Sweat or Glow?

Someone once told me that women don't sweat. 
Horses sweat.
Men perspire.
Women glow.

Hmm...

For most of my life that has been true in my case.

One hour zumba class?  Glow. 
3 mile run? Glow
Piloxing? Glow.
But you know what? 

I did notice that other women were sweating.
Like shirt drenched sweating.
Know what else? 

Some of them weren't even working as hard as I was.

After living by the fact that as I woman I should only glow during physical exertion, I found that I was really annoyed that I couldn't sweat!  I mean, I AM trying to lose weight.  Sweat is a welcome indicator that you're burning FAT! So I WANT to sweat. Right?

So I decided to look into it.

Why am I NOT sweating?

1.  Lack of hydration. Oh THAT. It's true.  Up until the bootcamp, and its suggested.. or is it required(?)... 96 oz of water daily.  I am definitely GUILTY of not even having a ONE glass of water in a day. I know, its AWFUL.  I'm living life extremely dehydrated.  I know, I know, it is not good.  But thankfully a little lesson from Candice, our RD from fitmixer, really hit home.  She gave us this bit of knowledge:

• Another important aspect of water is the effect on our kidneys. When we are dehydrated, our kidneys have to work twice as hard to clear toxins from our bodies, when this happens, our liver pitches in to help out our kidneys. When this happens, the liver is unable to do one of it’s primary jobs which is to burn stored fat for energy – YIKES! When we are working so hard to lower our body fat, it is really necessary to utilize every avenue we can, this includes staying hydrated so that our liver can do it’s job.

I also learned that when you're dehydrated your heart rate can increase to dangerous levels, and you can get dizzy, weak and confused because your brain and organs are receiving less oxygen. 

Okay, I'm convinced.  It is NOT cute to be a rebel in this area.  We are talking about MAJOR ORGANS here. No one messes with my organs! Not even me.  After my not so distant loss of core iron and minerals stores and all its complications, I don't take this lightly.

2.   Women have evolved sweat glands.  Ok, this sounds like the whole "glow" theory, but its actually true!  Did you know we actually have more sweat glands than men?  And though men sweat buckets (true in my husbands 'cause!), its not because they have MORE sweat glands, it's because their bodies don't regulate H2O loss as well as a woman.  So as soon as their bodies start to heat up, they sweat.  It's also why women bloat.  We get all the luck don't we?

3.  Sweating is not the only way that the body cools itself.  There is also:

1. Radiation - this is when heat radiates from your skin.  You've seen it.  A runner on a cold morning, steam cloud surrounding him or her.
2. Conduction - which is the transfer of heat.  Last Sunday's marathoners were encouraged to get in an ice water bath so that the water could absorb the heat from their overheated bodies.
3. Convection - or where moving air cools you down.  Remember standing in front of grandma's window fan and going "aaaaahhhhh" on a hot summer day?  ........ugh, am I dating myself again?
4. Evaporation - this is SWEATING people.  The water in your blood rises to the skins surface, absorbing heat along the way. Once at the surface via your sweat glands, it can evaporate and cool you down.

The last two fitmixer workouts involved some serious TABATA and something they called the FULL HOUSE.  Let me tell you now, they sound like fun and they even make them LOOK like fun.  And then when you actually DO them, you realize what masterminds these ladies are at getting you to WORK and/or suffer. 

You decide. 

Here are the parameters: Each card number determines the number of reps and the suit determines the exercise (see below). Face cards equal 10 reps, aces equal 11. Shuffle the full deck, then pick the top card and complete the corresponding exercise. Continue until you've completed the whole deck of cards. No rest in between.

• Hearts: Burpees
• Diamonds: Jack-Squats
• Spades: Jack Push-ups
• Clubs: Reverse Crunches

Seems fun right?  It is, until your body is screaming after your 56th burpee and it occurs to you in this madness that you are going to have to do 96 EACH of these.  

Now, it could be the recent and HUGE increase in water intake, or the fact that it was 91 degrees out the day I decided to do these, OR that I've NEVER tried anything like this in my LIFE, but guess what?

I did not glow.
I did not perspire.
For the first time ever, I not only felt the heat radiating from my skin,
I. did. sweat. 
Perspiration running off my head.
WHAT?!!!!

Remember Amanda's response when she cries for the first time in the movie "The Holiday"? No? Then watch the first minute here (watch the whole thing if you're a sap like me :)





Yeah, it went something like that. Except no tears, just sweat.  Oh, and no English chauffeur and.....oh, well - you get it.

So how about you?

Do you glow or do you sweat?