Sweating increases as you train

I run on my treadmill for 45 minutes at a quick pace (eight minutes or less per mile) every morning. I am always dripping (and I mean dripping) with sweat, often after only three miles. Is it unhealthy or unusual to perspire so much? Or is it a sign of some kind of condition I should be concerned about? I’m in very good shape, don’t sweat excessively during regular activities and don’t drink that much water.

Simi

Congratulations — you are in very good shape, reports Dr. Timothy Church, an exercise researcher and preventive medicine specialist at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La.

“Sweating in response to exercise and sweating for no reason are very different issues,” he says. “When you train, especially when the training is challenging, your body ramps up its cooling mechanisms and sweating is the body’s best defense against overheating.”

The fact that you sweat quickly and somewhat profusely means your body has responded appropriately to your regular training. This is not abnormal or unhealthy, he says, and in fact suggests that your body type is suited for a high-intensity workout.

— Janet Cromley