The Health Fun Fair will be in the old Bigg's parking lot on Union Center Road from 5:00pm - 8:00pm on Friday, August 5, 2016. Explosion Fitness will be responsible for the Obstacle Course. Check out the flyer here for more information. This should be a blast!

Get Your Sweat On!

Sweat. It’s everywhere! Yes, it’s July. And it’s hot, but we don’t just sweat because we’re too hot. Hormones, emotions and exercise can also cause us to sweat. So why is it that some sweat smells, and other sweat doesn’t?

Humans produce two kinds of sweat: eccrine and apocrine. Here’s the difference:

Eccrine: This is the sweat you get all over your body; arms, legs, back, etc. The eccrine glands open directly onto the skin with the purpose of cooling your body as the liquid evaporates. This sweat is thin, made mostly of water, and has no smell.

Apocrine: This is the sweat specific to your armpits and genital area, where there are a greater number of hair follicles. The apocrine glands empty into the hair follicle just before it opens onto the skin’s surface. This thicker, milky fluid produces ‘body odor’ when it comes in contact with the bacteria on your skin. Emotional stress is a major cause of this type of sweat.

Sweat and Exercise:

1. The better shape you’re in, the sooner you may start to sweat. Your smart body knows the need to cool you off faster so you can work out longer.
2. Women have more sweat glands than men, but men actually produce more sweat than women.
3. During intense exercise in the heat, athletes can sweat off 2% - 6% of their body weight.

What to do to reduce sweating and body odor?

1. Take a bath or shower to get rid of the bacteria on your body.
2. Dress appropriately. Choose natural fabrics for daily wear and moisture wicking fabrics for exercising.
3. Yoga and meditation are great for relaxing, which can help control stress.

Fun Facts About Sweat:

1. Sweat is not made from toxins in the body, so you cannot ‘sweat’ out toxins. The kidneys and liver are actually responsible for detoxing the body.
2. Eccrine sweat is made up of 99% water.
3. Apocrine sweat has more fatty acids and proteins.
4. Caffeinated drinks and spicy foods could make you sweat more and/or have stronger body odor than normal.
5. Eating can make you sweaty as your metabolism naturally increases. (Which can cause your body temperature to rise.
6. Hippos sweat is red!