herself is to pant with her mouth open. She’s got no other way of doing it, but we are lucky enough to be able to sweat from the pores in our skin, which is the largest organ in the whole body. It’s actually a sign of efficiency that we sweat.
There are lots and lots of benefits of sweating, for example, with sauna use and exposure it’s very good for detoxification. That’s one of the primary reasons why I get in the sauna and sweat it out for 20 minutes.
Don’t be afraid to get hot and sweaty – it’s not a bad thing. It’s your body working efficiently and it’s good for us to get into that sort of intensity, whether it’s through exercise, or whether it’s through sauna.
Get hot. Get sweaty.
Bodyshot Total Health Optimisation Package
We have brought together everything you need to optimise your mind, body and wellbeing, in one package. The Total Health Optimisation Package includes the DNA test for diet and fitness combined with a non-invasive blood test panel for over 15 key markers including cholesterol, iron, vitamin D3, HbA1C (diabetes), liver performance, thyroid, testosterone and vitamin B12. The Oura ring for sleep monitoring, activity tracking and recovery is also included.
Once we’ve received the results of your DNA and blood test, we arrange a suitable time for the consultation which takes place online and lasts approximately 60 minutes. In the consultation, we analyse your results, explain what everything means and draw up a personalised action plan.
Our Total Health Optimisation Package includes an eBook that gives you loads of tips, information and a resource you can keep coming back to. The eBook is a concise summary of everything we’ve learned from the hundreds of clients we’ve helped to optimise their health. It also includes access to our Six Signals® Course: optimise your mind, body and wellbeing, an online product containing over 2.5 hours of quality content and a resource you can keep and come back to whenever you need a refresh or additional motivation.
Click here to find out more on this package
What’s Your Health IQ?
If you’re reading this, you might be in reasonably senior position, running your own business or have a busy life running the home and juggling other responsibilities. Either way, you’re busy!
The convergent pressures of work and family life have probably meant that the time you did have to spend on health and fitness has disappeared. Why not talk to us and see how we can help.
Leanne Spencer is an entrepreneur, coach, TEDx Speaker, author of Remove the Guesswork, and founder of Bodyshot Performance Limited. Bodyshot is a health and fitness consultancy that helps busy professionals get more energy by removing the guesswork around their health, fitness and nutrition. Visit www.bodyshotperformance.com or email info@bodyshotperformance.com to register your interest in our services and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
