Can Anyone Answer My Question About Using a Sauna?
I have asked this a couple of times and I always get the same answer… ‘everything you lose is just water-weight’
But what I want to know does it burn calories? During my rest/stretch periods at the gym, will I burn more calories sitting in a sauna than i would sitting on a bench? or if i were to spend an extra 30 minutes in the sauna rather than sitting at home on the couch. If it does burn more calories does anybody know how much more effective it is?
I don’t care about how much weight i lose in the sauna, i know it is just water weight… I just want to know about the calories burnt in the sauna. Thanks
Many sauna manufacturers promote the calorie burning effects of saunas. Although this often figures largly into their marketing and advertisements, the verdict is out on how many calories are actually burned in a single sauna session. Some reports show that a single 30 minute sauna session can burn between 300 and 500 calories.
The logic behind saunas and burning calories is that the increased heat causes the body to increase blood flow making the heart work harder. The heat also causes the body to cool itself through sweating, which also burns energy or consumes calories. Although, it is true that these effects will use energy and cause the body to burn calories, most of the weight loss that people notice when partaking in a sauna bath is from water loss. Water weight loss is quickly regained once you rehydrate.
Although the heat of a sauna will increase the amount of energy and calories burned, most of the weight loss provided by saunas is water, and not caused by burning calories.
Here read some of the articles about this topic:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_the_use_of_saunas_burn_calories
http://tuberose.com/Sweating.html
http://www.diethealthclub.com/calories-burned/calories-burnt-in-sauna.html
You dont burn calories in a Sauna. All you do is sweat. In order to burn calories you have to have a high heart rate for extended time. No calories burnt in the sauna though
Yes, you will burn calories in the sauna because your body is certainly exerting energy. You burn calories throughout the entire day (sleeping, sitting in boring meetings, etc.), and the sauna is causing the body to work harder, thus using more energy. Oh, yeah, and you lose water weight too!
Edit: I should note, however, that the calories you burn in the sauna do nothing for your cardiovascular health, strength, or endurance.