Training & Nutrition - How can I increase sweating?

I'm 8 weeks post-op from my third knee arthroscopy in two years and I've been cleared to start moderate exercise again. In the past, I've struggled a lot with not being able to sweat and it usually takes a good 6-8 weeks to get to the point where I don't overheat during exercise. Any suggestions on improving my fitness, and thereby my sweat production, while rehabing a bum knee?

Hmm. That's an interesting problem. My wife hardly sweats at all. I sweat buckets. She hardly drinks at all. I drink buckets. I don't know which is the cause and which the effect, but you could try drinking a lot before exercising. (And follow a route with restrooms along the way.) I started sweating a lot more around age 18. It could have been because I started hydrating better, or it might have been a normal maturation process.

So, uh, yeah. I'm not very helpful. But I find body heat regulation fascinating, so I couldn't resist. I'm gonna go back to regulating my own body temperature, now.

That's actually a genetic thing. You can have surgery to STOP sweating, but nothing out there will make you start. Unless you're abnormal, you sweat enough and just have to develoop heat tolerance. Worst case scenario, they actually make water bladders you can pump up - the water pressure will squirt it out of the mouthpiece. Carry one and douse yourself every 5 miles.

Go to a spinning class. If you don't sweat there - you just don't sweat.

Drinking more will likely do it. Years ago (about 35) I learned to increased my fluid intake every day and not just when exercising. It increased my sweating accordingly it appears. I drink far more than most athletes that I know and on a par with chapter one of Monique Ryan's Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes. So I'm in the ball park.

Al

I'm 8 weeks post-op from my third knee arthroscopy in two years and I've been cleared to start moderate exercise again. In the past, I've struggled a lot with not being able to sweat and it usually takes a good 6-8 weeks to get to the point where I don't overheat during exercise. Any suggestions on improving my fitness, and thereby my sweat production, while rehabing a bum knee?

Are you on any meds that might inhibit sweating?

I'm the guy who cuts his half acre of grass witha regular gas mower on a 95 degree, humid day in a grey gym t shirt and not a dark patch on the shirt. After an hour non stop, i use the shirt to dust of my face and polish my glasses. All the while drinking water and peeing clear. Same on the bike,

LAR

spin class wearing long underwear, cotton sweater & a ski suit.

I don't sweat either. My face gets this alarming shade of red and when I used to take aerobics classes the instructors would make me sit down.
When I was in high school I ran cross country. I'd run two miles in 18 minutes and get to the finish dry. One meet had the second place finisher accusing me of taking a short cut because, and I quote 'there is no way she ran 2 miles! She's not even sweating!' My face was beet red, but I was dry.
And unbeaten, BTW.
It's genetic for me. My mom had the same problem.
I squirt my water on my face when I feel like I'm overheating, but it doesn't happen often. I'm not sure how my body keeps from overheating but it's rare.
And I drink an average of 80 ounces of water per day.

It takes time for your body to adapt to heat. When heat waves cause deaths, its not because of the temperature, its that their bodies aren't used to the heat. People can live in temperatures over 100 (like Arizona) but those temperatures can kill someone who lives in Alaska.

I'm not sure how long it takes for your body to adapt, but there is nothing special about sweat. It just works by cooling you when it evaporates.

Some people have a genetic problem where they can't sweat. They survive by pouring water on themselves when exersizing.

Try using one of your water bottle cages for a spray bottle, and mist yourself periodically. You'll eventually get used to the heat again.

Note: If you ever want to sweat for the sake of sweating, go to a Bikram yoga class.

And if you want to keep up your heat resistance while injured, try hanging out in a sauna.

I'd say plan on two water bottles per hour of cycling. One for drinking and the other for pouring on yourself.

--Steve

wear a rubber suit then go biking

Women sweat less than men. Heat acclimation and resultant increase
in sweat production and shift from 'high salt' to lower salt sweat takes
1-2 weeks, but you have to have pretty much multihour daily exposure
to heat at a work level that should induce sweating for the acclimation
to occur. Obviously fluid intake has to match sweat output. If you
don't work outdoors, it will take longer to acclimate. Average humidity
relates also, it is easy to sweat at 80%+ humidity levels, at sub 40%
humidity, sweat can evaporate fast enough that it remains insensible.
The sweat volume is not much different in either case, just a lot more
obvious at higher humidity.

Thanks for all the input guys and gals. I guess I'm just going to have to be careful and keep myself cool and wet on my rides until I can get to sweating again :)