Calories burned in a 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.

jdjefferson

Zero. It's just sitting.

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.

BettyBoop82570

Let me know if you get an answer, that is an interesting question.

addisondisease

You asked this question ealier and you got the same exact answers as now, you burn so few calories that it DOES NOT COUNT, similar to eating celery.

Here is what was posted last time you started this thread:

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!

arc918

Part of this is pure logic. If sitting a sauna really led to easy weight loss and meaningful calorie burning then guess what? We'd all be thin from sitting in saunas, thus ending the obesity epidemic.

Dave198lbs

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.

burn 900 calories sitting in a sauna for 30 minutes? does that sound accurate? come on....really?

liftingheavy

I sit in the sauna for about 30 minutes after working out. I always wear my Polar HRM, and I burn maybe 10 calories. I too saw websites that claimed 300 calories for 1/2 hour, but no go.

Its great for my skin and relaxation though.

NIKKIDDS2015

i have a friend that loves going in the darn sauna drives me crazy when i go to the gym with her lol, i'm like if i wanna sweat and sit, i can do that in my car any time between May and October i always figured it did nothing, losing water that your going to drink anyways?! sorry that was my opinion, and is not backed by any scientific claims lol

aippolito1

It's not exercise, you do not count it. All you do in a sauna is lose water that comes back as soon as you drink. It's good for ridding yourself of toxins and nothing else.

Sweet_Potato

Bikram (hot) yoga burns a ton of calories, but the poses themselves are less challenging compared to regular yoga, which hardly burns any. So sitting in a sauna must burn a significant amount.

Dave198lbs

Bikram (hot) yoga burns a ton of calories, but the poses themselves are less challenging compared to regular yoga, which hardly burns any. So sitting in a sauna must burn a significant amount.

is this like...sarcasm?

tross0924

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.

Holding your breath causes an increased heart rate too, but do you think that by sitting on the couch and moving less than a normal person sitting on the couch (you're not using your muscles to inhale or exhale) causes you to burn more calories?

sunkisses

The same amount you burn sitting around my uncle Tito's house.

FaithHopeBELIEVE

Bikram (hot) yoga burns a ton of calories, but the poses themselves are less challenging compared to regular yoga, which hardly burns any. So sitting in a sauna must burn a significant amount.

I've heard this too but maybe someone should wear an HRM to really find out.

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

Yasmine91

The whole losing weight while in a sauna is false. You weigh yourself before you go in, and then back out maybe you'll be a 1lb or so, drink a cup of water and all the water that was lost from sweating, which is the 'water' weight loss will come back :P

IronmanPanda

My uncle's brother's sister's friend's baby sister Tracy told me it was 300 calories per 1/2 hour!!

Azdak

Bikram (hot) yoga burns a ton of calories, but the poses themselves are less challenging compared to regular yoga, which hardly burns any. So sitting in a sauna must burn a significant amount.

I've heard this too but maybe someone should wear an HRM to really find out.

Bikram yoga does NOT burn "a ton of calories" for the same reason that sitting in a sauna doesn't burn many calories--and for the same reason that HRMs cannot estimate calories burned in this type of environment. Thermal stress in and of itself does not significantly increase your calorie burn, even though it may increase heart rate.

badgerbadger1

1. Log sauna time as 900 calories
2. Eat back 900 calories lost, preferrably McDonalds (calorie dense).
3 ??????
4. PROFIT

liftingheavy

It's not exercise, you do not count it. All you do in a sauna is lose water that comes back as soon as you drink. It's good for ridding yourself of toxins and nothing else.

liftingheavy

It's not exercise, you do not count it. All you do in a sauna is lose water that comes back as soon as you drink. It's good for ridding yourself of toxins and nothing else.

This.

zoom2

It's ridiculous the denial and justification that lazy people will utilize to continue being lazy. I would have to RUN 7-8 miles to burn 900 calories. You REALLY think you could burn that SITTING in a sauna? C'mon...get real. You could maybe burn that much if you sat in a sauna for a full day and didn't ingest ANY calories. Have fun with that.

hannahwhite11

I just want to say with the yoga.... It's not really the fact of the heat that is burning the calories it is the the muscle strength you are gaining from the yoga. Muscles burn 3x more calories after a strength workout. People who combine their strength training and cardio are more likely to burn more calories because they are building muscles and getting the heart rate which isn't necessarily good for calorie burning but is good for your over all health especially heart health (which is a big factor with obesity).

Sweet_Potato

A few comments on the bikram yoga:

1. No, I was not being sarcastic. I've searched high and low for calorie burn approximations online, and all the sources I've found claim a 90-minute session burns at least 750 calories (for someone of my size). 90 minutes of hatha yoga only burns 200. Even if the calorie counts for bikram are wildly exaggerated you can't deny that it still burns more. Furthermore, I can't say I've ever seen an overwieght person in my bikram classes-- most of the students are as skinny as a rail. Sure, it's possible that only skinny people are interested in bikram yoga, but I still maintain that being in a hot room leads to greater calorie burn.

2. Yes, you gain muscle strength from any kind of yoga, but the poses we do in bikram would not be very challenging if they were done at room temperature.

3. I don't own a HRM but my heart rate DEFINITELY gets up there when I do bikram. In that respect it's probably equivalent to aerobics or running.

kerriBB37

While sitting normally, like at my office chair, my HR is about 65-75. While sitting in the sauna (my dad has an infrared sauna in his basement that gets up to 150 degrees) I wear my HRM and my HR is consistently between 120-140. I'm certainly not saying that I use the sauna to lose weight but, to me, 120-140 is considered my fat burning zone and if my body is working constantly to "cool" itself while I am in this sauna, to me, it makes sense that I might be burning a little bit. Maybe. I've had good results with diet and exercise. I workout 5-6x a week and eat my 1200 cals plus exercise cals and I'm having success. *I also sit in the steam sauna while I'm at the gym and usually my HR is about 115-125. I like to sit in it after a good, long workout. It's relaxing and I like to sweat. I feel it's good for my skin. I have no evidence to support any of this, but it's just my two cents!

tananichelle

Wow... Maybe you guys could help answering the question WITHOUT being total *kitten*?|

Twilighttabby, there are a lot of sources that differ about this subject. Research as much as you can... But if it comes down to it, maybe getting an HRM and finding out for yourself is the best way to go...? After all, calories burned is unique to the person, their weight, and their level of fitness.

To me, it doesn't seem like a very efficient way to burn, simply because it does nothing to really increase overall fitness... :happy:

agthorn

3. I don't own a HRM but my heart rate DEFINITELY gets up there when I do bikram. In that respect it's probably equivalent to aerobics or running.

I don't do bikram, but I do wear my heart rate monitor while I do yoga (ashtanga/vinyasa, so similar pose styles as bikram minus the oppressive heat). The problem is that yes, your heart rate does go up when you do a pose, but it will immediately come back down as soon as you exit the pose. So during the class my maximum heart rate will get up to about 150-155, but my average heart rate over the entire class is only about 105-110. I burn about 250-300 cals in a 75 minute class - which is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but if I ran for 75 minutes I'd be burning about 700 cals because I would be *sustaining* that heart rate throughout the entire workout.

Sweet_Potato

3. I don't own a HRM but my heart rate DEFINITELY gets up there when I do bikram. In that respect it's probably equivalent to aerobics or running.

I don't do bikram, but I do wear my heart rate monitor while I do yoga (ashtanga/vinyasa, so similar pose styles as bikram minus the oppressive heat). The problem is that yes, your heart rate does go up when you do a pose, but it will immediately come back down as soon as you exit the pose. So during the class my maximum heart rate will get up to about 150-155, but my average heart rate over the entire class is only about 105-110. I burn about 250-300 cals in a 75 minute class - which is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but if I ran for 75 minutes I'd be burning about 700 cals because I would be *sustaining* that heart rate throughout the entire workout.

That's my point-- when you're doing it in heat your heart rate is consistently much higher. Also, I don't know how you do it but we don't have any breaks between poses.

agthorn

3. I don't own a HRM but my heart rate DEFINITELY gets up there when I do bikram. In that respect it's probably equivalent to aerobics or running.

I don't do bikram, but I do wear my heart rate monitor while I do yoga (ashtanga/vinyasa, so similar pose styles as bikram minus the oppressive heat). The problem is that yes, your heart rate does go up when you do a pose, but it will immediately come back down as soon as you exit the pose. So during the class my maximum heart rate will get up to about 150-155, but my average heart rate over the entire class is only about 105-110. I burn about 250-300 cals in a 75 minute class - which is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but if I ran for 75 minutes I'd be burning about 700 cals because I would be *sustaining* that heart rate throughout the entire workout.

That's my point-- when you're doing it in heat your heart rate is consistently much higher. Also, I don't know how you do it but we don't have any breaks between poses.

Calorie burn is actually a function of METs (Metabolic Equivalent of a Task) and is roughly correlated with heart rate, but heart rate can be artificially increased without a corresponding increase in METs at higher temperatures. Your BMR can increase with an increase in *internal temperature* - i.e. a fever, or prolonged heat exposure, but a hot yoga class isn't going to increase your internal temperature much because your body has compensating mechanisms like sweating. Your body will react much more slowly to an increase in temperature compared to a decrease in temperature, where you will actually increase your caloric burn immediately as your body generates additional heat to maintain your internal temperature. Think of it as opening a faucet (sweating, a passive mechanism, where most of the cooling effect comes from evaporation) versus a fireplace (that is actively burning fuel to generate heat). Same thing when you're sitting in a sauna - you'd increase your BMR if you sat in there for a lengthy period of time, but that's highly dangerous.

Also, I didn't say "breaks between poses" - but unless you're holding one pose for 75 minutes you are going to be transitioning and your heart rate will slow during the transition.

Here's the bikram sequence, 26 poses x 2: http://www.bikramyogaredmond.com/poses.aspx
Here's the ashtanga sequence, 72 poses after the opening rounds of surya namaskars plus vinyasas between many of the postures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/louisebest/5345895443/

Mtnchk1

Thank you Agthorn!

I was hoping someone was going to apply some science to this thread! Also it should be noted that while heat may temporarily increase your heart rate, it likewise most often reduces your metabolic rate, hence, you may feel sleepy. If you truly want to turn up the caloric burn whilst just "setting" (really? spell check) ~ sitting, you should in actuality turn the thermostat DOWN! In addition to tuning up that body in the first place....a fit body burns more calories at rest than a sedentary one - ie: muscle rests at a higher metabolic rate than adipose tissue, which really is just an energy store, therefore burns nothing at rest.

Ref the bikram yoga - the purpose for the heat is to soften the connective tissue for ease of achieving some of the poses, Not for higher caloric burn. Hmmm, less work should = less caloric burn, logically.

Therefore, caloric burn while sitting in a sauna should = LESS than caloric burn of sitting on the couch.