Now will you believe me when I say I sweat A LOT?
This is me after three miles of WALKING in low-to-mid 70°s F, mild humidity. Not running, not jogging, not stopping every 100 yards to do 50 push-ups, just moderately brisk walking at about 3.5 MPH.
If this was me at the end of the Boston Marathon, that would be another thing. This is me after a fucking three-mile walk in the park in comfortable weather over level terrain, wearing short sleeves and short pants.
And no, I didn't spill any water down the front of my shirt. I even sweat a fair amount when the temperature is in the 60s or 50s. I'm twice as sweaty as this when the temperature is in the upper 80s or higher.
In the past I've complained about how getting so very sweaty makes the logistics of exercise more difficult. The reactions I get are typically like this:
1) People think I'm exaggerating.
2) People think I'm just being a wuss about a few beads of sweat.
3) People are sure I'm talking about just as much sweat as they sweat, but that for some strange reason I've never noticed that they sweat as much as I do, or that maybe I'm just overly self-conscious or vain.
4) The obnoxious variety of fitness fanatic will be certain I'm just looking for an excuse not to exercise.
5) People think I should be happy because sweating is good for you!
The very last thing anyone seems to consider is that maybe I do actually sweat excessively and that sweating like this can be a major pain in the ass. Some people tell their friends that they've been abducted by aliens and they're better believed than I am about a mere issue of perspiration.
A quick shower doesn't fix this either. If I immediately hop into a shower after exercise -- hot, warm, or cold -- I come out still sweating. I need at least 15 minutes of staying damn near completely still with a fan or an air conditioner blowing directly into my face before I've cooled down enough that a shower is going to do any good.
Sweating like this makes scheduling exercise difficult. A 30-minute workout is really a one-hour workout because of cool down and shower time. I'd love to make biking to work a way to get some exercise -- my job is only about six miles from home -- but I'd be a wreck by time I got there, especially if the weather were warm -- where "warm" is defined as anything over 50°.
The only doctor who ever seemed to take my complaints seriously suggested that I might have "an over-active sympathetic nervous system". He said that the some beta blocker, the same thing used to treat high blood pressure, might help, but no guarantees and that I might find the side effects worse.
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EXACTLY like me! If the temp is above 65, mild exertion or even mental concentration will cause sweat to literally RUN from my face and into my eyes. People who don't suffer from Hyperhidrosis can't appreciate what it's like. Takes almost ALL the fun out of Summer!
