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Steam Room / Sauna Benefits!?
ironhajee
Posts: 384 Member
Hello esteemed MFP friends,
I'd like to discuss the infamous Sauna Sessions, their benefits and it's effectiveness in weight loss!
By now most of us know the plethora of benefits offered by a 10-30 minute session in the Sauna. These benefits may include:
1.) Stress Relief / Induces Deeper Sleep
2.) Muscle Recover
3.) Flushing of Toxins
4.) Increased Cardiovascular Output (Heart Health)
5.) Glowing Skin
6.) Strengthened Immune system
......and this is just scratching the surface!
However the question becomes does a 10-30 minute sauna session yield a considerable calorie burn?? Of course, as usual in the fitness industry, sources claim that these sessions do NOT yield enough calorie burn alone and then on the flip side sources claim that you can yield a burn of 300 calories or more since the heart and metabolism are working harder to maintain body temperature. So which is it? Assuming the individual is just "sitting" in the sauna
So what are your thoughts on this? Is a regular session in the steam room enough on its own to yield a significant calorie burn?
As always, looking forward to being educated and hearing your feedback!!
Cheers!
I'd like to discuss the infamous Sauna Sessions, their benefits and it's effectiveness in weight loss!
By now most of us know the plethora of benefits offered by a 10-30 minute session in the Sauna. These benefits may include:
1.) Stress Relief / Induces Deeper Sleep
2.) Muscle Recover
3.) Flushing of Toxins
4.) Increased Cardiovascular Output (Heart Health)
5.) Glowing Skin
6.) Strengthened Immune system
......and this is just scratching the surface!
However the question becomes does a 10-30 minute sauna session yield a considerable calorie burn?? Of course, as usual in the fitness industry, sources claim that these sessions do NOT yield enough calorie burn alone and then on the flip side sources claim that you can yield a burn of 300 calories or more since the heart and metabolism are working harder to maintain body temperature. So which is it? Assuming the individual is just "sitting" in the sauna
So what are your thoughts on this? Is a regular session in the steam room enough on its own to yield a significant calorie burn?
As always, looking forward to being educated and hearing your feedback!!
Cheers!
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Replies
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you shed water weight and hit dehydration very quickly.
The rest of the benefits I generally agree apart from calorie burn.
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How does it strengthen your immune system? If that were the case it would be unhealthy and very unwise for anyone with an autoimmune disease to use a sauna as increased immune system=worsening of symptoms. I have never been warned against using a sauna.0
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Flush what toxins?0
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Hello esteemed MFP friends,
I'd like to discuss the infamous Sauna Sessions, their benefits and it's effectiveness in weight loss!
By now most of us know the plethora of benefits offered by a 10-30 minute session in the Sauna. These benefits may include:
1.) Stress Relief / Induces Deeper Sleep
2.) Muscle Recover
3.) Flushing of Toxins
4.) Increased Cardiovascular Output (Heart Health)
5.) Glowing Skin
6.) Strengthened Immune system
......and this is just scratching the surface!
However the question becomes does a 10-30 minute sauna session yield a considerable calorie burn?? Of course, as usual in the fitness industry, sources claim that these sessions do NOT yield enough calorie burn alone and then on the flip side sources claim that you can yield a burn of 300 calories or more since the heart and metabolism are working harder to maintain body temperature. So which is it? Assuming the individual is just "sitting" in the sauna
So what are your thoughts on this? Is a regular session in the steam room enough on its own to yield a significant calorie burn?
As always, looking forward to being educated and hearing your feedback!!
Cheers!
They're enjoyable and relaxing and that's it. They don't flush toxins, they don't increase calories expended. The only people making the claim for caloric expenditure are folks who want to sell you a sauna.
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Pseudoscience. Great thing about a sauna/steam room is relaxation. The claims made from many sites about sauna/steam rooms are highly over exaggerated and don't have legitimate scientific clinical studies to back their claims.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Isn't Dr. Rhonda Patrick big on the c-v benefits of saunas? I remember her being on DeFranco's podcast a while back talking about the benefits of wet/dry heat for various things including cv and training recovery. Pretty sure she's up on the sauna research (although her research/specialism is the biochemistry of vitamins in the brain, I believe?)
I've also seen a paper from a decade or two back that suggests that there's improvements in the left ventricle of people with congestive heart failure. Not sure if there's been any follow up to that. There's other research out there that flags up some serious heart conditions are made worse by saunas. I'm sure there's some studies on people with healthy hearts, too.
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BrianSharpe wrote: »Hello esteemed MFP friends,
I'd like to discuss the infamous Sauna Sessions, their benefits and it's effectiveness in weight loss!
By now most of us know the plethora of benefits offered by a 10-30 minute session in the Sauna. These benefits may include:
1.) Stress Relief / Induces Deeper Sleep
2.) Muscle Recover
3.) Flushing of Toxins
4.) Increased Cardiovascular Output (Heart Health)
5.) Glowing Skin
6.) Strengthened Immune system
......and this is just scratching the surface!
However the question becomes does a 10-30 minute sauna session yield a considerable calorie burn?? Of course, as usual in the fitness industry, sources claim that these sessions do NOT yield enough calorie burn alone and then on the flip side sources claim that you can yield a burn of 300 calories or more since the heart and metabolism are working harder to maintain body temperature. So which is it? Assuming the individual is just "sitting" in the sauna
So what are your thoughts on this? Is a regular session in the steam room enough on its own to yield a significant calorie burn?
As always, looking forward to being educated and hearing your feedback!!
Cheers!
They're enjoyable and relaxing and that's it. They don't flush toxins, they don't increase calories expended. The only people making the claim for caloric expenditure are folks who want to sell you a sauna.
And there you have it.0 -
It feels good and can be relaxing. Stress reduction in general can be beneficial for your health, but I wouldn't go so far as to directly connect saunas to weight loss.0
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Yes, so it seems that alone, sauna sessions are in fact not significant activity that will burn calories however can be incorporated into an athlete's fitness program for relaxation and improved health benefits all across the board from
Increased Heart Health
Boosting our immune system (increased levels of white blood cells after sauna session)
Athletic Recovery
Skin Rejuvenation
Flushing Toxins ( stored in fat cells )
And many more benefits previously mentioned. I do not believe this to be a false form of science that does not adhere to the scientific method.
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Yes, so it seems that alone, sauna sessions are in fact not significant activity that will burn calories however can be incorporated into an athlete's fitness program for relaxation and improved health benefits all across the board from
Increased Heart Health
Boosting our immune system (increased levels of white blood cells after sauna session)
Athletic Recovery
Skin Rejuvenation
Flushing Toxins ( stored in fat cells )
And many more benefits previously mentioned. I do not believe this to be a false form of science that does not adhere to the scientific method.
Any studies to back this up?0 -
singingflutelady wrote: »How does it strengthen your immune system? If that were the case it would be unhealthy and very unwise for anyone with an autoimmune disease to use a sauna as increased immune system=worsening of symptoms. I have never been warned against using a sauna.
This might be of interest to you in your question about immune system
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3916915/0 -
Yes, so it seems that alone, sauna sessions are in fact not significant activity that will burn calories however can be incorporated into an athlete's fitness program for relaxation and improved health benefits all across the board from
Increased Heart Health
Boosting our immune system (increased levels of white blood cells after sauna session)
Athletic Recovery
Skin Rejuvenation
Flushing Toxins ( stored in fat cells )
And many more benefits previously mentioned. I do not believe this to be a false form of science that does not adhere to the scientific method.
Could you cite a credible source (peer reviewed & not "Dr" Mercola)? How exactly do they "flush toxins stored in fat cells"? Being warm & sweating doesn't melt fat cells.....
Sorry but the benefits you're ascribing to them are nothing more than pseudoscientific woo......
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singingflutelady wrote: »How does it strengthen your immune system? If that were the case it would be unhealthy and very unwise for anyone with an autoimmune disease to use a sauna as increased immune system=worsening of symptoms. I have never been warned against using a sauna.
This might be of interest to you in your question about immune system
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3916915/
From the report you quote.....
"However, there is little scientific evidence that the repeated exposure to alternate hot-and-cold stress used in Finnish sauna bathing with a body cool-down improves the resistance to infections and infection-related diseases (Dugué and Leppänen, 1999)."
and the white blood cell count was only observed in the athletes which would would indicate that there is no correlation between the sauna and WBC but a correlation between athletic training and immune response.....0 -
Most of us come with two types of sweat glands: eccrine glands and apocrine glands. Eccrine glands cover the majority of your body and are responsible for the cooling effect of sweating [source: Mayo Clinic]. Eccrine sweat is almost entirely water with a little salt and potassium, but it also contains trace amounts of ammonia, uric acid and urea -- all waste byproducts of the body's metabolism of nitrogen [source: Huang, et
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Most of us come with two types of sweat glands: eccrine glands and apocrine glands. Eccrine glands cover the majority of your body and are responsible for the cooling effect of sweating [source: Mayo Clinic]. Eccrine sweat is almost entirely water with a little salt and potassium, but it also contains trace amounts of ammonia, uric acid and urea -- all waste byproducts of the body's metabolism of nitrogen [source: Huang, et
This is an excerpt from an article I Was reading earlier today
So I think although in trace amounts, there is presence of toxins being flushed through perspiration and as an extension through a sauna session...
Any thoughts?0 -
BrianSharpe wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »How does it strengthen your immune system? If that were the case it would be unhealthy and very unwise for anyone with an autoimmune disease to use a sauna as increased immune system=worsening of symptoms. I have never been warned against using a sauna.
This might be of interest to you in your question about immune system
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3916915/
From the report you quote.....
"However, there is little scientific evidence that the repeated exposure to alternate hot-and-cold stress used in Finnish sauna bathing with a body cool-down improves the resistance to infections and infection-related diseases (Dugué and Leppänen, 1999)."
and the white blood cell count was only observed in the athletes which would would indicate that there is no correlation between the sauna and WBC but a correlation between athletic training and immune response.....
Thank you for pointing that out and I do agree that there is little evidence. Yes, this is referring to the sauna and athletic training as a 1-2 combination that strengthens the immune system.0 -
Assuming what you wrote is true (I won't debate the trace presence of materials in sweat), then yes, I do have thoughts. I already have a well-established pathway for excreting salt, potassium, ammonia, uric acid, and urea, and in way more than trace amounts. Urine is not simply a means of marking your territory..Any thoughts?
Saunas are wonderful relaxation. They let you "cool down" after a particularly vigorous workout. There's the social aspect of being at the gym but not being focused on your workout. They don't, however, have some magical properties beyond that.0 -
You're confusing byproducts of metabolism with toxins.0
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Most of us come with two types of sweat glands: eccrine glands and apocrine glands. Eccrine glands cover the majority of your body and are responsible for the cooling effect of sweating [source: Mayo Clinic]. Eccrine sweat is almost entirely water with a little salt and potassium, but it also contains trace amounts of ammonia, uric acid and urea -- all waste byproducts of the body's metabolism of nitrogen [source: Huang, et
This is an excerpt from an article I Was reading earlier today
So I think although in trace amounts, there is presence of toxins being flushed through perspiration and as an extension through a sauna session...
Any thoughts?
There are also trace amounts of rat hair and feces in many of the foods we eat, does it make any difference is the question.?
http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/11-revolting-things-government-lets-in-your-food/0 -
In the book Beyond Antibiotics, Dr. Michael A. Schmidt explains the benefits of the slightly lower temperature of an infrared sauna like this:BrianSharpe wrote: »Yes, so it seems that alone, sauna sessions are in fact not significant activity that will burn calories however can be incorporated into an athlete's fitness program for relaxation and improved health benefits all across the board from
Increased Heart Health
Boosting our immune system (increased levels of white blood cells after sauna session)
Athletic Recovery
Skin Rejuvenation
Flushing Toxins ( stored in fat cells )
And many more benefits previously mentioned. I do not believe this to be a false form of science that does not adhere to the scientific method.
Could you cite a credible source (peer reviewed & not "Dr" Mercola)? How exactly do they "flush toxins stored in fat cells"? Being warm & sweating doesn't melt fat cells.....
Sorry but the benefits you're ascribing to them are nothing more than pseudoscientific woo......
“Saunas are being used by some doctors to stimulate the release of toxins from the bodies of their patients. They have found that a lower temperature (105º-130ºF) sauna taken for a longer duration is most beneficial. These low temperatures stimulate a fat sweat, which eliminates toxins stored in fat, as opposed to the high temperature sauna, which encourages a water sweat.”
Read more http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/2015/08/how-to-make-a-sauna-hotter/0 -
Hello esteemed MFP friends,
I'd like to discuss the infamous Sauna Sessions, their benefits and it's effectiveness in weight loss!
By now most of us know the plethora of benefits offered by a 10-30 minute session in the Sauna. These benefits may include:
1.) Stress Relief / Induces Deeper Sleep
2.) Muscle Recover
3.) Flushing of Toxins
4.) Increased Cardiovascular Output (Heart Health)
5.) Glowing Skin
6.) Strengthened Immune system
......and this is just scratching the surface!
However the question becomes does a 10-30 minute sauna session yield a considerable calorie burn?? Of course, as usual in the fitness industry, sources claim that these sessions do NOT yield enough calorie burn alone and then on the flip side sources claim that you can yield a burn of 300 calories or more since the heart and metabolism are working harder to maintain body temperature. So which is it? Assuming the individual is just "sitting" in the sauna
So what are your thoughts on this? Is a regular session in the steam room enough on its own to yield a significant calorie burn?
As always, looking forward to being educated and hearing your feedback!!
Cheers!
No. You have it entirely wrong. Seriously.
1) Stress relief? OK Maybe, but that is subjective.
2) Muscle relaxing? Yes, this happens.
3) Toxins? Lol... no. You do not "sweat" your "toxins" out. Get that nonsense out of your head
4) Increased cardiovascular health? Sortof... There are studies that show that spending time in a sauna after a workout can increase your tolerance to heat stress, and therefore perform at a higher level for longer in times of increased temperatures. Endurance athletes will use sauna sessions as a way to help train the body to perform well in a hot weather race when hot weather is otherwise unavailable to train in.
5) Glowing skin: Radioactive glow? What do you mean here. If you mean a red flush from heat? Sure. If you mean "healthy skin" I guess that can be subjective.
6) Strengthened immune system? No just the opposite. Large doses of heat exposure will, in fact, weaken your immune system. It is a stress placed on your body.
Your unnumbered 7) Calorie Burn: You are backwards here. You do not "increase" your metabolism in the heat. You will actually slow it down. Your body isn't working "harder" to maintain it's temperature, it is actually working less hard to keep the temp correct. Your increased heart rate is not due to muscles needing more blood for fuel for doing work. Your increased heart rate in the sauna is for getting blood to the skin for sweating and cooling. You burn fewer calories for time spent in a sauna than outside. Sorry.
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In the book Beyond Antibiotics, Dr. Michael A. Schmidt explains the benefits of the slightly lower temperature of an infrared sauna like this:BrianSharpe wrote: »Yes, so it seems that alone, sauna sessions are in fact not significant activity that will burn calories however can be incorporated into an athlete's fitness program for relaxation and improved health benefits all across the board from
Increased Heart Health
Boosting our immune system (increased levels of white blood cells after sauna session)
Athletic Recovery
Skin Rejuvenation
Flushing Toxins ( stored in fat cells )
And many more benefits previously mentioned. I do not believe this to be a false form of science that does not adhere to the scientific method.
Could you cite a credible source (peer reviewed & not "Dr" Mercola)? How exactly do they "flush toxins stored in fat cells"? Being warm & sweating doesn't melt fat cells.....
Sorry but the benefits you're ascribing to them are nothing more than pseudoscientific woo......
“Saunas are being used by some doctors to stimulate the release of toxins from the bodies of their patients. They have found that a lower temperature (105º-130ºF) sauna taken for a longer duration is most beneficial. These low temperatures stimulate a fat sweat, which eliminates toxins stored in fat, as opposed to the high temperature sauna, which encourages a water sweat.”
Read more http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/2015/08/how-to-make-a-sauna-hotter/
This is an excerpt from articles I have been reading0 -
In the book Beyond Antibiotics, Dr. Michael A. Schmidt explains the benefits of the slightly lower temperature of an infrared sauna like this:BrianSharpe wrote: »Yes, so it seems that alone, sauna sessions are in fact not significant activity that will burn calories however can be incorporated into an athlete's fitness program for relaxation and improved health benefits all across the board from
Increased Heart Health
Boosting our immune system (increased levels of white blood cells after sauna session)
Athletic Recovery
Skin Rejuvenation
Flushing Toxins ( stored in fat cells )
And many more benefits previously mentioned. I do not believe this to be a false form of science that does not adhere to the scientific method.
Could you cite a credible source (peer reviewed & not "Dr" Mercola)? How exactly do they "flush toxins stored in fat cells"? Being warm & sweating doesn't melt fat cells.....
Sorry but the benefits you're ascribing to them are nothing more than pseudoscientific woo......
“Saunas are being used by some doctors to stimulate the release of toxins from the bodies of their patients. They have found that a lower temperature (105º-130ºF) sauna taken for a longer duration is most beneficial. These low temperatures stimulate a fat sweat, which eliminates toxins stored in fat, as opposed to the high temperature sauna, which encourages a water sweat.”
Read more http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/2015/08/how-to-make-a-sauna-hotter/
This is an excerpt from articles I have been reading
Ben Greenfield is as much a quack as Mercola...0 -
@glevinso
You misunderstood my question. I stated that there are SOURCES claiming that the heart and metabolism are working harder to regulate body temperature.
There are also sources that also indicate that sauna sessions on its own are not a significant calorie burn which I am more inclined to follow.
But thank you for your input. Very helpful!0 -
Thanks0
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@glevinso
Okay and in regards to immune system. I completely agree long bouts of heat is a stress to the body which temporarily weakens the immune system.
However we are talking about 10-30 minute sauna sessions.... so would that not strengthen the immune system as the body recovers?0 -
In the book Beyond Antibiotics, Dr. Michael A. Schmidt explains the benefits of the slightly lower temperature of an infrared sauna like this:BrianSharpe wrote: »Yes, so it seems that alone, sauna sessions are in fact not significant activity that will burn calories however can be incorporated into an athlete's fitness program for relaxation and improved health benefits all across the board from
Increased Heart Health
Boosting our immune system (increased levels of white blood cells after sauna session)
Athletic Recovery
Skin Rejuvenation
Flushing Toxins ( stored in fat cells )
And many more benefits previously mentioned. I do not believe this to be a false form of science that does not adhere to the scientific method.
Could you cite a credible source (peer reviewed & not "Dr" Mercola)? How exactly do they "flush toxins stored in fat cells"? Being warm & sweating doesn't melt fat cells.....
Sorry but the benefits you're ascribing to them are nothing more than pseudoscientific woo......
“Saunas are being used by some doctors to stimulate the release of toxins from the bodies of their patients. They have found that a lower temperature (105º-130ºF) sauna taken for a longer duration is most beneficial. These low temperatures stimulate a fat sweat, which eliminates toxins stored in fat, as opposed to the high temperature sauna, which encourages a water sweat.”
Read more http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/2015/08/how-to-make-a-sauna-hotter/
Schmidt is a quack.......he promotes completely unscientific claptrap.
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@glevinso
Okay and in regards to immune system. I completely agree long bouts of heat is a stress to the body which temporarily weakens the immune system.
However we are talking about 10-30 minute sauna sessions.... so would that not strengthen the immune system as the body recovers?
We've already dealt with that, the article you quoted showed no correlation between WBC and saunas..........why bring it up again?0 -
Which are NOT "toxins". Toxins are poisons manufactured by a living organism (think snake here). Having too much of just about anything can become "toxic" in the body, but trace amounts of "waste product" doesn't designate it as a "toxin".
Most of us come with two types of sweat glands: eccrine glands and apocrine glands. Eccrine glands cover the majority of your body and are responsible for the cooling effect of sweating [source: Mayo Clinic]. Eccrine sweat is almost entirely water with a little salt and potassium, but it also contains trace amounts of ammonia, uric acid and urea -- all waste byproducts of the body's metabolism of nitrogen [source: Huang, et
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/toxin
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
0
This discussion has been closed.
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