General Cycling Discussion - Sweat Suit / Health Question

Is it unhealthy to wear a sweat suit (only the top half) over a shirt and then wear a nylon jacket over that in 70-80 degree weather? I sweat A LOT (to the point where my entire shirt is soaked and needs to be twist-dried)! As long as I'm staying hydrated, will the above have a negative long or short term effect on my body?

And speaking of hydration, when is one to drink water? Should I drink every 20-30 minutes or only when I get thirsty? I ask because I can sometimes go an entire ride only drinking once (one cup bottle of water).

Thanks!

That seems kind of backwards to me--your sweat keeps you cool by evaporating. Storing it in a thicker fabric top, and then further keeping it from evaporating with a nylon jacket, is going to risk some kind of heat sickness.

The usual strategy is to wear a wicking fabric, so that the sweat gets away from your skin and evaporates quickly, which helps you stay cool. That also makes for a less gross experience at the end, since a purpose-made top like that won't hold much sweat to begin with. You can keep a dry shirt in your luggage to wear when you get where you're going, and hang the riding shirt somewhere to dry out (which it should do much faster than a sweatshirt!).

Why would you do that? In 70F-80F temps all you're doing is dehydrating yourself faster, and you'll regain the weight when you start drinking fluids. If you think it'll "melt" away the pounds, it won't (fat melt at temps that'll kill you). Just wear enough layers appropriate for the weather conditions in your area.

Drink periodically, Anthony. Your sense of thirst can lag way behind your actual needs. As heavily as you seem to sweat, you might consider adding electrolytes to the water, or substituting one of the sport drinks which have electrolytes and sugar, which you may or may not want.

I've seen people jogging and running in waterproof suits in the summer heat. They didn't ask my opinion, so I assume they don't want it.

You can sweat while not moving. Does that mean you are exercising? No.

Thirst comes when you are getting dehydrated. It is better to drink before this occurs.

Only sweat suits I came across was when I was Boxing and had to lose 2 lbs the night before a bout. So is the suit to make you sweat- or soak up the sweat?

If it is to make you sweat then stay hydrated.

Or if you are using it to soak up the sweat- get a proper cycling jersy. They are made of a material that will soak the sweat and then allow it to dissipate in the wind. Pretty pointless to wear a nylon jacket that does not breath over the top.

And on hydration- you sip- then sip again- then sip again---OFTEN. start it at the beginning of a ride and in hot weather 1 litre of liquids an hour is about the norm- more if you can take it. If you don't replace liquid as fast as you lose it- you can be in trouble. In fact- In hot weather I weigh myself at the start of a ride and if I have lost more than 2lbs by the end- I drink enough to replace that weight.

If you are trying to lose weight- then burning fat will work eventually. Losing liquid is a no-no.

Is it unhealthy to wear a sweat suit (only the top half) over a shirt and then wear a nylon jacket over that in 70-80 degree weather?

What the heck are you trying to accomplish with doing this?

Why would you do that? In 70F-80F temps all you're doing is dehydrating yourself faster, and you'll regain the weight when you start drinking fluids. If you think it'll "melt" away the pounds, it won't (fat melt at temps that'll kill you). Just wear enough layers appropriate for the weather conditions in your area.

yeah--you can probably keep up with the hydration at those low temps, at least for awhile, but there's no reason at all to do it. You aren't losing anything but water. Sweat off a pound, drink a pint of water, and you're back where you started. The ONLY way to lose fat (except for surgery) is to expend more calories than you ingest: Diet and exercise.

Is it unhealthy to wear a sweat suit (only the top half) over a shirt and then wear a nylon jacket over that in 70-80 degree weather? I sweat A LOT (to the point where my entire shirt is soaked and needs to be twist-dried)! As long as I'm staying hydrated, will the above have a negative long or short term effect on my body?
What's the point of that? Sweat isn't pure water; you're losing a lot of electrolytes that way as well. You can use an electrolyte drink to replace them as you ride, but why not just reduce/prevent the problem in the first place?

Sorry for the late reply, guys.

I guess I just took the whole, "Sweat it out, it's good for you" thing just a bit too far. lol

I -am- trying to lose weight, but after finishing the Master Cleanse not too long ago, my motivation to wear the SS was really to sweat out any additional "toxins." Plus, I always feel great after I sweat so much - a feeling that is not very prominent when I don't wear the sweat suit / sweat as much.

And this is what I wear:

http://www.bubishi.com.au/shop/images/morgan%20sweat%20suit.jpg

Anyway, thanks to all for the help/tips.

I've seen some of those sweatsuits around here --

It'll force your body to sweat more because it's not evaporating and cooling you like sweating is supposed to do.

I sweat a lot even without one of those suits. I don't think dehydration will be a problem if you keep pounding fluids (I'd start the evening before, actually), but I'd worry about overheating instead. If that doesn't frighten you, I'd suggest riding with a thermometer.

Be careful with stuff like this. There are saunas and high-temperature yoga disciplines, of course, but they're not zooming along over twenty miles an hour, either. If you passed out in a yoga class, you wouldn't hit a tree.

Sorry for the late reply, guys.

I guess I just took the whole, "Sweat it out, it's good for you" thing just a bit too far. lol

I -am- trying to lose weight, but after finishing the Master Cleanse not too long ago, my motivation to wear the SS was really to sweat out any additional "toxins." Plus, I always feel great after I sweat so much - a feeling that is not very prominent when I don't wear the sweat suit / sweat as much.

And this is what I wear:

http://www.bubishi.com.au/shop/images/morgan%20sweat%20suit.jpg

Anyway, thanks to all for the help/tips.

Sweating is all about cooling. It's not about losing weight. It's not about "sweating out toxins".
Would highly discourage wearing clothing like that while cycling - not stylish.

Master Cleanse????

sweat suits are a no-no for real weight loss. I don one every once in awhile for wrestling to cut a few pounds but you gain it right back the next day.

I guess I just took the whole, "Sweat it out, it's good for you" thing just a bit too far. lol

I -am- trying to lose weight, but after finishing the Master Cleanse not too long ago, my motivation to wear the SS was really to sweat out any additional "toxins." Plus, I always feel great after I sweat so much - a feeling that is not very prominent when I don't wear the sweat suit / sweat as much.



Sweating out toxins is nonsense ... when you sweat, you're sweating out salt water.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sweat.html
"Sweat is a clear, salty liquid produced by glands in your skin."

About drinking ... drink one 750 ml bottle of water and/or sports drink every 1 to 1.5 hours ... maybe slightly more if it is particularly hot or windy.

About electrolytes ... if it is a particularly hot day, or if you're sweating a lot, do not forget to consume electrolytes.

About weightloss ... you will lose weight if you don't drink enough and if you sweat it all out. You will lose water weight that way. But you won't lose real weight that way. The moment you have a drink, the water weight you lost will be back.

Sorry for the late reply, guys.

I guess I just took the whole, "Sweat it out, it's good for you" thing just a bit too far. lol

I -am- trying to lose weight, but after finishing the Master Cleanse not too long ago, my motivation to wear the SS was really to sweat out any additional "toxins." Plus, I always feel great after I sweat so much - a feeling that is not very prominent when I don't wear the sweat suit / sweat as much.

And this is what I wear:

http://www.bubishi.com.au/shop/images/morgan%20sweat%20suit.jpg

Anyway, thanks to all for the help/tips.

Things talking about vague "cleansing" or "toxins" are scams.