Sweat Physio

26/10/2021

26/10/2021

❌Sweating gets a bad rap, sweat patches on the clothes and associated BO, are met with embarressment and judgement

🤴But it is important to know, sweating is a key part of surviving as a human being

❓So, why do we sweat?

🥇The #1 reason humans sweat is for heat regulation. We are endotherms, meaning we produce our own body heat

🐍This is in contrast to ectotherms, like snakes, who rely on the environment for body heat.

🤒When we produce excess body heat due to internal bodily processes (such as exercise), our core temp goes above a dangerous 37.5°

🥵In response, the 2.5million eccrine glands in our skin begin to sweat. Excess body heat is used to evaporate the sweat off the skin, which lowers core temp, keeping us below 37.5°

🦌The ability to sweat is the reason humans became such successful hunters many thousands of years ago, whilst their prey was faster than them over short distances, the prey used panting to lower their core temp, an inefficient process that meant they became exhausted quicly, and easy to catch

🏃🏿‍It is also the reason we are able to run marathons, cycle the Tour de France and go 12 rounds of boxing - we can regulate body heat through sweating.

👃🏼The other major reson behind sweating is the scent is a signal to others.

🙆🏻‍This type of sweat is it is produced by apocrine glands, which are primarily found in the arm pits and groin.

😱Apocrine glands are active during exercises, but they are also active during more emotional times.

💋You know, that sweat before a big presentation, 1st kiss or that tense scene in a scary movie, you can thank your apocrine glands for this.

📞In an evolutionary sense, this sweat, and what it contains, signalled to those around us that there may be danger present, love was in the air and even helps with family bonding (mothers can detect their own baby's scent after less than 24 hours)

🦠Unfortunately, this is also the type of sweat that bacteria loves to feast on, it is bacteria that produces BO.

👍🏻So next time you are worried about your BO, just remind yourself that it is part of being human, and may actually be making you more attractive to (at least some of) the people around you.

26/10/2021

💧 We all know staying hydrated is important during exercise right? But did you know one of they keys to optimizing performance, and an area many (/most) athletes fall down, is tailoring their hydrtion plan to themself?

❓ But why is having an individual hydration plan so important?

🚴🏿‍ The reason lies in the fact that there are 2 main factors that will be very different from person to person, these are;

1. The amount of sodium in their sweat.
2. The amount they sweat (sweat rate)

🧂 SODIUM LEVELS IN SWEAT

😅 Everyone loses a different amount of sodium in their sweat; this can be as low as 200mg/l all the way up to 2000mg/l – a huge variance I’m sure you’d agree.

🧬 The amount of sodium in your sweat is genetically determined and stays constant throughout life.

💪🏽 Sodium is super important to performance as it helps with fluid balance, muscle contraction and avoiding cramp (among many other things)

💦 SWEAT RATE

⚖️ Similarly, everyone will have a different sweat rate, but unlike sodium concentration, there will be a large variance in an individuals own sweat rate.

➕ This is becuase there are more determining factors to sweat rate than just genetics.

🥵 These factors include type & Intensity of exercise, ambient temperature, s*x, age, humidity, clothing, acclimatisation, level of conditioning, airflow, psychological stimulation/excitation, hormone levels and hydration status can all effect how much we sweat.

📝 Unlike sodium concentration, sweat rate needs to be determined over time by weighting yourself pre and post exercise under a range of conditions (intensity & type of exercise, temperature etc)

🚰 Once your sodium concentration and sweat rate has been established, you can tailor your individual hydration plan to ensure you are replacing what you are losing and perform at your best.

26/10/2021

🎶 Na+, Na+, Na+, Na+, Na+, Na+, Na+, Na+, Na+, Na+, Na+, Na+, Na+ (Hey Jude).......Whilst the Beatles classic wasn't written about Sodium (Chemical Symbol [Na] for those wondering), one line does perfectly sum up the importance of Sodium on performance - "The minute you let her under your skin, Then you begin to make it better, better, better, better".

❓So, why is Sodium so important for performance? And what are the mechanisms for this?

⚖️ Maintaining fluid

Our body maintains fluid through something called osmosis (remember that from year 7 biology?) so basically more sodium = more fluid, less sodium = less fluid. A reduction of fluid in the body (i.e dehydration) causes increase strain on the heart and a drop in performance.

🥨 Absorption of nutrients in the gut

Sodium facilitates something called the sodium-potassium pump, this is the way the cells of our small intestine takes nutrients (carbohydrates, amino protein and water) from the gut into the blood. Low sodium = low pumping = low nutrient absorption so our working cells don't get the energy they need to work at their best.

⚡️ Nerve Signal Conduction

Sodium is the key ion [Na+] that your nerve cells, a.k.a neurons, use to transport nerve signals around the body. Similar to the way an electrical current moves along a wire, a sodium current moves along nerve cells. A muscle, or any other organ, not get signals doesn't know to work!

🧠 Maintains Cognitive Function

Your brain is a collection of neurons, floating in a whole heap of fluid. If we see a reduction of fluid around the brain, along with poor neuron signalling (both discussed above) this leads to cognitive decline

💪🏽 Muscle Contraction

Very similar to nerve impulse transmission, your muscle cells require movement of sodium ions (along with other ions such as calcium) to stimulate muscle contraction. Without adequate sodium, your muscles cannot contract efficiently

🪢 Avoiding Cramp

The exact mechanism of cramping is still unknown to us, could be fluid shift, could be electrical misfiring??? Either way, we do know that maintenance of sodium levels is a key strategy to avoid cramping (and keep that sniper in the stands at bay)

26/10/2021

⏰ In short - knowing the sodium content of your sweat is key to developing a winning hydration plan.

💧 Sweating is about as close a thing to a super power that human beings have. It is one of the main reasons we are able to go all day - both in life and in sport.

🥵 Despite every human having the ability to sweat, there can be big differences in what is contained in sweat, in particular the sodium content

🔋 Sodium [Na+] is one of 4, and by far the most abundant, electrolytes we lose in sweat, the others being magnessium [Mg+], potassium [K+] and calcium [Ca+], and as sports drinks companies have been telling us for years - it's super important to replace these.

❗️ Electrolytes are super important for the body as they are essential to maintain fluid balance, conduct neve impulses and contract muscles

🧂 What these companies don't tell you is that Sodium losses in sweat can range from 200mg/L to 2000mg/l - so a one size fits all approach to replenishment just does not make sense!

👨🏼‍🔬 By having your sweat tested, we can establish exactly how much sodium you lose per litre of sweat and develope personalised hydration strategies to keep athletes performing at their best.

🧬 Our sweat tests are non-invasive, require no exercise and only ever need to be done once (the sodium content of your sweat doesn't change over your life time).

❓ But Reece, you're banging on about sodium, what about the other 3 electrolytes we lose in sweat (Ca+, K+, Mg+)? Why do you not test for these? Very fair questions indeed!

✓ Basically we lose tiny amounts of these compared to sodium and almost all electrolyte replacement products (including those I use from ) will easily cover the loss of them without having to be specific to each person

26/10/2021

🤝 Please let me (re) introduce myself. I'm Reece Noble, and I've had a bit of a rebrand (previously ).

👋🏻 For those of you who don't know me, I have been a physio for over 10 years now, my physio treatments are very much structured around getting strong and active (I'm a blend between a physio and an S&C coach really) and supplemented by manual therapy techniques.

🏊🏻‍ In my spare time I'm a very keen middle distance triathlete, which, as any middle distance triathlete will tell you, doesn't leave room for a whole heap else! (Despite this - I am also a bit of a Cricket and Western Bulldogs tragic)

𝝙 There have been a lot of changes for me recently, and whilst offering top shelf MSK/Sports physio (particulalry to all you runners, tri-athletes and cyclists out there) is still my main focus, I am now an advanced sweat tester for Precision Hydration]

🗺 In probably the biggest news, I am relocating from London back to Geelong, Australia in November. Whilst my partner and I have loved our time in London, it's time for us to take a longer term view and get back close to our families.

🏋🏼 I'm very excited to start working back down in the Geelong Region, offering physio services as part of the team at - a fantastic company that I have admired for many years.

💧 Very excitingly, I am starting a new business venture. Opening up a Sweat Test Centre in Melbourne and Geelong for Precision Hydration] (hence the new name - Sweat Physio). More info to come on this, but I'll be helping athletes of all types by testing their sweat and working with them to produce individualised hydration strategies to help perform at their best- particularly in those hot Aussie conditions!

🕸 A new website is also on the way that I will be filling with info about all things sweat, strength and physio - keep your eyes peeled if interested

🙌🏻 Lastly (well done if you've made it this far), thankyou to all the amazing colleagues, associates and clients I have been lucky enough to work with whilst in London, in particular and , you have all helped me become a far better version of myself.

♥️ Appreciate Y'all

Reece

26/10/2021