Vietnamese Health Tip #4: SWEAT, got it goin' like a turbo 'vette

Sweat may not seem like a Vietnomnomnom-appropriate topic, but bear with me. Healthy living here in Vietnam is not just about the delicious food and eating habits. There are a number of aspects to the Vietnamese holistic lifestyle:

1) Quality and preparation of food

2) Nutrition and eating habits 3) Bodily/Physical health 4) Exercise, activity, and movement 5) Spiritual and mental health

[Photo (R): Jetts Life (http://www.jetts.com.au/jetts-life/j-blog/)

Vietnomnomnom has talked a bit about the first two, but now to touch on #3, bodily and physical health. When you step off of the plane into Vietnam, the first thing you will notice about your body is undoubtedly SWEAT. And Sir Mix-A-Lot said it best - that sweat will be "goin' like a turbo 'vette." Most of the country maintains a steadily hot and humid climate which means, for many of us, a constant flow of perspiration (and lots of showers and laundry). Generally speaking, Westerners (or maybe just Americans) tend to have a strong distaste for sweat. Sweat is smelly (well, it is sometimes - thank you, deodorant). Sweat is gross and dirty. Not the case here in Vietnam. Sweat is a necessity and has multiple purposes:

1) Sweat cools the body. It's your body's way of taking care of itself, to cool down in the extreme heat and humidity. Vietnamese cuisine includes many hot soup dishes to encourage the body to sweat, thus leaving the eater feeling cooler in the hot weather after eating. Hot tea is popular for the same reasoning. See? Only took a few paragraphs for me to get to the nomnom aspect of this post :).

In addition to the commonly known dish, phở, Vietnamese cuisine includes numerous hot soup dishes. Above is a sampling of Vietnamese hot soups, from left to right: Bún bò Huế, Bún mắm, Bún Mọc, and Hủ tiếu bò kho

2) Sweat removes the toxins. A common Vietnamese belief is that you remove toxins from your body through sweat. I'm no health professional, but sure enough, I have not been sick once while living here. I traveled to Europe last week and inherited a sinus infection almost immediately. When I returned to Vietnam, I was feeling better within 24 hours.

3) Sweat clears the skin. Again, I'm no health professional, and I'm certainly not a dermatologist, but since moving to Vietnam, my skin has cleared and is softer than ever.

4) Sweat curbs over-eating and encourages hydration. This is perhaps not an outward Vietnamese belief, but I've found that while hot and sweaty, I tend to eat only when hungry (or when eating something uniquely new and delicious), and I drink plenty of water.

5) Sweat is beautiful. Sweat truly is beautiful when you think about it. It's an amazing function of the body, and it makes the human skin glisten in a beautiful way. Sure, when I feel sweaty and gross, I don't feel beautiful. But now, I just pull out a handkerchief, wipe away the sweat (and maybe throw on a baseball cap if my hair is gross), and thank my body for doing what it does best.

Other techniques to not feel gross while sweating: { } Carry a microfiber towel (more effective than a regular hanky) { } Carry a fabric headband and a hair tie (to pull back sweaty hair) { } Splash cold water on your face in the bathroom (a regular habit of the locals here) { } Wear light and airy clothes { } Sweat more often.

Sweating more often may sound crazy, but the more often you sweat, the easier it gets. Many locals here sweat very little and very discreetly, and I wonder if it's due to the fact that their bodies have acclimated to the heat and humidity. Don't live in a hot and humid climate? Try some of these:

+ Sauna - 15 minutes/day in a sauna can be truly energizing. + Physical Activity - Make sure you're truly sweating during exercise. + Self-imposed - Wear more clothes than you need to, and sweat it out!

So the takeaway - sweat is not dirty and gross. Sweat is your friend. Sweat is liquid awesome. It cools your body, removes the toxins, clears the skin, and communicates with your eating neurons. Sweat is a necessity, and a beautiful necessity.

***I want to emphasize - I am not a health expert, and every person is different. Talk to your health professional before starting any new physical/sweating activity, and be sure to hydrate hydrate hydrate.

Photo: FIX.com

#HealthTip #SWEAT