Sauna

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Spoilascanb
Spoilascanb Posts: 40 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been researching the benefits of sitting in a sauna in reference to weight loss. There are benefits stated, but not weight loss benefits. The sauna is a new thing for me. What are your inputs?

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  • clairesimpson4
    clairesimpson4 Posts: 15 Member
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    I have found I'm less sore if I sauna after a workout but that could be psychosomatic.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,069 Member
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    You may find that your heart rate goes up in the sauna, but that doesn't mean you're burning more calories. In a hot atmosphere, heart rate goes up a little to circulate blood more to help with keeping the body core at stable body temperature.

    Saunas feel nice, can be relaxing, may help sore muscles feel better subjectively, but they don't meaningfully increase weight loss.
  • Sinisterbarbie1
    Sinisterbarbie1 Posts: 712 Member
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    If you have no health issues like high blood pressure or heart problems that would suggest they are a bad idea, I think saunas can be a part of a self-care regime after you go to the gym that you use as a reward or motivation to go and work out. They may also be a useful diversion tactic if you are the type of person who eats when you are bored or lonely or anxious - perhaps soothe yourself by going to the gym for a light workout or a stretch class and a sauna.
    I agree that they don’t in and of themselves have weight loss benefits. I think of them more like a spa accessory at the gym if the gym has it.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    While you might experience temporary WATER weight loss, count me as another voice saying saunas have no FAT loss benefits.
  • LPN2RN2021
    LPN2RN2021 Posts: 1 Member
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    I signed up for hotworx gym today. I did the 15min HIT Hot Cycle and a 30min Isometric Hot Yoga workout in their 120 degree sauna room. I will let you know in 90 days if it helps me lose weight. It did help my arthritis in my hands and knees quite a bit.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,069 Member
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    LPN2RN2021 wrote: »
    I signed up for hotworx gym today. I did the 15min HIT Hot Cycle and a 30min Isometric Hot Yoga workout in their 120 degree sauna room. I will let you know in 90 days if it helps me lose weight. It did help my arthritis in my hands and knees quite a bit.

    Exercise will burn extra calories, and that will potentially make it easier to lose weight (you can eat more while achieving the same weight loss rate, or lose a little faster, depending on which is more sensible), as long as you're in a calorie deficit.

    The "hot" part of it doesn't add anything material, from a fat loss/calorie burn standpoint. If you use a heart rate monitor to estimate exercise calories. it's likely to over-estimate calories from any exercise done in hot conditions, and from HIIT done in any conditions. It's probable that a HRM calorie estimate for HIIT done in a hot environment would be impressive . . . and more than likely wrong, sadly.

    I can believe it would help arthritis feel better, which can be worthwhile in itself.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,389 Member
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    LPN2RN2021 wrote: »
    I signed up for hotworx gym today. I did the 15min HIT Hot Cycle and a 30min Isometric Hot Yoga workout in their 120 degree sauna room. I will let you know in 90 days if it helps me lose weight. It did help my arthritis in my hands and knees quite a bit.

    It really won't do anything for weightloss. The only benefit might be that you're more flexible due to the heat. On the downside you might even burn less calories because it's too hot and you're not giving your everything and not going on as long as you'd do with normal temperatures. But on the other hand, yoga doesn't burn a ton of calories to start with, thus ...
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,426 Member
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    LPN2RN2021 wrote: »
    I signed up for hotworx gym today. I did the 15min HIT Hot Cycle and a 30min Isometric Hot Yoga workout in their 120 degree sauna room. I will let you know in 90 days if it helps me lose weight. It did help my arthritis in my hands and knees quite a bit.

    If you’re unused to hot workouts, be very cautious. One of the challenges/benefits/drawbacks of a hot room is that the heat increases flexibility.

    It’s very very easy to overstretch and cause injuries in a hot environment.

    @yirara There are forms of yoga that are very intense and active. I can easily do 60 push-ups in a power flow class, and that’s not including the other parts of the constantly moving sequences. I just started doing HIIT and cardio classes a couple months ago and was surprised to find that they’re just fast yoga moves. I was dreading doing burpees since everyone bellyaches about them and was astonished to discover they’re just chatarunga jumpbacks with a frog leap tacked on.
  • Sinisterbarbie1
    Sinisterbarbie1 Posts: 712 Member
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    Regarding burpees - the main problem imho is that they are done emphasizing speed or quantity over quality without any attention to proper form and with a lot of jumping/bouncing thrown in so more opportunities for injuries than when doing chattaranga
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    LPN2RN2021 wrote: »
    I signed up for hotworx gym today. I did the 15min HIT Hot Cycle and a 30min Isometric Hot Yoga workout in their 120 degree sauna room. I will let you know in 90 days if it helps me lose weight. It did help my arthritis in my hands and knees quite a bit.
    yirara wrote: »
    It really won't do anything for weightloss. The only benefit might be that you're more flexible due to the heat. On the downside you might even burn less calories because it's too hot and you're not giving your everything and not going on as long as you'd do with normal temperatures. But on the other hand, yoga doesn't burn a ton of calories to start with, thus ...

    Take an Ashtanga class and get back to me about yoga and calories ;)

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