It is shocking to be distracted during your workout by someones offensive body odour and it can be just as bad to be the person responsible- with your hands constantly by your side and worried about being within metres from fellow lifters. This is a situation that can easily be avoided.
Body odour is caused when the bacteria on your skin comes in contact with your sweat. The bacteria breaks down the protein in your sweat in to acids, and this process produces body odour. By understanding this process, it is evident that two preventative measures can be taken to avoid body odour: 1. Reduce sweat and 2. Remove bacteria.
Pictured: Calum Von Moger in the SLW Strong Tee which is 100% cotton; allowing your skin to breathe and reduce sweating
The following is a list of ways you can prevent body odour based on these two principles:
- Apply antiperspirant in the morning and evening. Antiperspirants work to reduce sweat by blocking sweat glands, and contain antimicrobials that kill bacteria and slow their reproduction
- Use deodorant. Deoderant masks the smell of body odour and makes your skin more acidic producing an environment that is less hospitable to bacteria
- Shower regularly and use antibacterial soap as this will help to reduce the number of bacteria on your skin
- Shave your underarms. Shaving reduces the number of bacteria on your skin, as well as speeds up the evaporation of sweat
- Keep your underarms dry and dry thoroughly after showering, as dry skin makes it difficult for bacteria to breed
- Avoid spicy food and alcohol as these have been shown to trigger sweating
- Avoid fatty foods, garlic, onion and curry. These foods are not fully digested and so leave through your pores with sweat as a strong smell
- Wear natural fibres. Natural fibres allow your skin to breathe and reduce sweating. Many of our products are made from 100% cotton and are available from www.strongliftwear.com
- Wear high-tech fabrics that draw moisture away from your body to decrease the interaction between sweat and bacteria. Strong Lift Wear recently introduced CoolTech material to their range of gym wear which does exactly this- check it out at www.strongliftwear.com
- Avoid wearing tight fitting clothes
- Wash your gym apparel regularly as sweaty clothes are a breeding ground for bacteria!
Pictured: Shane Berland wearing the Camo CoolTech Taperback which is designed to draw moisture away from the body to prevent interaction between sweat and bacteria!
If you believe you sweat more then normal you can try high strength antiperspirants/deodorants available over the counter. If you do have excessive sweating you should speak to your doctor about more aggressive treatments that are available.
Occasionally body odour can be caused by an underlying medical condition. If you have difficulty controlling body odour, if it smells different to what your accustomed to, or if you experience other physical concerns post-training, you should speak to your doctor.
No one wants to be remembered for their body odour! So take our tips and be remembered for your gainz instead!
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