Sweating is our body’s cooling system and it is very high-tech. Every time you are hot or working out your body sweats to cool off. Sweat drops evaporate and release heat from our body. There are different ways to tell what is going on with your body by the way you sweat.

Does your sweat smell bad?

If so, it could be diet related. Caffeine stimulates sweat glands to produce fatty sweat under your arms, scalp and groin area. Also, if you’re on a low carb-high protein diet your sweat could smell like ammonia because your body is breaking down protein.

Do you sweat a lot? 

This is great! If you’re sweating a lot it means you’re hydrating well and you’re working hard. During hot conditions fitter athletes tend to sweat more than others.

Are you noticing sweat stains?

When your sweat stains it means you’re losing high quantities of salt in your sweat. It’s more common to see sweat stains from athletes that are not as fit as more experienced athletes. In this type of situation you might want to hydrate with sports drinks containing sodium (electrolytes) to replace the ones you lost during your workout. 

Have you noticed very little sweat? 

If you stop sweating while working out or being in hot conditions, it might indicate that you’re not replacing your loss of fluids and you’re at risk for potential heatstroke.