Is sweating good for you? According to science, yes! Learn how sweating can benefit your health, skin, weight loss efforts, and much more from your friends at Jack City Fitness.

Is It Good to Sweat?

Sweat has a bit of a bad rap. Sure, it can be smelly or ill-timed (hello, presentation pit stains), but it exists for a reason. Not only is sweating good for you, but it’s also a super important bodily function. Also, it doesn’t smell—that’s a myth. The “sweat smell” you’re thinking of is bacteria mixing with your perspiration!

Okay—but why is sweating good? What does sweating do for your body? 

Thanks for asking. Here at Jack City Fitness, we see a lot of sweat; our partners and coaches work hard. We’re experts on sweating during exercise! The benefits of perspiration are important to learn… so we’re sharing our knowledge with you today. 

What are the Benefits of Sweating?

Not only is sweating a lot good, but it’s also necessary for certain scenarios—and comes with quite a few perks. There are several health benefits of sweating—and you need them! 

So, what does sweating do for your body that’s so great? Let’s break it down. Some of the most impressive benefits of sweating include:

The (Potential) Elimination of Heavy Metals

Heavy metal might work as music, but it’s not something we want in our bodies. In a recent study, scientists found that folks who regularly exercise have lower amounts of heavy metals in their system than those who don’t. The same study also found higher amounts of heavy metals in sweat than in urine, indicating that the body might use perspiration as a means for its elimination. 

The Removal of Harmful Chemicals

Still asking, “why is sweating good for you?” Perhaps this will convince you! According to several studies, perspiration can help your body shed nasty man-made chemicals like BPA and certain PCBs. Exposure to these chemicals can have all sorts of troubling side effects, so it’s certainly a reason to be thankful for sweat.

The Ability to Keep Clean

You may think of sweat as dirty—after all, nothing feels better than showering after a sweaty workout! However, sweat contains glycoproteins, and according to a 2015 study, that helps them bind to bacteria on your body, making it easier to remove and clean off. 

Is Sweating Good for Your Skin?

After hearing about the cleaning abilities of sweat, many of our partners ask, “Is sweating good for skin?” The answer to this question is a bit complicated. Yes, sweating can be good for your complexion—but it’s important to engage in the right skincare routine to accompany it. 

Sweat itself is great for the skin; it contains hydrating water and acids as well as exfoliating minerals and salts. Plus, as we discussed, perspiration helps the body shed toxins and impurities. Most importantly, the act of sweating triggers a response in the body that helps with the absorption of water—and any dermatologist will tell you how important hydration is to your skin. 

Remember that it’s crucial to wash up after a good sweat. If you don’t, the impurities you perspire will remain on your skin and eventually become reabsorbed. That’ll throw your pH levels off, which can lead to breakouts or rashes.

Is Sweating Good for Weight Loss?

Many of our partners hit the gym with a body transformation in mind—and this question comes up time and time again. 

So, how does sweating help you lose weight? Here’s a secret: it doesn’t. Sure, you might lose some water weight, but that will come back as soon as you rehydrate and recover with protein—which you should do. The act of perspiration alone does not burn calories, or at least not an amount that would lead to weight loss. 

If body transformation is your goal, a nutritious diet and fitness plans are your best options. You’ll be sweating hard—but that, like weight loss, will be a result of your hard work. We recommend working with a nutritional counselor or fitness coach to help set and smash realistic goals. 

Start Sweating at Jack City Fitness!

Whether you’re doing one-on-one HIIT training, working out solo, or taking one of our famous classes, our fitness services were designed to make you sweat. So let’s get started: call Jack City Fitness today at (208) 999-1111 for a FREE fitness consultation at our Boise gym. If you like what you see, you can become a partner today—and that entitles you to 24/7 gym access, all sorts of classes, and elite coaches and trainers. We’re here to help YOU succeed…and we can’t wait to watch you meet your goals.