Sweat does the body good
Nothing like a good sweaty workout. The more I sweat in a workout, the more accomplished I feel. Ooo wee! I love when I’m riding hard in cycling and drips of sweat hit the floor. That hasn’t always been the case.
When I was a bigger gal my internal thermostat always ran hot. Walking at a normal pace caused me to break out in a serious sweat. Beads of sweat would form on my nose — so embarrassing. I hated that. And working out as a bigger gal caused my thermostat to run real hot, much hotter than everyone else. I’d be on the treadmill, sweating profusely and huffing and puffing. Sure, others were sweating too, but it was all that internal, negative stuff…I felt like everyone was staring at me because I was the big gal. I felt so, so embarrassed.
Those days are behind me. My internal thermostat runs average and I no longer sweat from a normal walk. I do, however, still sweat profusely from working out, but — duh, I’m suppose to sweat; I’m working out. I’m breathing harder, exerting energy, working muscles.
I read recently in an article that sweating is our body’s way of:
- Regulating body temperature
- Releasing toxins and impurities
- Increasing metabolism
These days, I welcome beads of sweat. Sweat does the body good.
Chrisetta Mosley
I am a product – and now a survivor – of childhood obesity. As a child, my family always told me that my extra weight was merely baby fat and I’d eventually grow out of it. I never did. Instead, my childhood is filled with memories of not being able to ride a bike, flattening its training wheels from being over the recommended weight, and avoiding P.E. classes by any means necessary. For years, I wore my fatness like a wounded soldier wears a Purple Heart - with pride. I owned the look. I dressed it up. I worked the room. There wasn't a skinny girl who intimidated me. I made sure my hair was laid just right. Nails polished. Outfits coordinated to the tee. Accessories to compliment every outfit. But everyone has a breaking point, and mine came in the spring of 2004 when I tipped the scale at nearly 400 pounds 388 to be exact. I was MISERABLE trapped inside of that body. I no longer wore my Purple Heart with pride. Rather, I was ashamed and frightened. Ashamed that I had allowed food to become my everything – frightened I would die because of it. Drastic times called for drastic measures... Today, I’m bound and determined to live a better, healthier, active lifestyle. I realize I’m no longer a passenger in my life, I’m the driver. I’m overcoming my inhibitions and I’m slowly but surely saying farewell to my old childhood nemesis, obesity. For once and for all, Farewell Fatso!