Here in the northeast, we’ve had a dry summer, but not super hot other than a short stretch of hot weather in July. Utility rates are so high now that I didn’t get out the window air conditioner this year. Instead we’re using window fans similar to this fan, but mine is the manual version. Using them at night and closing the windows & curtains/blinds during the day has been helpful in keeping the house a little cooler. Upstairs can still be pretty hot. It gets tough when you just sit there and sweat pores off without doing anything. It’s very humid here during the summer, so that doesn’t help any.
I try to view summer as nature’s sauna and is another avenue for improving health. Sweat is made mostly of water with a little sodium and smaller amounts of potassium, trace minerals, proteins, fats and toxins.
Sweating is the body’s way of regulating it’s temperature. It hydrates the skin by locking in moisture at the surface level. Sweat contains antimicrobial peptides that helps protect the skin from bacterial and fungal infections. Sweating helps with circulating the blood and improving heart health. Sweating helps cleanse the pores which can help with acne breakouts. Sweat helps remove toxins, but not in large amounts compared to other areas of the body like the kidneys. Studies have shown sweat helps remove toxins like pollutants, BPA, and heavy metals.
One thing to do when you are sweating is to wipe the sweat off with a towel. Otherwise, when the sweat dries any toxins sweated out are reabsorbed back into the skin.
Outside of sweating in normal hot weather, you can use a sauna or sauna blanket, hot tub, or exercise to make yourself sweat. Just do short sessions and work your way up. When it’s not summer, 30 minutes on the treadmill at a moderate pace helps me build a sweat. Remember to hydrate with water and electrolytes to replace the lost minerals and water. I like to make my own with 2 tbs apple cider vinegar, 2 tbs lemon juice, 1/2 tsp of a quality salt like Redmond Real Salt. Add all of that to a liter bottle and fill with water.
Sweating on a regular basis is another free and easy tool to improve your health.
Challenge:
Think about the last time you worked up a good sweat. Saunas can be expensive, but walking and other forms of exercise like pushups are free. If you haven’t had a good sweat in a while, give one of those a try.
Resources:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8343902/
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/sweat
https://drwillcole.com/health-benefits-of-sweating/
https://www.onepeloton.com/blog/benefits-of-sweating
https://www.nationalnutrition.ca/articles/health-concerns/sweating-is-good