The Florida heat is harsh, and at times it feels unbearable, especially during exercise. It is normal to be dripping sweat during your workout. Whether you like it or not it is inevitable. However, is sweating a sign that you’re burning fat?
It is common for people to believe that sweating during a workout can help maximize your fat burn, but before you put on your sweat waist band, your sauna jacket, winter clothes, and crank up the heat in your house it is important for you to understand what sweating can and can’t do for your health and fitness goals.
Does Sweating Burn Fat?
The technical answer is no. It cannot. You’re definitely gonna break a sweat from an intense fat burning workout, especially in CrossFit. However, the sweat isn’t the reason you’re burning fat. Sweating is a cooling process, when your core body temperature increases either from exercise or from heat your brain gets signals that it’s time to sweat.
Does Sweating Burn Calories?
Though sweating doesn’t mean that you’re burning fat, the internal cooling process is a sign that you’re burning calories. The main reason we sweat during a workout is because the energy we’re expending is generating internal body heat. So if you’re working out hard enough to sweat, you’re burning calories in the process.
Do you lose weight from Sweating?
If you jump on the scale after a really tough workout it is likely the scale will be lighter, but it’s because of water weight. So when you rehydrate, you will likely put most of that weight back on.
If your workout is long or intense, sweating may also cause you to lose some electrolytes and minerals. So when you’re replenishing fluids after your workout, you may also want to restore those electrolytes and minerals — especially if you’ve been sweating buckets.
How do you know that you’re burning fat?
If you’re exercising with the goal of weight loss, you may want to know how to tell if you’re burning fat. The quick answer is- if you’re working out in an intense enough way that you are sweating it is likely that you’re burning some fat. If you want to maximize your fat burn, focus on the intensity of your workout rather than the level of your sweatiness.
