By michael - January, 14th 2014

Whether you're breaking a sweat at the gym or just walking down the street on a scorching day, you may be giving your health a huge boost. Experts dish on the mental, physical, and emotional benefits of a little perspiration.

Are there any health benefits associated with more sweating during a workout? If so, is there a difference if sweat is induced by heat (e.g., hot weather) vs. aerobic exercise?

“There’s this entrenched idea that it’s good to ‘sweat things out,’” said Oliver Jay, an associate professor of exercise physiology and director of the Thermal Ergonomics Laboratory at the University of Ottawa in Canada, and by extension, that sweating heavily during exercise is somehow healthier than misting daintily. But in fact, “sweating, per se, provides no health benefits,” Dr. Jay said, apart from preventing overheating. The benefits derive from the exercise itself, and the more intense, generally, the greater the health benefits.

Core temperature rises during prolonged and vigorous physical activity, though, and your body must shed that heat. It does so in large part by sweating. The more vigorously you exert yourself, the more internal heat you produce, and the more you must …

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