The word "sauna" is actually derived from Finnish, as it had been used a long time ago by ancient Finns as a form of bath. The Finns used these so-called "sweat baths" to reinvigorate their minds and detoxify their bodies.
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Imagine yourself stretching out your muscles and relax in an enclosed steamy area, wrapped in some kind of strange aroma. That’ll help you enjoy the sensation of well-being and total relaxation.
Oh, and don’t forget you’ll probably be sweating like a maniac the whole time.Nonetheless, the real question that we are trying to answer here is whether sauna can help you lose weight; and if yes, then how much would be dropped after a sauna session.
So, for those looking for a quick answer, here is exactly how much weight you can lose in a the sauna:
Sitting in a dry sauna with temperature set between 170–180 degrees Fahrenheit (77-82 deg. Celcius) , at 5% relative humidity." the average individual will burn roughly twice the amount of calories they would consume while being completely inactive. So if a 200 pound male would sit doing nothing for 30 mins, he would burn around 40 calories. By sitting in the sauna this same person would burn around 80-90 calories.
That’s a big difference from the 300 to 1000 estimate from the book 100 Ways to Supercharge Your Metabolism.
The Benefits Of Sauna
In fact, its original purpose was coincidentally quite close to what makes sauna so popular across the globe thousands of years later. It almost is a perfect antidote against the pressures and stress you may experience as parts of a hectic lifestyle in the modern time.
You usually find a sauna in a small room exposed dry or wet heat. The steam and high heat are what make us perspire. And that is how sauna help our body get rid of unwanted toxins, through perspiration.
Another additional benefit of sauna is extra calories burning. It’s claimed that the heat exerted in the sweat baths will raise the metabolic rate of your body by up to 20%.
High temperature actually speed up your heart rate by approximately 30%, meaning more calories has to be consumed for energy. What’s more is the effect actually last for several hours after the sauna.
Click here to find out more about the benefits of sauna.
A Few Things to Remember
Regardless of the health and mental benefits that a sauna can offer, you cannot neglect the negative impacts of excessive exposure. Too much sweating can cause serious problems such as severe loss of electrolytes, which might lead to permanent damage, or even ceasing the activity of your kidney.
Being exposed to high heat for a long period may also result in cardiovascular emergencies, such as heatstroke. Maintaining hydration is strongly recommended by Dr. Harvey Simon of Harvard Men's Health Watch, by drinking two to four glasses of water after a sauna session.
Furthermore, sauna users should only stay inside for up to 20 minutes at a time, and must get out immediately should they feel dizzy or ill.
Remember, moderation is the key, for just about everything in life.Although sauna may seem to be a tempting shortcut for cutting down weight, it’s simply not the safest route you can take. Staying in a heated sauna session for too long, with the temperature might get as high as 70 to 100 degrees Celsius, can lead to more problems than benefits, due to serious dehydration.
The Weight Loss Myth
Still having said that sauna does work in some aspects. Perspiration is mainly what cause the weight loss; the results might be seen immediately after you left the steamy rooms. This effect is also known as water weight loss.
As the results, you’ll probably see wrestlers and boxers take advantage of this to meet their target weight before a match.
However, the effect is rather short-lived, since the lost weight is more than often regained as soon as you put something in your bellies.
The Fat-melting Fantasy
Okay, so I think we can all agree that sauna helps burning more calories, just by sitting in one place. Sounds good, right? The question is by how much.
According to Fitness Blender, here’s a simple equation that can estimate how much you’re burning:Amount of calories burned in 30 minutes of sitting (specific to one’s bodyweight) x 1.5 (possibly x 2) = calories burned in a sauna
One example: a healthy male individual weighed over 80kg burns about 42 calories by sitting in 30 minutes. Therefore, the same guy would burn roughly 63 to 84 calories in a sauna, by applying the equation above. That is going to disappoint a lot of people, but the fact remains that going to the sauna is over-hyped when it comes to burning calories.
Sitting in the sauna does not change either your body-fat levels nor your weight. As mentioned previously, the change in weight you experience immediately after a sauna is due to water weight loss, which is like a double-edged sword.
In Conclusion
Are the Finnish, and other sauna going cultures right to sing it's weight loss praises? Yes! You can definitely lose weight just by sitting in one place in a sauna. And no, you should not treat sauna as a method to lose weight, simply because it won’t last long and that isn’t the purpose of sauna. Overuse it will seriously jeopardize your health, however.
The truth is the only way to lose weight safely and get a fitter body is to adjust your diet for fewer calories and commit yourself to a regular exercise schedule.
And that brings us to the end of this article; I hope that you’ve now understood the true purpose of sauna and started using it accordingly.
If your goal is to lose weight, then you will be interested in our article on how long does it take to build a six pack, head over to our blog to find the answer.
As always, I’d love to hear from my readers, so please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts in the comment section, even just to say hello is good enough. Finally, please spread the word and share it on if you find this piece of information helpful.
References:
http://www.saunas.org/sauna_history.htm
http://www.livestrong.com/article/260648-does-sitting-in-a-sauna-help-you-lose-weight/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/344009-how-to-lose-10-lbs-in-a-sauna/
