Call Me Sweat-Girl

Just got back from the gym, and I am feeling so RELAXED.  We have a YMCA membership, which has gone much unused since this summer, but whenever I finally drag myself over there, I always think: Why don’t I do this MORE? I get on gym kicks sometimes, and will go several times a week for months. 

 I like listening to epic music while running on the elliptical (pretending I am a sexy spy, superhero, or other such thing). I like yoga. I like swimming. I love Zumba. But as great as these things are, they are not my favorite part about the gym.  My favorite part of the gym is a little embarrassing, but here it is:

I am a sauna/steam room ADDICT. 

Yes, I realize that it is a bit lame for the sauna and steamroom to be my favorite thing at the gym.  The gym is steriotypically about working on your muscles right?  It’s not like the magic steam is going to turn me into Lara Croft. 

Anyway. I can’t help it. I’m in love.  

My pores convulse pleasantly when I switch from the thick, steamy hair to the dry, wooden heat.  My lungs feel tingly, and my whole body feels alive. Today I brought a large bottle of peppermint water in there with me.  So incredibly refreshing and good.

Brag disclaimer: I may not be able to boast about my elliptical machine endurance (Dane could, if he wanted to) but my sauna/steamroom endurance is kind of impressive.

I suppose this could be a false claim because I am comparing myself to the primary population that is usually in those places. Namely, men between 55-70.

I’m almost always the only girl in there. However, I would be lying if I said it didn’t make my heart fill with joy when I was introduced in the steam room one day as “the girl that can stay in here for hours.”

I temporarily had Katniss Everdeen ideas of grandeur.  “Katie Gustafson: Girl in Steamroom."

I spent this gorgeously cozy week in Wales once with some friends from SCIO (Scholarship and Christianity in Oxford), and there was a sauna in the basement of the house we rented.  That was an awesome sauna. I'm not sure if it is because it was so cold outside, but it is honestly the best one I can remember in terms of heat. I also remember being one of only two girls who really liked it (the guys all loved it). I’m not sure why more women don’t seem to enjoy it. Maybe it’s a sweating up-close-and-personal-thing.  Side note:   I’m going to need to write about Wales, and Oxford again, now that’s it been four years (HOW THE HECK DID THAT HAPPEN?). But I won’t go into it right now, because then I’ll go on a 750 pg. long rabbit trail or something like that.  

Anyway, probably the best part about leaving the steam room or sauna is how you feel afterwards.  Bright, silky skin. Open lungs. Relaxed muscles.  When you leave, it’s like that first day in spring when you can wear shorts and flip flops and be perfectly comfortable outside. Everything is new and fresh and good.

Though I may not get awesome abs from either the sauna or steamroom, I would like to share 5 commonly known benefits which both of these are thought to offer.  This is not a comprehensive list.  I am especially sharing things that help me which other women might appreciate.  

 5 Benefits of Being a Sweaty Girl 

1.   Stress/tension reduction- this also means headache reduction, experiencing better sleep at night, ect.  I have bad headache issues, so for me, this is definitely a plus. Did you know, overall women experience tension headaches and migraines much more frequently than men?

2.       Improves immune system/detoxifying. Who doesn’t want that?

3.       This also means losing water weight! This is great for me because I am extremely sodium sensitive and tend gain 5 pound of water weight instantly after I eat a can of soup.

4.       Healthier skin. The heat helps open your pores, so sit in the steam-room and then home and continue your spa-like experience with an extremely effective facial . (However, make sure you DO wash your face afterwards. I had a very bad break out one day when I hadn’t removed my makeup before going in, and I didn’t wash my face right after.)

5.       The heat is thought to increase metabolism by up to 20%. Well that’s nice….