I just got back from a fitness retreat with Amazfit, a budget brand that makes the Whoop-dupe Helio Strap, which I love. But I’ve been at this fitness retreat for a different reason: to try out the new Active 3 Premium (full review coming soon!).
I’ve learned a lot about my body and my fitness level after doing 5ks, tough hikes, relaxing yoga, and strength training sessions that pushed my overall endurance limits and improved daily performance levels.
But there was one thing I didn’t expect to learn about. My perspiration. Yes, my sweat. At the retreat, an expert from Precision Hydration tested my sweat, and I had no idea it could be so interesting.
I took 65,000 steps with the Garmin Venu 4. Here are five things I learned. The Amazfit Helio strap fitness tracker has a screenless design and shows the grey strap worn around the wrist and the charger.
My very cheap fitness tracker has a secret feature that can compete with Garmin and Apple.
Hormometer from Eli Health
Can Nars Keep Winning Complexion?
I just used the Hormometer at CES 2026 to check my cortisol levels, and testosterone is next. I found out that I don’t sweat much, but when I do, it’s very salty, with more than 1,100mg of sodium per litre. Most people’s sweat has between 500 and 1000 mg of sodium per litre, so I sweat more sodium than most people. What does a “sweat test” really mean, and what are the real results of the test?
Precision Hydration Electrolyte Drink: $11 at Amazon
Precision Hydration’s 1500 is the drink with the most sodium, with 1500mg of sodium per litre (when mixed with water). It’s great for people who sweat a lot or lose a lot of sodium. You can also get 1,000mg or 500mg.
My dyed sweat makes the blue spiral inside the sticker. (Image credit: Erin Bashford)
The sweat test isn’t a bad experiment where you have to run on a treadmill until you’re red in the face and dripping with sweat. It’s like a blood test, but without the needles.
I just had to give them my arm; Precision Hydration did the rest. They put two electrodes on my forearm and sent a small electric current through my skin to get my sweat glands going. After about ten minutes, the electrodes were replaced with a sticker that pulled sweat out of the skin. This part took about thirty minutes because I sweat like the Sahara.
After I had sweated enough, they took off the sticker and looked at my sweat. I’m a high-sodium jumper, and you heard it here first. I have so much salt in me that chips and instant ramen should be scared of me.
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What do I need to do now?
A picture of a black and red electrode on skin to make sweat glands work.
I need to eat enough during workouts because I sweat out a lot of salt. This means that I should drink drinks with electrolytes and salt while I run, hike, do yoga, and everything else. I was wondering why I get so many glute cramps when I run. It could be because I sweat a lot of salt, or it could just be that my muscles are weak.
You might also be a high-sodium sweater if you get a lot of cramps when you run. It’s not clear if low salt causes cramping, since most of the studies in this area haven’t been able to prove it, but it’s still a good theory.
You might also be a high-sodium jumper if your skin tastes a little salty after working out. The Sports Medicine department of the American College of Emergency Physicians says that if your sodium levels are low, you might feel tired or sick after working out. If this is the case, you should stop reading this article and talk to a doctor right away.
It’s interesting to learn about sweat, but it can’t take the place of real medical care. If you’re worried, please see a doctor. I took this sweat test out of curiosity. If you’re interested too, it might be worth looking for one in your area.
