sauna Vs calories

_Jessica_
_Jessica_ Posts: 216 Member
edited September 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
So I went to the sauna today and in the information it says that 30 minutes in the sauna i s like doing a 6 mile run or burning 600 calories to your cardiovascular system... so.... can I count that as excercise??

Chubby Bunny

Replies

  • cmw9696
    cmw9696 Posts: 123
    I wouldn't...in actuality, it is just sweat/water. You didn't move any muscles doing it. You sat there and sweat. I have an infrared sauna in my home. I like it alot, but its not a work out. I really like it when I have a cold to sweat the toxins out.
  • StacLegg
    StacLegg Posts: 346 Member
    bump ~ this is interesting!!!!!!!!!!!!! :ohwell:
  • StacLegg
    StacLegg Posts: 346 Member
    how often should you sit in a sauna? and should you sit in it right after a work out?
  • carl1738
    carl1738 Posts: 444 Member
    No. Sitting on your *kitten* in a hot room is not exercise. You may, indeed, have sweated off a couple of pounds of water weight, but I highly doubt that you burned a whole lot of calories. That's my opinion, anyways.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    I sit in it after I finish my cardio, while I'm exercising, my heart rate is up around 130. Perfect for me for fat burning. When I go into the sauna, my heart rate stays arounds 100bpm. That's a elevation from normal resting, because when I'm just sitting, my heart rate is 55-60 bpm. So the sauna does burn calories, but won't help you add muscle.

    I try to stay in as long as I can...usually around 15-20 min is all I can do.
  • cvpopkern
    cvpopkern Posts: 7
    Just make sure you are hydrated or take in a bottle of water with you!
  • sarahsmom1
    sarahsmom1 Posts: 1,501 Member
    I think once you rehydrate that water weight is back. Its only sweat
  • cmw9696
    cmw9696 Posts: 123
    it can be a good cardio workout, because your heart is pumping as it tries to stabilize your body temp with the sauna heat. I like to sit in it after a work out, because it makes my muscles feel nice and warm after working hard. Kind of like getting in a hot tub or taking a really warm bath. Think of how your heart feels when you take a warm bath. It is pumping, you may even "sweat" if the water is really warm...but you wouldn't count that as a work out would you?
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    i don't count it as a workout, but I do know I'm burning "extra" calories (above and beyond what I'd burn if I just left the gym) so I think of that as a bonus burn. I don't eat those back, and I don't imagine they're adding up to a huge amount, but it's something I like to do, and you said it just right, it feels nice.
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