![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Does-Sweating-Burn-Fat.600.2.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nLove it or hate it, sweating during exercise is inevitable \u2014 but is it a sure sign that you\u2019re burning fat?<\/p>\n
You may have heard that sweating during a workout will maximize fat burn, but before you zip yourself into a sauna suit and crank up the heat in your home gym, read on to learn what sweat can and can\u2019t do for your weight-loss goals.<\/p>\n
Technically, no. You\u2019ll probably break a sweat during an intense\u00a0fat-burning workout \u2014 but the sweat isn\u2019t the reason you burn fat. So even if you\u2019re sitting in a pool of your own sweat, that doesn\u2019t automatically mean you\u2019ve just burned a ton of fat.<\/p>\n
\u201cFat burning is a metabolic process,\u201d says\u00a0Jennifer Novak, M.S., C.S.C.S., performance recovery coach, and founder of PEAK Symmetry Performance Strategies. When you exercise, your body breaks down carbohydrates and fats in order to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) \u2014 your body\u2019s energy currency.<\/p>\n
Sweating, on the other hand, is a cooling process. When your core body temperature increases \u2014 either from exercise or from heat \u2014 your brain sends signals to activate your sweat glands. As the moisture on your skin evaporates into the air, it takes some heat with it, which helps to lower your body temp back to normal.<\/p>\n
While sweating doesn\u2019t burn fat, the internal cooling process\u00a0is\u00a0a sign that you\u2019re burning calories.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe main reason we sweat during a workout is the energy we\u2019re expending is generating internal body heat,\u201d Novak says. So if you\u2019re working out hard enough to sweat, you\u2019re burning calories in the process.<\/p>\n
Whether those calories come primarily from fat or carbs will partly depend on the intensity and duration of your workout.<\/p>\n
\u201cTypically, carbohydrates are used first,\u201d she adds. \u201cBut because they\u2019re stored in limited amounts in the muscles and liver, after a certain time period, the body must go to fat reserves to burn for energy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you hop on the scale after a sweaty workout, you may be a bit lighter \u2014 but it\u2019s most likely water weight,\u201d Novak explains.<\/p>\n
In other words, you\u2019ll probably put that little bit of weight back on as soon as you rehydrate. (And you definitely need to rehydrate, so please guzzle that water!)<\/p>\n
If your workout is long or intense, sweating may also cause you to lose some electrolytes and minerals. So, when you\u2019re replenishing fluids after your workout, you may also want to restore those electrolytes and minerals \u2014 especially if you\u2019ve been sweating buckets.<\/p>\n
Sports drinks are one option for replenishing electrolytes, but they\u2019re often loaded with sugar. \u201cInstead, look for brands of water that contain added electrolytes and minerals, without all the added sugars or artificial sweeteners,\u201d Novak says.<\/p>\n
Taken during activity, Beachbody Performance Hydrate can help optimize fluid balance and absorption. That\u2019s important not only for replacing what\u2019s lost, but also for its impact on performance during a workout.*<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re\u00a0exercising for weight management, you may be wondering how you can tell if you\u2019re burning fat. Short answer: If you\u2019re exercising at an intensity that gets you sweating, it\u2019s likely that you\u2019re burning some fat.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut sweating alone isn\u2019t a foolproof gauge for fat burn,\u201d Novak says. \u201cFor starters, some people naturally sweat more than others. And adding heat to the mix \u2014 by exercising outdoors in the summer, or in a heated room \u2014 will speed up the onset of sweat,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n
So if you want to maximize your fat burn, focus more on your level of intensity rather than your level of sweatiness \u2014 and not to mention staying in a calorie deficit.<\/p>\n
Your body favors fat as fuel when you\u2019re working at a lower intensity (50 percent of your maximum capacity) or for a longer duration. As you increase the intensity, your body shifts to using primarily carbs because they\u2019re quicker to access on short notice.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t have to sweat, but you probably will \u2014 especially if you do a challenging full-body workout that mixes strength training and cardio, like\u00a0#mbf Muscle Burns Fat and\u00a0#mbfa Muscle Burns Fat Advanced or the FIRE workouts in FIRE AND FLOW.<\/p>\n
Spoiler: You\u2019re probably going to be drenched in sweat when you\u2019re doing these 25- to 35-minute workouts.<\/p>\n
And while the sweat itself won\u2019t burn fat, it\u2019s a great reminder that you just crushed a workout that\u2019ll get you one step closer to your goals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Love it or hate it, sweating during exercise is inevitable \u2014 but is it a sure sign that you\u2019re burning fat? You may have heard that sweating during a workout will maximize fat burn, but before you zip yourself into a sauna suit and crank up the heat in your home gym, read on to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2365,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2364"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2364\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}