Sweat Benefits
Our bodies contain two to four million sweat glands (!!!), so it makes sense that when we perspire, there are some amazing benefits that come along with it:
- Cool sweat: We all know this one, but it bears repeating that perspiration provides us with our very own, all-natural, personal air conditioner by regulating our body temperature when we overheat.
- Sweat the small stuff: Sweat glands secrete proteins, like dermcidin, that act as natural antibiotics by killing bacteria. This assists the dermis layer in healing wounds.
- Sweet sweat: Studies have demonstrated that sniffing someone’s sweaty shirt can actually boost sexual arousal, because of the hormonal compound, androstadienone, which is found in sweat.
- Sweat it out: Perspiration opens the pores, releasing toxins like BPA, cholesterol, metals, alcohol, salts, phthalates, and zit-causing bacteria.
- Sweat glow: After expelling all the grime (described above), be sure to wash it all off afterward! Then you’ll not only have that post-workout glow from the blood circulation boost, but it could lead to clearer skin with fewer blemishes.
- Sweat high: Perspiring due to strenuous exercise induces mood-enhancing endorphins, like dopamine, serotonin, and epinephrine. These conspire to create the sensation known as a ‘runner’s high’.
- Break a sweat: When you sweat from physical activity, the endorphins released in your brain also act as an analgesic. Dr. James Ting of Hoag Orthopedic Institute noted that “exercise stimulates neurochemical pathways in the brain, resulting in the production of endorphins that act as natural painkillers.”
- Heart healthy sweat: According to a large and long-running Finnish study, sweating in a sauna is beneficial for cardiac health. “Your circulatory system is … on full-blast, trying to take hot blood from your interior and bring it to veins near your skin’s surface, where sweat evaporation cools the blood swooshing by. All that blood pumping through the circulatory system gives your heart a workout and provides knock-on biochemical effects that likely activate plaque-clearing and other benefits to your circulatory system.”
But of course, a sauna is no replacement for physical movement like Power yoga, which burns more calories AND builds muscle.
Hot Yoga in Centerville
Many styles of yoga will increase your heart rate, tone your muscles, improve respiration, and make you sweat. But hot yoga is our absolute favorite way to do it—specifically, our POWER classes.
After years of trial and error and lots of research, here at Ignite Yoga we found the perfect balance of heat and humidity for our Hot Yoga Room. This equilibrium is crucial to the health of students and the validity of a hot yoga practice, and not every yoga studio gets it right. Our Hot Yoga Room heats up quickly, and the humidity is tempered so that your body can naturally and safely cool itself. It’s also never too hot, so that you can stay focused on your practice and your inner work. The best part though, is our state-of-the-art air ventilation system that aims to maintain CO2 levels that match outdoor air quality, so you’re always breathing the best quality air.
We’ve got it down so that everything is juuuuust right.
If you’re ready to say YES to sweat, check out our New Student Special!
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