Let Them See You Sweat

Today I want to talk a little bit about sweating. If there’s one thing that I’ve done a lot of in the last several years, it’s sweat. I am an avid Bikram yoga practitioner, so I spend 90 minutes, several days a week in a 105°F room. This used to really bother me since hot, sticky summers are my least favorite season, but remarkably now, I don’t even notice the heat.

Why, though, would I put myself through such discomfort on a regular basis? Because sweating helps to get the blood and lymph moving, which helps to eliminate toxins from the body. Contrary to belief, we don’t sweat out lots of toxins. Most are removed through our urine or breath, but sweating does stimulate their transport into our elimination system. What we do perspire are water, minerals, lactate and urea, which means that if you do sweat a lot and often, it’s important to replenish your electrolytes.

Even outside of the hot room, developing a good sweat usually entails a strenuous workout, which gets the blood pumping and the lymph mobilized. Besides removing excess fluid and salts, sweating keeps the body cool while you’re heating up. And I’ve noticed since sweating daily that my skin has gotten softer.

So put on your workout gear and get moving! Your hot, sweaty body will thank you by cleaning up its act! : )

Photo: New York City Marathon, November 2009

Chew, Chew, Chew...

Chew your food. It sounds so obvious, but think about it. How many times do you chew each bite of food?

When I was growing up, I was told that I should chew each bite of food 30 times. I remember thinking that the only reason for this was so I wouldn’t choke, and I would do it for about two or three bites before forgetting about it.

However, there are a number of reasons why we want to chew our food better:

- Chewing starts the digestion process, including the digestion of carbohydrates by amylases that are secreted in the mouth.

- The more you chew your food, the easier it will be for your stomach to break it down. This means your gut will require less energy for digestion, which gives you more energy for life.

- The better your food is digested, the more nutrients you will absorb from your food. This is especially important for plant foods, whose cells are surrounded by a strong cell wall that must be broken to get to the goodies inside.

- Your elimination system will run more smoothly and efficiently, which means you won’t be holding onto partially digested food and toxins.

- You will be more mindful of what you’re eating because you’ll eat more slowly so you may even eat less.

Just this simple act of chewing will help us become healthier and more energetic. And since we’re eating anyway, why not get the most out of our food? Try this with your next meal and see what happens. It may be a whole new experience for you. One for the better…