Does sweating mean you're burning more fat?

Credit: shape magazine

Surely there's no better sign of an awesome, gut-busting workout than finishing in a pool of sweat? Not so, says the experts – but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.



Humans are one of the few animals in the world that sweat through their skin, using it as a biological mechanism to keep cool.
In comparison, the animal kingdom has many different ways of beating the heat – dogs and cats sweat through their footpads, storks defecate on their legs to cool down, and elephants flap their ears like fans to cool the blood inside their ears.

The science on human sweat, however, is resolute: sweat isn’t fat exciting the body, nor is it an indicator of how hard you're working – it's merely your body's physiological response to heat.

 

Sweating simply means you're hot

Tanya Lewis, sports dietitian and personal trainer at Life Personal Trainers, says sweating can be an indicator of a hard workout, but it shouldn’t be the only one.
"The harder we work, the more heat that we generate and the harder the body tries to cool itself – so sweat can be one indicator of working hard, however, there are plenty of other reasons why we sweat," says Lewis.
"Step into a hot yoga room and lie in shavasana and you can sweat more than a run during winter which burns significantly more fat. Clearly the environment makes a big difference."

 

The fitter you are, the more you sweat

Next time you're panting your way through a HIIT workout, spare a thought for those much fitter than you – they're likely to be absolutely dripping, thanks to a weird quirk in the human body.

The fitter you become, the more efficient your body gets at regulating your temperature, meaning elite athletes are more likely to sweat faster and in larger amounts during a workout.
Additionally, those who are fitter have a higher work capacity (the amount of exercise you can do) which allows them to do more exercise overall. It's a finding that Lewis herself has found when training clients.
"One interesting adaptation of fitness is sweating more readily, and higher volumes of sweat, for the same exercise," says Lewis.
"Although this does not mean more fat is being burned."

The more you sweat, the more weight you lose – in the (very) short term

Somewhat obviously, the more you sweat, the more weight you'll lose instantaneously – but it’s important to remember that this isn’t fat leaving your body.
"Be aware that sweating through a heavy workout or sitting in a sauna will both result in weight loss – but this is not the same as fat loss," says Lewis.
"Fluid loss is easily measured on the scales and it is not uncommon for athletes to sweat over 1.5 litres per hour – that's 1.5kg of weight."
The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) notes that Aussie Rules football players – one of the most demanding sports in the world – can lose up to 3.6 litres per game, a feat that's nigh impossible (and somewhat dangerous) for the average gymgoer to emulate.
Imagine walking out of the gym almost four kilos lighter!

The more you sweat, the more you need to re-hydrate

You drank all of your water at the gym, but that doesn’t mean you're done for the day, says Lewis. Replacing the fluid you lost during exercise can be an all-day exercise.
"Rehydration is really important and fluid replacement guidelines suggest replacing more fluid than you lose to account for ongoing sweating after you stop exercising," says Lewis.
The AIS recommends consuming sports drinks during exercise, because their flavour encourages you to drink more. They list four criteria for the fluid you should be drinking during exercise:

1.       Have a palatable flavour to encourage greater fluid intake

2.       Contain six to eight percent carbohydrates

3.       Contains electrolytes such as sodium and potassium

4.       Be non-carbonated

Sourced from: Coach