If you’re wondering “if saunas help you lose weight?”, then you will take into account many factors. Firstly, burning calories is not the same thing as losing water weight. This is what can happen when using the sauna or steam room often.
Extreme heat in a sauna or steam room can have a profound impact on your health and metabolic rate. But this effect may not result in weight loss on its own. There are many health benefits to regular sauna sessions. But to lose weight you would need to consult a dietician or nutritionist. Your weight loss journey will not start and end with sauna bathing. Here are all your questions answered related to using a sauna and how it helps with weight loss.
Can You Lose Weight in a Sauna?
Does Sauna Burn Calories
Regular dry sauna bathing is not a weight loss solution. This is an exaggeration. You may burn some calories in the sauna but it’s not going to make a dent on its own in your weight loss journey.
If it was easy to lose weight by sitting in a sauna for 30 minutes, people will generally not care much to exercise.
It is also an exaggeration to claim that a 30-minute sauna session results in losing 300 to 1000 calories. In reality burning calories at a rate of 14 calories per minute in a sauna is unrealistic.
There is no way that anyone can burn more calories in a sauna or steam room by doing nothing but sitting. The most you would lose while sitting in a sauna is water weight. You can expect that your blood flow circulation will improve in a 30-minute sauna session.
Real calorie loss takes place when you make changes to your diet and lifestyle. Following a consistent, more holistic approach to weight loss is the way to go to burn fat and lose weight. It is best to sustain an effective exercise routine.
How Many Calories Can You Lose in a Sauna?
Because your heart rate increases when sitting in a sauna, there are a tiny bit of calories that you will lose. This is because you are sweating and your body temperature has increased. But, it is mainly water weight. Once you start drinking water again, you will regain the lost water weight.
The intense heat will increase your heart rate but it does nothing to support weight loss. You are burning a few more calories while sitting because of the heat and also due to the increased heart rate. These sweat sessions alone will not cause you to shed any pounds at all.
The few calories you may lose will amount to nothing significant to make a dent in your weight loss journey. This highlights once again to us, that while using a sauna may reduce stress it does not help you lose weight.
Do not think that losing water weight is a health benefit that you gain from using the sauna. It is rather important to ensure that you stay hydrated before and after a sauna session. Failing to stay hydrated could be detrimental to your health. Rather aim to sip water constantly throughout a sauna session.
Does Sauna Burn Fat?
Using a sauna will not burn fat at all. Many people struggle to lose belly fat and seek out any solutions that may be available. As mentioned earlier, some false claims are circulating about losing weight. It is a somewhat distorted marketing narrative to claim that sitting in a sauna will burn fat.
Aim to embrace both exercising and the regular use of the sauna. It is not necessary to cancel one of them out.
Exercising Vs Sauna Benefits for Weight Loss
Exercising elevates your heart rate and gets your muscles working. The flow of oxygen is also improved during a workout to various muscles in your body. Muscles are also strengthened when you exercise. Regular toning will help give you a more defined and healthy shape.
Seek professional medical advice before starting an exercise routine. Following a healthy diet will help you lose weight faster. This is the way to go to support your weight loss journey. Exercising regularly will burn more calories than sitting in a sauna. You will shed pounds in the long run when doing strenuous exercises.
Make your sauna visits part of your post-workout recovery plan. It is a great way to get your blood flow circulating while you relax and enjoy a full-body sweat. The sauna helps with muscle recovery and does reduce tension in your joints. In this way using the steam rooms and sauna helps heal your body.
Should You Use Saunas to Complement Your Weight Loss Journey?
How Can I Use the Sauna to Support Weight Loss?
Using a sauna regularly should complement a healthy lifestyle. It is not designed to make you lose weight but to support your health in other ways.
If you are on a weight loss program then enjoy the other health benefits of sauna sunbathing. It will stimulate your heart to pump more blood per minute as the heart rate increases.
Can Infrared Saunas Make You Lose Weight?
There are claims that weight loss is possible when using an Infrared sauna for weight loss. On the contrary, seeking the assistance of a certified personal trainer may be more beneficial to weight loss than depending on the myth that Infrared saunas will do the work for you.
There are some claims out there that infrared saunas can target your fat cells which will cause you to burn fat and lose weight. These claims are false. Once again, you only stand losing water weight during a session in an infrared sauna. Once again water weight loss is short-term.
Melting of fat does not take place in an infrared sauna. You will once again simply gain relaxation time and enjoy an improved blood flow circulation to all areas of the body. Putting all your eggs into one basket when it comes to losing weight would be a short-sighted decision to make. RELATED: Infrared Sauna Vs Traditional Sauna
Dispelling the Myths of Infrared Saunas
Your metabolic rate will increase when using the infrared sauna because the heart rate increases at the very least. But no weight loss will occur this way if you are depending on this as a long-term solution to weight loss.
There is also a distorted belief that if you sit in the sauna whether infrared or not for up to an hour you will lose 5 pounds. Firstly you shouldn’t sit in a sauna or steam room for longer than 30 minutes. If you do you could end up feeling dehydrated and sick.
Also if you take a chance to sit in a sauna for an hour at a time you will still only lose water weight and not shed pounds as falsely claimed.
Tips for Making the Most of Your Sauna Sessions For The Right Reasons
- Take a shower before using the sauna to ensure you are fresh and your visit will be a hygienic session in the sauna
- Always consider others who are also using the sauna to relax and detox their bodies by using a towel
- Stay hydrated and sip water during your sauna session
- Do not overstay in a sauna as excessive heat can leave you feeling drained and dehydrated
- For your first sauna session stay in the sauna for 5 to 10 minutes maximum.
- Do not use the sauna for more than 30 minutes at a time to lose weight
- Take a cool shower to cool down after your sauna session and make sure to drink at least a glass of water.
- Get some fresh air in the day or enjoy a good night’s rest after reducing stress and enjoying some relaxation time in the sauna.
- Take care of your well being always
Conclusion
Take your time to find a balanced long-term solution to losing weight. Be wary of marketing narratives that promise quick weight loss fixes.
Make your health choices on lifestyle changes to promote longevity and healthy living. More important than losing weight quickly is to feel healthy and happy from the inside out.