Dear Sarah,

It takes me upwards of 30 minutes to work up a sweat when I am doing cardio exercise (I usually use the stationary bicycle). Does sweating mean that I have reached the point where I am exercising hard enough? Am I working hard enough if it takes me that long? Basically, is sweating an indicator of a good workout?

Beth

Dear Beth

Many factors dictate whether or not you break out in a sweat. Your body is happiest at a temperature of 37C, but when you exercise your temperature rises above that and in response your brain has to do a bit of work.


You see, there is a gland in your brain called the hypothalamus that controls your internal temperature. When your body is too hot, the hypothalamus sends a message to your nerve cells to contact your sweat glands. When these glands are stimulated, they secrete sweat.

Why sweat is not a good indicator of working out hard enough after the jump:


1. If you are exercising in a cool climate, the cells of your sweat glands reabsorb most of the fluid and you don't break into a heavy sweat.
2. If you are in a warm climate, the fluid reaches the skin's surface, runs off and evaporates, cooling the body. ( You can sweat without moving a muscle on a hot humid summer day).
3. If you're not well hydrated you may not sweat as much as you need to to keep the body at its preferred temperature.
4. As you adapt to your fitness routine, your body learns to 'beat the heat' and you may start to sweat sooner as you've trained your body not to hold in the heat.

The best signals to know that you are working out hard enough are:

1. You are seeing results
2. Your program incorporates the top three aspects of fitness: cardio, strength and flexibility.
3. You feel that your program is hard to very hard (the last rep should be difficult).
4. You are working between 60 to 80% of your maximum heart rate during cardiovascular exercise (depending on your fitness level).

Remember that everyone is unique, so just because the 25-year-old beside you on the bicycle begins to sweat within five minutes, it does not necessarily mean that she is working harder than you. To make sure you are getting a good workout you need to push yourself at a level appropriate for you. Use the indicators in How do I know if I am getting a good workout? to design your routine.

And the big question on all our minds: Does sweating mean I am burning more calories; the answer NO!

Sarah Brown is a very healthy woman. She is not only a fitness instructor at Goodlife where she teaches Body Pump, Body Flow and yoga but she is also a Certified Nutritional Practitioner. If you have a question for Sarah, leave a comment below and she will try and help, but note that not all questions will be answered.