WEIGHT LOSS
| Table of Contents |
|---|
| 1. Introduction |
| 2. How heat therapy helps you to lose weight 2.1 Increased cardiac output (like when you exercise) 2.2 Burn up to 600 calories per session |
| 3. Conclusion |
Introduction
Of all the benefits attributed to sauna use and other types of heat therapy, there is perhaps nothing more hotly debated (see the pun there?) than the benefit of weight loss.
With so many gimmicks out there promising an easy solution to weight loss, it is no wonder people are cynical about this benefit. The statement you will likely hear from the cynics is that "any weight you lose from a sauna is just going to be water weight and you will put it straight back on".
Well, this is partly true. You will lose water weight as your body sweats out an average of 1 pound of sweat during a 60-minute session in the Heat Healer, but this is not the only thing going on and there is more happening that will help you to lose weight beyond just the water weight.
During a sauna session like that experienced with the Heat Healer, your body will burn up to 600 calories and through this process, real long-lasting weight loss can be achieved.
To see this in action, watch the experience of fitness YouTuber Will Tennyson who documented himself using an infrared sauna every day for 10 days, whilst recording the results, including the weight that he had lost by the end of the 10 day experiment.
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Increased cardiac output (like when you exercise)
When you use a sauna or a heat therapy device like the Heat Healer, it has the physiological effect of increasing your core body temperature from 37°C (98.6°F, or normal body temperature) to 39°C (102.2°F). In response to your core body temperature rising, your cardiac output increase as your heart works harder to pump blood and oxygen throughout the body and towards your skin. This is similar to what you experience when you are doing rigorous exercise.
This increase in cardiac output was confirmed in a clinical study conducted by the Institute of Sport Science in Berlin and published in the International Journal of Complementary Therapies in Medicine, which found that the level of cardiac output exerted during a sauna session was on par with that experienced whilst doing moderate exercising.
The studies author, Dr Sascha Ketelhut concluded that:
"A sauna session is a physical strain. Its long-term positive effects are similar to sports activities."
This conclusion was established after monitoring 19 participants who alternated between using a sauna and then on separate days using an exercise bike whilst having their blood pressure and heart rate monitored.
Further reading:
Burn up to 600 calories per session
As described above, heat therapy (like sauna use) can be a mimetic for exercise and has a similar effect on cardiac output, which means that just like when you exercise, when you have a sauna session, your body is also going to burn calories. This is what leads to the longer term weight loss.
These weight loss benefits were confirmed in a study conducted by Binghamton University in New York, with the results summarized below:
Phase One (16 week study):
Participants were exposed 3 times per week for a 45 minute infrared sauna at 110 degrees for 16 weeks. Compliance ranged from a low of 12 sessions completed to 45 sessions.
Participants who had high compliance (used the sauna regularly) had a greater loss in body fat. Participants measured up to a 4% drop in body fat over the four months. However, interestingly, those that came in late in the day or evening lost significantly more body fat than those using the sauna in the morning. The change in body fat was confirmed by measurements of serum glucose levels.
Phase Two (8 week study):
Participants were exposed 5 times per week for a 30 minute infrared sauna at 110 degrees after 3pm. On average, the study subjects lost about 0. 5% body fat per week totaling approximately 4% over 8 weeks. This resulted in approximately twice the rate of fat loss as compared to Phase 1 (8 weeks vs. 16 weeks).
Further reading:
Conclusion
None of the benefits of heat therapy are going to be more contentious than weight loss. The science however is starting to become clear and it is not just water weight that you are going to lose. You are going to burn real calories and this is going to lead to real weight loss.
The Heal Healer has been designed to deliver all the same benefits you would expect from a typical infrared sauna, only experienced in the privacy and convenience of your own home.
If you have any questions, jump over to our contact us page and we will be happy to respond to you directly.