Sauna Time

SofiaofNY

I have read some reports that say you can burn tons of calories due to the heat speeding up your metabolic processes and also many saying the opposite. Anyone have any knowledge or experience with this?

auddii

I spent about 7 minutes in the sauna this morning. I likely burned the same amount of calories as sitting at my desk for 7 minutes. I went because I found it relaxing after my lifting session. Don't worry about the small things, focus on what you have control over.

queenliz99

It is just water weight.

zoeysasha37

I go in the sauna after my workout because I like it. It feels nice. I don't count on it burning any extra calories, but if it does then its a bonus. I wouldn't suggest using it just to burn calories though.
Last year I was in the sauna for ten mins after my workout. There was a girl in there when I got there and she was still there after I left to go shower. After my shower, I walked by to leave and she was passed out on the floor. I got a staff member and they called the ambulance. Apparently the girl was sitting in there for long periods of time because she thought that she would lose weight. Instead she became dehydrated. the gym had to terminate her membership because it Was a dangerous idea she had and not very smart.
So if it burns a few extra calories, then look at it like a bonus but that's it.

KarenJanine

The estimation is that sitting in a sauna can raise metabolism by 20%. So for an average woman with a BMR of 1500 cal/day, sitting at room temperature for 30 minutes would burn 31.25 cals, sitting in a sauna would burn 37.5 cals.

It would only be significant if one was to spend 24 hrs in a sauna.

Lalalindaloo

I've been wanting to take a sauna a lot lately because winter and, well... warmth and humidity. Want all the warmth.

Then I saw this article the other day. I recognize it's complete paranoia on my part to not go because of this, but whatevs...

http://newsfeed.gawker.com/his-skin-had-fallen-off-his-body-man-roasts-to-death-1681101201?utm_campaign=socialflow_gawker_facebook&utm_source=gawker_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

KarenJanine

Lalalindaloo wrote: »

http://newsfeed.gawker.com/his-skin-had-fallen-off-his-body-man-roasts-to-death-1681101201?utm_campaign=socialflow_gawker_facebook&utm_source=gawker_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

:noway:

SofiaofNY

I love love love my sauna time - I dont count it as far as calories burned. I do an hour most every night. Not to lose weight but because I live in upstate NY with my husband and 5 kids and its warm and quiet. Although, I will say - it does wonders for my skin.

Lalalindaloo

Humidity is our skin's friend.

glevinso

I would like to know what the proposed mechanism is for "increasing your metabolism" in a hot environment is.

As far as I am concerned - your body burns calories at idle just maintaining your body temperature. If you lose heat to the environment because it is colder outside than your body temp, you will burn calories to replace that heat. If you sit in a hot room, your body needs to burn fewer calories to sustain it's temperature, and will even begin to attempt to shed heat through sweating.

Normally an elevated heart rate is a way to measure work done by the body during exercise, but that really is an indirect measurement. The more work you are doing, the more oxygen your muscles need, the faster your heart pumps to get blood to the working muscles. In a sauna you aren't working hard. You are doing the opposite. Your heart rate will elevate in an attempt to get fluid to the surface of the skin to assist in sweating. Not because muscles are actually working.

Therefore unless someone can show me where my reasoning is flawed I would say sitting in a sauna actually lowers your metabolic rate, therefore making it worse for fat loss.

miriamtob

Bump. I would like to know more about the benefits and risks of sauna. Any benefits to sweating besides being the body's cooling mechanism?

yopeeps025

queenliz99 wrote: »

It is just water weight.

This OP.