You are likely going to sweat while you work out. It’s your body’s way of regulating itself while you are exerting yourself. How much you sweat depends on a few things, like how hot it is in the place you are doing your exercise and how hard you are pushing yourself, among other things. It’s normal to sweat, but some people – both men and women – seem to sweat more than others and wind up leaving puddles of it on the floor. Some have hyperhidrosis, which is when they sweat a lot even when they are not exercising hard or are in a hot place.
There are ways that you can stop hyperhidrosis, like wearing workout gloves. That’s also a great way of preventing blisters after holding various weights for a long time.
While you may sweat a lot, you have to find ways to deal with this. Otherwise, you might get a lot of strange looks from others while you are working out – and you might put them at risk if they wind up slipping on some of your sweat. Don’t do that – here are ways that you can deal with excess sweating while working out:
Antiperspirant
When you apply this, it will plug up your sweat glands and allow you to go about your day without worrying about staining your clothes with sweat. It has aluminum in it, which is the main ingredient in stopping sweating. You usually get about 12 to 24 hours of protection.
There are some concerns about using this, especially if you have advanced-stage kidney disease. Research has also not been able to conclusively rule out that it could possibly lead to breast cancer. Antiperspirants also have other ingredients that could affect hormones and also cause skin sensitivity. Talk with your doctor about this.
Sweat-wicking Clothes
The days of just wearing a regular T-shirt are over. Over the years, researchers and designers have come up with shirts that can wick away sweat and make you feel cooler as you exercise. That way, the sweat won’t get on your skin. Loose clothes can have the same effect, too.
Armpit Shields
You can get these pads that you put on the inside of your clothes. They will absorb the sweat while you work out. They do not stop you from sweating in the first place, so if that is your goal, you will have to look elsewhere. You can use them as a way of managing it and keeping your clothes from getting those yellow sweat stains. They tend to be disposable, but you can find ones that are reusable – you might have to pay a higher price for those.
Botox
Yes, you can get Botox for your hyperhidrosis. It’s for far more than just removing wrinkles from your face. Ask your doctor about it.
Powders
There are both body and foot powders that you can apply to yourself. There are some that may have some of the risks that antiperspirants have in terms of the active ingredients. Baby powder is a possibility since it will leave a dry surface, which is excellent for stopping sweat. Who doesn’t like the smell of baby powder, too?
Drysol
This is aluminum chloride hexahydrate. You can dab it on your armpits, hands, or feet – though you may have side effects like skin sensitivity and the pigments of your skin in that area may change color. You also don’t need to use it daily after the first few times – weekly is enough. Don’t use deodorants or antiperspirants along with Drysol, since they tend to have the same ingredients and would be too much.
Prescription Wipes
Your doctor can have you use these – they have glycopyrronium tosylate in them and they keep you from sweating too much. Use them exactly as the doctor directs. This may also depend on your medical insurance plan, since the cost may dictate whether you can use them or not.
Medication
There are prescription medications that can help you stop sweating. This has to be a last resort and must be very closely monitored by a doctor. Why? Sweating is your body’s way of regulating its temperature when you are exercising and it could very quickly overheat if it doesn’t do that. You could wind up with organ damage or even possibly death if you don’t cool yourself down. Have a long talk with your doctor about this option and listen to everything that they say when they prescribe. Follow all directions that they give to the letter. Stop using it if you don’t feel right.
These are all options for you to manage your sweat while you work out. If your sweating continues or it becomes really hard to manage, you need to see a medical professional to make sure that there are no other underlying issues going on that need attending to.
We all sweat, especially when working out. By using one of the above, you will be less worried about it. Just bring a towel with you, though, to clean up before the next person uses any equipment.
