Saunas?

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Des92
Des92 Posts: 309 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So, I have an infrared sauna at home, the dry kind, and I love it! It SUPPOSEDLY burns 400-600 calories in half an hour... that number seems unrealistic to me. I was just wondering if this is an advertising gimmick, or do the numbers really get that high? Does anyone else use a sauna to burn calories, and do you think it helps? Obviously it won't have the same benefits as exercise (muscle toning etc) but if it really burns that much, it seems worth it to me. Thanks so much!

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  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
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    I can't imagine a sauna burning that many calories! Did the person selling it to you market it that way? That might make all the difference in the world!:wink:
  • kristiedavis1
    kristiedavis1 Posts: 95
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    My friend owns one and according to the "tests" she and another friend have done, it burns about 200-300 in 30 minutes.
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
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    Wouldn't a sauna just make you sweat and lose water weight?
  • jpeper1966
    jpeper1966 Posts: 79
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    Market hype! Temporary dehydration equated to fat burned.

    Elevated heart rate is due to your bodies need for circulation to cool and not from the need of oxygen to burn fat/carbs. This will fool a heart rate monitor to think calories are being burned.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
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    My friend owns one and according to the "tests" she and another friend have done, it burns about 200-300 in 30 minutes.
    what particular test was that?
  • Des92
    Des92 Posts: 309 Member
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    I agree! I thought it seemed WAY too high! if it is 200-300, that still seems pretty good :smile:
    and yes, according to their website, weight lost is just water weight, but the calories burned are supposed to result in real weight loss. But I don't feel like I can trust the website completely :wink: advertising!
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
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    That's 400-600 per hr! That still seems a bit beyond believable. I suppose one could take all their weights in with them and only need to sit in there a few hours a week and be at goal weight & nice and toned within a few months, or maybe only a few weeks? :tongue: :noway:
  • Des92
    Des92 Posts: 309 Member
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    That's true!! And I sit in in most days, so I should have reached my goal by now :angry: lol I sit in it mainly to relax, I read in there and find it easier to fall asleep after. I never actually count it as "exercise calories" or anything, but sometimes I feel a little less guilty if I go a bit over my daily calories!
  • macantrell
    macantrell Posts: 112 Member
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    I have a infrared sauna at home as well, I purchased it to help with my arthritis. I do not depend on it for weight loss. My heart monitor reads high 90's to low 100's while just sitting and slightly higher when moving around. At 140 degrees, you heart rate increases as your body tries to cool itself. I often stretch after my muscles have warmed up, which allow me to have a deeper stretch. I find it helps with my joints pain, water retention, my skin is clear, I haven't been sick in a very long time and I sleep like a baby! Taking a sauna isn't something new, people have been doing it for years in Finland. You must have enjoyed your sauna time enough to purchase one for home, so I feel that in itself is a benefit. If you receive health benefit to GREAT!
  • Des92
    Des92 Posts: 309 Member
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    I have a infrared sauna at home as well, I purchased it to help with my arthritis. I do not depend on it for weight loss. My heart monitor reads high 90's to low 100's while just sitting and slightly higher when moving around. At 140 degrees, you heart rate increases as your body tries to cool itself. I often stretch after my muscles have warmed up, which allow me to have a deeper stretch. I find it helps with my joints pain, water retention, my skin is clear, I haven't been sick in a very long time and I sleep like a baby! Taking a sauna isn't something new, people have been doing it for years in Finland. You must have enjoyed your sauna time enough to purchase one for home, so I feel that in itself is a benefit. If you receive health benefit to GREAT!

    Thanks! It would be interesting to see what my heart rate is while sitting in there. I like to stretch in it too, but it's hard with the space restrictions!! Helps me get to sleep too :). But it's not MY sauna..it's at my parents' house (I'm a university student) and I'm here now for the summer. So it's not a year-long ritual, just a luxury when I'm at home. But when I'm at school, we have a steam room at our pool/gym that I use every once in a while... I wonder if the benefits of a steam room are similar to those of an infrared?

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