642: The science of sweat, saunas & stress best-selling author Bill Gifford

“Sweating is our superpower," explains Bill Gifford. Gifford, a veteran science journalist and author of Spring Chicken, a New York Times bestseller on longevity. His latest book, Hotwired: How the Hidden Power of Heat Makes Us Stronger, dives deep into the emerging science of heat, sweating, and what happens when we stop running from discomfort. ​​00:00 — Sweating as an evolutionary superpower 03:00 — The science of ancient heat rituals 05:45 — How long & how hot? 07:55 — The dehydration trap 09:52 — All about Finnish sauna culture 12:50 — Heat acclimation training 16:41 — Elite athletes & what they can teach us 18:50 — The science on hot-cold contrast 21:49 — The case against cold plunging 29:08 — Sauna as a social ritual 33:20 — Heat as a mental health tool 36:34 — A beginner's guide to safe heat exposure Referenced in the episode: Find Bill Gifford on Instagram: Get his book here: Learn more about The Culture of Bathing here: Mayo Clinic review of the effects of Finnish sauna bathing (2018): Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness study on the effects of hot yoga (2011): We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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642: The science of sweat, saunas & stress best-selling author Bill Gifford is an episode from The mindbodygreen Podcast by mindbodygreen.

This episode is 46:41 long.

This episode was published on Mar 22, 2026.

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