Sweat Seems Dirty, But it is Actually Cleaning You!- Post 6

Volleyball is a challenging and demanding sport, and you probably sweat a lot whenever you play it. Some people think it is gross, or dirty to sweat, but it is actually very healthy, and cleans your body. I will answer some commonly asked questions about sweat and the chemicals in it below.

How could sweat clean your body?
Sweating doesn't actually clean the outside of your body, but the inside. You have harmful waste chemicals inside your body that need to get out. When you sweat, you release these chemicals.

Sometimes I sweat when I'm not exercising. What is this?
There are two types of sweat, and two types of sweat glands. The more numerous type of sweat and sweat gland (the one that we are talking about) is activated when you exercise, and is used to cool your body down. The other kind of sweat gland could be activated when you are under stress, or are embarrassed. There are less of these glands, and this sweat tends to have more odor when it is released.

What are the chemicals that are released when I sweat?
Your sweat is 99% water. That's not the harmful part, though. The other 1% of your sweat is made up of NaCl, Vitamin C, uric acid, urea, ammonia and lactic acid.

Is it bad if I sweat a lot and lose a lot of water and other chemicals that are good for my body?
It is not bad to sweat a lot, but you must remember that if you are sweating a lot, that you must drink tons of water or sports drink. Gatorade, for example, is most of the good chemicals in sweat, with carbohydrates added. Doctors at a university on Florida studied their athlete's sweat and examined the chemical content. They modeled their sports drink after what they saw. They concluded that your body needs some of the chemicals it released back, which are electrolytes. You may find some water brands that have "added electrolytes". These and sports drinks are the best things to drink at tournaments and games.


"The advice I will give my children, if and when they have Olympic aspirations will be to go for it." -Kerri Walsh, 3 time American Olympic gold medalist in beach volleyball


Works Cited
BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2013.
"Glaceau-Vitaminwater: Smartwater Electrolyte Enhanced Water, 120 Oz." Walmart.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2013.
"Re: What Is Sweat Made of and How Much of Each Chemical Is Present?" Re: What Is Sweat Made of and How Much of Each Chemical Is Present? N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2013.