Calories burned in a Saunas

erickirb

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!

THANKYOU!!!! Exactly my point. :flowerforyou: I've always heard (yes from some professionals) RUN in the cold as you burn so many more cals just trying to keep your body warm.

This elevated HR is due to a different physiological response then when doing cardio, so if you use a HRM to calculate cals burned in a sauna you will over estimate as part of the equation the HRM uses assumes a certain oxygen uptake, that will not occur while you are in a sauna.

Maybe add 10-20% more cals then you burn at rest so if you burn 1.5 cal/min at rest in the sauna you most likely will only burn 1.7 to 1.8/minute, so after 30 minutes you would only burn 9 ((1.8-5) *30) more cal then you would have have you not used the sauna (1.2-1) *30. This 9 is what you would put into MFP as it already accounts for the other 1.5 cals/min when providing you your daily caloric intake.

BrettPGH

You know how you can tell when someone's giving bad information? When they say "I wish people on this site were more supportive!"


Or you can keep sitting in heat or cold and hope to trick your body into burning a whopping 6 calories. Seriously it's better to just get moving and burn it yourself. If heat = weightloss everyone in warmer climates would be thin. If cold = weightloss everyone in cold climates would be thin.

Monitor calories in vs. calories out and you'll lose weight. That's what MFP is for.

CaptainGordo

You're right you do burn some calories. It can't hurt and if you enjoy it than what the hell.

The human body is always burning calories, even while sleeping. Sitting in a sauna will burn as many calories as sitting on the couch at home in front of the television.

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)

CaptainGordo

It's like youga when you just do plain yoga you burn less calories than hot yoga ( I've never done it myself)
However my cousin who is a stewardess swears by it and she has to stay n shape she's been doing yoga for over 10years and just started hot yoga about 1.5 years ago and notices the difference.

It's the yoga that is burning calories, not the heat.

CaptainGordo

Don't let people discourage you just make exercise as enjoyable as you can.

Nobody is trying to be discouraging. Rather, they trying to be helpful. Overestimating your calorie burn will throw off your nutrition goals, and could cause you to go over your recommended calorie intake and undermine any weight loss efforts.

Do you want the truth, or not? What is more helpful?

mrmanmeat

Wow quite the responses you've had!I don't know the answer but you're question is a good one and I assume you're probably looking for different answers than before. As far as celery goes I was told by a nutritionist, that eating it helps because you burn more calories digesting and chewing than the celery itself is !

You're right you do burn some calories. It can't hurt and if you enjoy it than what the hell.
It's like youga when you just do plain yoga you burn less calories than hot yoga ( I've never done it myself)
However my cousin who is a stewardess swears by it and she has to stay n shape she's been doing yoga for over 10years and just started hot yoga about 1.5 years ago and notices the difference.

Don't let people discourage you just make exercise as enjoyable as you can.
Nice picture I wish I had the confidence to post one.

Sitting in a sauna is not exercise.

camillehardeman

Without knowing any science of it, I'd say if you are just sitting around you probably aren't burning any calories. I enjoy saunas occasionally, and there are plenty of health benefits to saunas but burning calories isn't one of them. The only way to burn 900 calories is to get moving!

erickirb

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.

Don't forget too that your HRM gives you total calories burned, not just the extra burned from exercise, when you take that into account (you have to back out maintenance cals for that amount of time) the cals to enter into MFP would be even lower. If you burn 1.25 cals/min based on maintenance that would be 94 in 75 minutes so you would take your 300 and minus 94 and enter 206 into MFP as cals burned from exercise as the other 94 you would have burned anyway had you not done yoga, and is already included in your daily caloric allotment on MFP.

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.

Don't forget too that your HRM gives you total calories burned, not just the extra burned from exercise, when you take that into account (you have to back out maintenance cals for that amount of time) the cals to enter into MFP would be even lower. If you burn 1.25 cals/min based on maintenance that would be 94 in 75 minutes so you would take your 300 and minus 94 and enter 206 into MFP as cals burned from exercise as the other 94 you would have burned anyway had you not done yoga, and is already included in your daily caloric allotment on MFP.

My polar instructions didn't say anything about backing out maintenance calories, and I've been doing fine just far recording the number that the HRM gives me.

Kvicki

Hi
I am Finnish Canadian and I cannot say enough about the benefits of a Sauna. In our culture Sauna is a meeting place, a place of comfort, a place of relaxation, a bathing place, I can go on and on. In Finland the Sauna is a social gathering place. I know for myself that a good hot wood burning Sauna can help with all those aches and pains associated with working out and there is nothing more invigorating than a jump in an ice cold lake afterwards. So in defense of the Sauna ( a true Finnish Sauna is wood burning and stinking hot) you people have it all wrong!

BrettPGH

Hi
I am Finnish Canadian and I cannot say enough about the benefits of a Sauna. In our culture Sauna is a meeting place, a place of comfort, a place of relaxation, a bathing place, I can go on and on. In Finland the Sauna is a social gathering place. I know for myself that a good hot wood burning Sauna can help with all those aches and pains associated with working out and there is nothing more invigorating than a jump in an ice cold lake afterwards. So in defense of the Sauna ( a true Finnish Sauna is wood burning and stinking hot) you people have it all wrong!

I agree with you on all those points. I love a good steam followed by a cold shower. And sometimes you can have a nice chat with the old dudes who hang around the steam rooms.

But it still doesn't burn calories, not enough to bother with.

pretty_ribbons

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:

Thankyou also for wording it that way...lol..this is what I was thinking. I really wish it could be more postive on this site instead of trying to...gosh i can't even find the right words. Just been ecouraging for goodness sakes.

^^^^ yup, its a question guys, wtf are you replying as if someone sat you in a sauna and force fed you lard *rolls eyes* it is not cool

kerriBB37

I'm pretty sure that sitting in a hot sauna for more than ten minutes becomes dangerous to one's health. All you're doing is sweating in a sauna. If anything you're losing water weight by sweating and also you're doing wonders for your skin, opening the pores and such. As for burning calories, I wish it were true, but I'm pretty sure you don't lose any extra calories by sweating.

My father sits in his infrared sauna 7 days a week for 60 minutes each session. I sit in either that one or my steam sauna for 45-60 minuts 4-5x a week post workouts.

For the record, I never count my sauna time in my calorie burns for the days. In addition to strength training 2-3x a week, I trained for and completed 2 half marathons in 2011 and lost over 30 pounds in the process. I attribute none of that success to the sauna, but I sure to enjoy sitting in it after a long, hard workout!

erickirb

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.

Don't forget too that your HRM gives you total calories burned, not just the extra burned from exercise, when you take that into account (you have to back out maintenance cals for that amount of time) the cals to enter into MFP would be even lower. If you burn 1.25 cals/min based on maintenance that would be 94 in 75 minutes so you would take your 300 and minus 94 and enter 206 into MFP as cals burned from exercise as the other 94 you would have burned anyway had you not done yoga, and is already included in your daily caloric allotment on MFP.

My polar instructions didn't say anything about backing out maintenance calories, and I've been doing fine just far recording the number that the HRM gives me.

Call the manufacturer. Polar I know for sure gives total caloric burn, including BMR (I use polar myself), not on top of. I beleive all HRM's do it this way as the manufacturer has no idea you are using a program such as MFP that already allows for maintenance during the time you workout.

CaptainGordo

Hi
I am Finnish Canadian and I cannot say enough about the benefits of a Sauna. In our culture Sauna is a meeting place, a place of comfort, a place of relaxation, a bathing place, I can go on and on. In Finland the Sauna is a social gathering place. I know for myself that a good hot wood burning Sauna can help with all those aches and pains associated with working out and there is nothing more invigorating than a jump in an ice cold lake afterwards. So in defense of the Sauna ( a true Finnish Sauna is wood burning and stinking hot) you people have it all wrong!

Just like a massage, it is can be beneficial to the body, but it does not burn any more calories than sitting in any other room.

CaptainGordo

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:

Thankyou also for wording it that way...lol..this is what I was thinking. I really wish it could be more postive on this site instead of trying to...gosh i can't even find the right words. Just been ecouraging for goodness sakes.

^^^^ yup, its a question guys, wtf are you replying as if someone sat you in a sauna and force fed you lard *rolls eyes* it is not cool

Did anyone say that saunas are bad or could cause one to gain weight? No -- we answered the question. Sitting in a sauna will not help one lose weight.

Beastette

The definition of a (kilo)calorie is the amount of energy it takes to heat 1 g of water 1 degree. Cold actually burns slightly more calories than sitting in a sauna. But you don't have to take my word for it. Take a look, it's in a book.

Sincerely,

Lavar Burton

addisondisease

Saunas are great but won't burn calories. One of my heroes died due to over exposure in a sauna, of course he was using illegal drugs, steroids, and cycling clenbuteral. So moral to the story don't do drugs and use a sauna, do use a sauna with caution.

addisondisease

But you don't have to take my word for it. Take a look, it's in a book.

READING RAINBOW!

CaptainGordo

But you don't have to take my word for it. Take a look, it's in a book.

Sincerely,

Lavar Burton

:laugh: