Workouts always have a beginning and an end. In our busy lives where many of us are tethered to work by competition and technology both of which prompt work to flow past it's traditional boarders into the realm of always and everywhere, the concept of a conclusion might be quite novel and intriguing. Workouts are a wonderful package in which we can; expend effort, obtain objective proof of said efforts, (sweat) and also enjoy the additional internalization of how we feel about the efforts to produce said sweat and of course entwined with all if that is the feeling of satisfaction because these efforts that produce those results have a conclusion which you can actually reach. Unlike trying to respond to an endless deluge of emails for example. Collectively I think of this as a formula for accomplishment, time plus effort plus fruits of labor plus conclusion equals fulfillment. Without a sense of fulfillment how would we know if we ever accomplished anything? If you doubt this just try to get a veteran fitness class goer to leave early before the class ends. As a trainer I know they have worked out enough; I know that they should begin the recovery process but suggesting they call it a day a bit early robs them of that sense of accomplishment and thus what is the point?
So why do we do the workouts we do? To feel good. What makes us feel good? Accomplishment. So what makes us feel accomplished? The conclusion at the end, yes, and the struggle in the middle, certainly, but how do we know we are struggling? Pain and sweat. Pain we will save for a later posting but today lets focus on sweat. On some days many of us nay not produce anything more honest than sweat. It is unbiased and uncontrolled and yet it tells us something about ourselves, or at least our bodies. For this reason we seem to attach a great deal of significance to many of the bodily fluids we produce and certainly those produced under duress. After all what is it that blood sweat and tears bring us? Something worthwhile, something earned.
Humans' ability to sweat in the way that we do is quite an evolutionary accomplishment. In fact refining methods to dissipate heat has played a large role in humans becoming what we now recognize as humans. Walking upright took the sun off our backs and not having so much hair has allowed our pores direct access to air which means when we get hot we sweat not through our mouths like many other mammals but all over our body through the largest organ in the body, your skin. We produce actual droplets of water rather than the vapor of mouth sweaters (think dogs and cats) and so when that water hits the air (unless the air is too hot or humid) it will evaporate and when it evaporates it creates a cooling sensation which of course is the point. If it is too hot and or humid than the sweat will not evaporate. It will simply slide off our bodies and land on the mat or on the floor and eventually it will evaporate cooling said floor or mat instead of you. Or it will be sucked up from the atmosphere of the room by way of a dehumidifier. In such conditions the body has no other way to cool itself down so you will continue to sweat despite the futility until of course the activity that is creating the heat ceases and thus your body temperature begins to return to normal. That or you run out of water to sweat and you die of heat stroke. There are classes and fitness trends, and even clothing that have embraced this dangerous game of reverse chicken where body temperature increasing from activity and water decreasing from trying to compensate for said activity travel further and further apart; the greater the distance between them the greater the chance one will suffer from a heat related illness. All of this often in an effort to lose water weight for a competition that requires a weigh-in, or to maximize our sense of accomplishment with the hope that we are not also endangering our lives. I remember in the first gym I worked at there was a scale in the cardio room and frequently throughout the day someone would weigh themselves before and after their workouts. If a pound or more was lost than I would inevitably be alerted to this triumph from the sheer exuberance of the person on the scale, who, as many people do, confused a loss of water for a loss of fat. Had they realized that the before and after measurement actually indicated the need to replace the missing pound(s) with water, they might not have been as excited. This is an old idea though that still exists today, only now we have replaced the idea of sweat leading to fat lost (imagine actually sweating out fat, gross) with sweating now equals the release of toxins and as you may have guessed the more you sweat the more toxins you are ridding yourself of. Once again we run into a vague yet alluring notion which at its root simply put means that through our own controlled efforts we can better ourselves. Now this of course I agree with but how do we know we are getting better instead of just wetter. Do we examine the sweat for toxins and marvel at that which was once "polluting" us from the inside is now outside where it can't hurt us? Do we still weigh ourselves and whether we are thinking of water lost or regretful midnight ice cream splurges gained, measure our progression toward better in the numbers framed between our big toes?
The more sweat we produce the more we may feel we have accomplished. Time plus effort plus sweat plus conclusion equals fulfillment. The more we sweat the more that had been accomplished, the more fulfilled we feel. As a result if this phenomenon there has been a disturbing trend in the fitness industry in which the temperature of the workout areas has increased, especially in fitness class studios. Hot Yoga is the best example of this trend in which temperatures can range from 90 to as high as 117 degrees and just in case the tone eludes you it is the humble opinion if this fitness expert that exercising in temperatures and humidity that high is not only dangerous but futile. In order to keep up with the water lost you would likely be drinking the entire time you are exercising which means in order to continue drinking through downward dog you would actually need to drink like a dog. Sounds awesome, yay fitness.
I am however aware of the allure. I have seen the Rocky films. I have sweat the sweat and soaked the mat, lifted the weight, wiped my brow, run the race and questioned the effectiveness of my own deodorant; yes I get it. I am aware of the profound spell mere exposure to this simple solution of salt and water can have on us and on me included. But we must always strive for a balanced perspective. For every viewing of the Rocky films we must also address the seriousness of repeated trauma to the the head. With every small droplet or sopping heaving mess of sweat we need a sip(s) of water to return us to equilibrium. And for every poem about perseverance, effort, and blood sweat and tears, there must be a public service announcement reminding people that when we sweat we are not producing the tangible evidence of our efforts; we have not been purged of our sedentary sins and have certainly not eliminated toxin from our bodies. We have attempted to cool our bodies down because that is what our bodies do when they get hot. For every wrestler that has run on the treadmill in a sauna suit, for every boxer that has shadow boxed in a sauna and every treadmill runner that has kept their hoodie on while working out, your life is going to end someday as all of ours will. We will all turn to dust and all that water loss is drying you out faster. Work hard, if you sweat drink and if you sweat a lot drink more but remember you are bigger than the puddles you create. Your effort will not be measured in liters and pounds. You are getting "better" when you begin to take care of your body and treat yourself better.