Tag: sweat

Sweat it out

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If you’re like me nothing sounds better after a good workout than to sweat it out and relax in the sauna – but do you know what you are sweating out??

The answer is toxins! Sitting in a sauna and sweating helps your body rid itself of many toxins that have built up from processed food, alcohol, chemical and pesticides from the air! Regardless of how perfect your diet is there are tons of chemicals in your body simply from living and being around other people (don’t get too grossed out!).

Here’s where a sauna comes in. On an average day, your eccrine glands put out about a quart of sweat. But when you hang out in a sauna, they pump out that much in 15 minutes.

But the benefits of the sauna don’t stop there! It also helps your heart! A post-workout sauna session helps improve blood flow!

Japanese researchers have found that sitting in a sauna is particularly helpful for congestive heart failure. After taking daily saunas for four weeks, 13 of 15 patients with serious heart failure had significant decreases in blood pressure and improvements in ejection fraction (a measure of the heart’s pumping ability), exercise tolerance and oxygen uptake.

Sauna sessions can help with –

  • Improved blood circulation: The sauna increases and improves the rate of blood circulation and breathing.
  • Weight loss: Sauna is similar to mild exercise, it burns about 300 calories per average session. Regular sauna treatments combined with a healthy diet and moderate exercise will help you lose weight and stay fit and healthy.
  • Skin cleansing: A profuse sauna-induced sweat followed by a shower cleanses your skin far more thoroughly than just taking a shower. It makes it soft and healthy with immediately noticeable effects.
  • Body relaxation: Stress build-up creates tension in the body manifesting in various aches and pains. The heat and humidity of the sauna diffuses the pain and relaxes tired muscles. A sauna in the evening will leave tense muscles and sore limbs totally relaxed. Sauna also temporarily relieves arthritic pain.
  • Mind relaxation: The sauna is essentially a place to relax. Regular sauna adepts all agree that it effectively helps relieve physical and mental fatigue and stress.

And most of all it just feels great to sweat it out! After your workout – go for a sit in the sauna and reap all the benefits!

***Try this: When you sit in the sauna, brush, lightly scratch, or tap the skin on your arms, legs, belly, and back. This will stimulate your pores to open more while you’re in the sauna, and boost the circulation at the surface of your body. Immediately after you leave the sauna you have to immerse yourself in cold water! This will close your pores back up, pull the blood back to your core organs, and reinforce your natural defenses. This means that you will actually lose less heat when you are out of the sauna, boost your circulation, stay warmer longer, and keep your vital organs happy and functioning at the same time.***Reference 3


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Sunday BUNSday

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Happy Sunday!  If you can’t make it into the gym today don’t worry, I got you!

3-5 rounds of this booty blasting routine will keep you on track and best part, it will take at MOST 35 minutes of your day! Get everyone involved family, friends and neighbors!

Pin,  share,  tag your friends and tackle this Sunday BUNSday workout!

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What causes leg cramps?

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With a lot of talk about LeBron James cramping up in the 4th quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, thought I’d share why this happens.

First off, when you run on treadmill versus running outside; outside whether it’s hot or cold it’s harder on your body because you are dealing with the elements. Playing summer basketball or playing inside during winter, the temperature and conditions of the air have an effect on how the body reacts and recovers.

Every other game played this season was played in an air conditioned building. With the A.C. breaking in the At&t center the temperature on the court soared to over 90 degrees. Since players weren’t acclimated to the heat their bodies responded in different ways.

When playing a sport your body uses electrolytes to fuel your muscles. Your body sweats to cool off trying to keep your body temperature close to it’s normal level. Sweat contains sodium, calcium, and potassium which is essential for your body and muscles to functions.

So any other game James’ body has no problem keeping cool and staying hydrated with the air temperature in the 70s. The hot air temperature of the At&t Center caused him to use up -sweat out – all his electrolytes. When stressed the body uses the “reserves” for the heart and organs so the muscles don’t get any of the fuel they need to function properly – so muscles cramp.

It’s also important to note that because of James’ size and low body fat he needs even more electrolytes and hydration. Having lower body makes any athlete more liking to cramp because once you burn the fuel you’re body goes to the burn fat since most professional athletes are very low on body fat they need to keep hydrating and refuelling.

Think of it like James’ is a Tahoe with the gas tank the size of a corolla, big car that needs to refuel because there gas tank can empty quickly since a big body is using up the fuel at a rapid rate.

There’s no way anyone could have planned for the air conditioning to malfunction. Tony Parker said he was used to playing overseas in similar conditions so his body had been acclimated to it over time.

I have no doubt if the A.C. hadn’t stopped working James’ body would have been able to stay cool enough for him too refuel.

Point is: It’s important be aware of the elements and air conditions and to stay properly hydrated! Always keep your body fueled with the right stuff when playing sports or exercising.

Reference: http://www.slate.com