The sweat test

I recently heard a kid at the park complaining about being sweaty. He went over to his parent and got some water and was told to “take it easy, buddy.”

I realize this is a child, but I found the underlying sentiment to be worrisome. If your kid comes over and says they’re sweaty, the first thing out of your mouth should be, “Awesome!” or “That’s how you do it!” or whatever you say that is along those lines. The next thing to say is, “Get some water and keep it going.”

If we want our kids to be healthy then we need to teach them that sweating is the goal. Sweat is the nectar of life. “Take it easy, buddy” teaches something else.

I started to recall how often I hear adults complain about being sweaty. Getting sweaty isn’t the problem. Staying cool and dry all day is the problem.

If you’re not getting sweaty once a day then there is something wrong and I’m not just talking about health. If you’re getting sweaty once a day, you're living life. If there is one thing we’ve been put on this planet to do, it’s to move.

The sweat test is an easy one. Did I sweat today? Yes. That’s good. No? That’s bad.