It’s mid-summer and the vacation season is in full swing. Like many Americans, I celebrated the 4th of July with friends at a pool party. This particular party was at a large pool in Biloxi, MS that is on the grounds of a major hotel-casino facility. The pool was packed for the holiday. Unfortunately for our group, which consisted of athletes of all types and fitness enthusiasts, smoking is allowed at this facility which is open to the public for a fee. The secondhand smoke permeated all of the air surrounding that pool. It was disgusting.
Secondhand tobacco smoke is a serious health problem!
When you type in a search for toxicity of secondhand smoke, you will likely see a Google featured snippet from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention website. It reads:
“Secondhand smoke is smoke from burning tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Secondhand smoke also is smoke that has been exhaled, or breathed out, by the person smoking. Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, including hundreds that are toxic and about 70 that can cause cancer.” (https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/general_facts/index.htm)
“Since 1964, approximately 2,500,000 nonsmokers have died from health problems caused by exposure to secondhand smoke.”(https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/general_facts/index.htm)
It is obvious that breathing secondhand smoke is toxic, but what we don’t stop to think about is the toxicity of secondhand smoke as it is absorbed through the skin.
“ ‘What’s new here is that the researchers have now shown that a meaningful uptake of nicotine is possible from dermal exposure to secondhand smoke,’ says Frederick Frasch. He’s a scientist at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Morgantown, W.V.” (https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/nicotine-smoke-enters-body-through-skin)
“…keeping skin exposures to nicotine low is important. This chemical is toxic. It has been used as a pesticide. It also can sicken — even kill — people if they are exposed to too much (such as if liquid nicotine spills onto their skin).” (https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/nicotine-smoke-enters-body-through-skin)
Back to my story…
The day after July 4th, I worked out with two of my colleagues at our headquarters. We tackled the HOTWORX Hot Warrior during our lunch break. This workout is an elevated blend of yoga, athletic isometrics and pilates. Almost immediately during that infrared sauna workout at 125 degrees, I began to sweat. To my astonishment, I could literally smell the same odor from the pool the day before! I was sweating out the same toxins that my skin had absorbed (and that I had breathed in) from the secondhand smoke exposure. Thank goodness for the HOTWORX workout or those toxins may still be in my body.
The following day I powered through Hot Core with my co-workers and then on Friday we all did the HOTWORX Hot Yoga. We are fortunate to have a HOTWORX infrared workout sauna installed at our corporate offices here on the Westbank of New Orleans. What a perfect corporate wellness addition to our gym. After three straight days of hot infrared exercise I feel completely clean on the inside!
In all of my experience with athletic training and fitness, I can say with complete confidence that there is no better workout for detox than HOTWORX, hands down!
