The Art of Sweating

I used to have night sweats, to the point where I would have to change my sheets in the middle of the night. My doctor said there was absolutely nothing wrong with me. So why was I so miserable at night?... because I have to say, night sweats really suck. Then my hairdresser at the time asked me what thread count sheets do I have. And there, my friends, is the answer to the night sweats. I had 800 thread count sheets, which are so soft and FABulous, but they are so tightly woven, they keep the heat trapped. WHO KNEW!? Some minor changes to my bedding, and my night sweats were pleasantly (and mostly) eliminated.

Have you vacationed anywhere that is extremely humid? Where you step outside and your sunglasses fog up and you instantly have a layer of sweat on your skin? Miserable. All the locals know you are a tourist because you have that sheen of sweat (not a dewy glow) that marks you as TOURIST. Miami. Rome. Houston. All cities where the sweat factor, when I was visiting, was on the high side. I had fun in all those cities, but being sticky 24/7 was sort of icky.

About 4 months ago, my friend L said "I'm having hot flashes". And within days, I too was having hot flashes, the sudden onslaught of sweats. Where I had always been cold and wore layers of clothes to keep me warm, now I was stripping off those layers of clothes just to cool my body down. And of course, within minutes I was freezing, so the layer of clothes would go back on... and the cycle would continue. The suddenness of these day sweats, no matter what temperature it is, come as a surprise to me. How I go from freezing one minute to completely hot and sweaty the next. I finally had to buy a small fan that sits on my desk at work because I could not take the shedding of the clothes around my work mates (primarily men in my area) about 10 times a day. Now I turn on the fan and leave all my clothes on.

Then there is the sweat of a hard workout. Wiping my face with a towel, the raised temperature of my body. There is nothing like this layer of sweat. I wear it with pride. It shows that my body is working, has endurance, and can change my health for a longer, stronger life. It's funny that in all other cases, sweating is an uncomfortable nuisance. But when I work out, I welcome that layer of sweat with open arms, my badge of honor.

Stay strong. No pain no gain.