Saunas

twilighttabby

How many calories do you burn in a sauna???????Different sources (mainly, sauna retailers and manufacturers) make a vast range of claims as to the calorie-burning effectiveness of sauna use, ranging from 50 to 900 calories burned in a half-hour-long session.I love setting in the sauna after working out and would love to know if you do burn calories and if so how many?If anyone knows please tell me.

mandasimba

Depends on what you are doing in the sauna. You can sit on a couch, or you can sit in the sauna and you will burn the same amount of calories. You can do jumping jacks in the sauna and burn as many calories as you would if you did jumping jacks outside of the sauna, but that seems a little dangerous.

The moral of the story, the sauna is for relaxing, it is not going to benefit you in a calorie burning way. Don't let that stop you, though, enjoy it!

twilighttabby

A sauna heats the body, forcing it to work to cool itself. This engages the metabolism, increasing heart rate and circulation in much the same way as physical exercise.That much I know. I does burn calories just setting there,I just don't know how much.That info came from my doctor.

jsteffen80

If you want to get ultra technical, you might actually burn LESS calories in a sauna than you would in a normal temperature room, since your body doesn't have to work as hard to maintain it's temperature. If you want to burn more calories doing nothing, you want your room to be as cold as possible... Shivering burns calories.

(Note: this post includes some sarcasm)

twilighttabby

I don't want to burn calories doing nothing. The sauna is just something I like doing after a workout and there was some girls in there talking about the calories that you burn in there so I was just trying to get a answer,but thanks for your input...

CassieLeigh86

I guess if I were you, I wouldn't count any calories burned in a sauna. Since all the manufacturers give different numbers, they aren't reliable. And even if your doctor is right, and you really are burning noticable calories, I wouldn't expect it would be much. I'd say your best bet is to just enjoy the sauna as a relaxing after workout "treat" and only count the calories you burned during the intentional workout

twilighttabby

Thanks.... I use it just to relax. I just wanting to see if those girls was full of it or if they was right.I know it burns some just not as many as they was saying.

addisondisease

You'll lose water weight, but as soon as you drink something you'll put it back on, saunas are great for relaxing.

One of my heroes died in a sauna so if you have history of heart problems, do illegal drugs, steroids, and clenbuteral, i'd avoid it.

CaptainGordo

From the Canadian Medical Association Journal:

Some believe the sauna is useful for weight reduction, but there has been no evidence to support this theory. There is a transient weight loss related to fluid loss just after a sauna is taken; afterwards this weight is regained quickly with the intake of fluids. Salt too is lost during a sauna.

Why, then, do people take saunas? There are few reasons that would stand up to scientific scrutiny. Indeed, most would seem to be word-of-mouth promotion schemes by those of us who enjoy the relaxation afforded by a warm environment; we attribute the relaxation to the decrease in peripheral vascular resistance afforded by heat.

Source: The Sauna: A Health Hazard?; Earl M. Cooperman, MD; Associate Scientific Editor Canadian Medical Association Journal (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1818735/pdf/canmedaj01421-0014.pdf)

And in anticipation of someone saying that you can "sweating out toxins" in a sauna, that would only be true if you had a "true toxic exposure".

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) – A typical sauna uses steam to heat the body, but a new kind of sauna works by infrared light, in which radiant heat is absorbed by the body. Some claim it's better than steam because infrared saunas will make you sweat more. There have been many claims that any sauna can get rid of deadly toxins, but one expert at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital says here's what you need to know about sweat.

"When we sweat a lot, we are releasing some toxins, but that's only if one has a true toxic exposure," said Dr. Daniel Monti, an Integrative Medicine Expert. "For example they have high levels of mercury or lead in their blood, that needs to be assessed in a medical way and addressed in a medical way."

Dr. Monti says there are many claims linked to infrared saunas like burning calories, speeding anti-cellulite programs, relieving arthritis, and even boosting white blood cell counts, but there is no proof of any of that.

Source: http://www.kcbd.com/story/12260474/facts-and-myths-on-using-saunas-to-cleanse-the-body-of-toxins

iplayoutside19

A sauna heats the body, forcing it to work to cool itself. This engages the metabolism, increasing heart rate and circulation in much the same way as physical exercise.That much I know. I does burn calories just setting there,I just don't know how much.That info came from my doctor.

Actually it's counter-intuetive. Sweat does not equal calorie burn. Sweat is a passive form of tempurature regulation. However, the body uses active tempurature regulation when it's cold: shivering, going to the bathroom etc. This burns energy (calories) However, none of those make enough difference that you should count it.

I never understood the benefit of a suana. I'm dehydrated enough from normal workouts.