The indoor home sauna is currently at the forefront of wellness and weight loss trends, and with good reason. With their positive effects on heart health, circulation, lung health, and the immune system, they have broad application as health and weight loss devices.
Upon reading this, you may begin to wonder how to use a sauna for weight loss. If you have questions about how your sauna can help you transform into a fitter, healthier you, or concerns about how to lose weight in a sauna in a healthy way, this article is here to answer them.
Using your sauna for timed sessions on a regular basis can help you lose weight gradually. But unless you combine your sauna sessions with a healthy lifestyle, diet, and exercise regime, you will not see results – no sauna can out-train a bad lifestyle.
If you combine your sauna routine with a healthy diet but no exercise, you will not see dramatic, life-changing results right away. However, you will notice that your body begins to make healthy changes over time, and you will slowly shed the unwanted weight.
If you incorporate the full spectrum, including diet, lifestyle, and exercise, into your sauna routine, you will notice that your workouts will become easier, your cardiovascular health will improve, and the few extra calories you shed in the sauna will be boosted by the improved lifestyle, leading to the loss of the extra pounds.
Even being less stressed will help your body get rid of extra weight, as stress causes toxins to be released into your system, and toxins are a huge factor in many people’s weight gain. There’s nothing better than a sauna for stress relief and relaxation, and they help with detoxification.
It may take some time for you to notice how your sauna helps your body heal and rejuvenate, which it will be able to do at a faster rate than it would on its own. Here are a few ways to use a sauna for weight loss and health goals:
Using a sauna causes the muscles to relax, which is very helpful for people with a good workout routine, as it helps them get back to the gym sooner and experience less muscle pain and stiffness.
Working out with a refreshed, rejuvenated body creates the best results, allowing you to work out for longer periods and with more intensity. In fact, an excellent way to combine the advantages of a regular workout with the benefits of the sauna is to do hot yoga in your home sauna.
Here are a few other ways your workouts will improve thanks to your sessions in the sauna:
Your breathing capacity increases, allowing your lungs to hold in more air for longer periods of time.
The overall function of your respiratory system strengthens.
Sauna use causes your blood vessels to dilate, which results in increased blood flow.
Dozens of scientific studies have proven that weight loss and high levels of stress are linked to one another. Here are some ways in which high stress levels make weight loss more difficult:
Stress may cause you to eat more, increasing your caloric intake and leading to weight gain.
When stressed, your cortisol levels are higher, and high levels of glucocorticoids have been directly linked to the production of fat cells.
Higher cortisol levels also equate to higher insulin levels, which lower your blood sugar. As a result, your body craves unhealthy foods.
High-stress situations make falling asleep more difficult, and good sleep is essential for weight loss.
A lack of sleep causes your body to produce more ghrelin, a hormone that lets your body know when it is time to eat. You also produce less leptin, which is the hormone that tells your body when you’re full.
Your autonomic nervous system gives off sympathetic dominance when you are in high-stress situations. Even in circumstances that are not stressful, your body releases small amounts of adrenaline and cortisol. For example, when you wake up to an alarm clock or hear a horn while driving in traffic, you may get a brief fright that causes your body to release stress hormones.
Shifting your body from high alert back to normal can be difficult on your own, especially if you are under a lot of stress from work, relationships, or financial concerns.
If your body stays in stress mode, your cells will not be able to regenerate properly.
The lowered health of your cells will make it difficult for your body to turn your food into the energy you need to go about your daily life.
Regular sauna sessions will help you to bring down your stress levels in a few ways. For example:
Your energy conversion rate will improve, helping you to use up extra calories much faster.
The home sauna is a perfect place for meditation, because it encourages uninterrupted moments of reflection.
Many sauna add-ons, such as the Himalayan Salt Wall Panel, further enhance the stress relieving properties of your home sauna.
Having your own sauna gives you time to relax without any interruptions or distractions from the outside world.
Endorphins are released during relaxing sauna sessions, contributing to feelings of happiness and peace.
During your sauna sessions, tension and feelings of discomfort will be released.
Whether it is in the food we eat, the makeup we wear, or any number of other everyday substances we encounter, we are constantly exposed to a variety of toxins. Harmful heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, and cadmium may even find their way into your bloodstream.
In our modern world, most average day-to-day routines do not require us to expend a lot of energy, so we need to find ways to produce sweat to release some of these toxins. Here’s how detoxing helps you lose weight:
Helps the body to burn fat more efficiently.
Increases your energy levels.
Clears up the lymphatic system.
Scientific studies show that when you relax in your sauna, your body experiences similar effects to a moderate workout. Your heart rate and core temperature increase, causing a rise in the speed of your metabolism.
Here’s how this increase in metabolism will help you lose weight: Due to the increase in temperature, your body starts working to regulate your core temperature, which, in turn, increases your heart rate by up to 30%. This increase in heart rate boosts your metabolism both during and after your session, helping you to burn more calories than you normally would at rest.
Of the different types of saunas available, an infrared sauna is the best option to help you lose weight. There are many options to choose from, and you should consider how many people will regularly use the sauna. If you plan on relaxing alone or only with your spouse, you may want to choose a smaller sauna like the Health Mate Renew 2-Person Infrared Sauna.
If you want to be able to include the whole family or a few friends in some of your sessions, you should opt for a slightly larger version, like the Golden Designs Bergamo 4-Person Low EMF Far Infrared Sauna. If you enjoy the heat and the possibility of steam offered by the traditional sauna, but you want an infrared sauna for weight loss, consider a hybrid sauna, such as the Almost Heaven Newport 4-Person Hybrid Sauna for the best of both worlds.
Here’s how an infrared sauna may be able to help you get rid of those unwanted extra pounds:
If you have tried to diet and exercise, but had unsatisfactory results, you may want to consider having your endocrine system checked, as it could be a contributing factor to your weight issues. Your endocrine system houses your adrenal, pituitary, thyroid, and parathyroid glands, which are also responsible for keeping your metabolism intact.
When you have excess fat on your stomach or lower back regions, there is a chance that changing your exercise and eating habits will not be as effective as it is for other people, due to problems with your endocrine system.
If this sounds familiar, a far-infrared sauna could be the key to achieving your long-term weight loss goals. This is because of a far-infrared sauna's ability to aid your body in producing more mitochondria. Mitochondria are the organelles that give your cells the power they need to operate.
Here’s how it works: The infrared waves created by your sauna penetrate your body during each therapeutic session, boosting the function of your mitochondria. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production increases as well, making it easier for your body to convert energy as needed. With the increase in your metabolism and the decrease in stress hormones, your endocrine system begins to heal.
The quickest and easiest way to shed some pounds using a sauna is by getting rid of water weight. While you sweat during your sauna session, your body’s normal water weight will reduce. When entering a sauna properly hydrated, you could lose up to 5 pounds of water weight in one sitting.
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Remember that this is simply a quick fix, and does not mean that you have lost any of your body’s excess fat. As your hydration levels return to normal, so will the water weight. This is essential for your health, and it is never advisable to play around with dehydrating your body for too long or too often.
Here are a few scenarios in which losing some water weight in your sauna could greatly benefit you in the short term:
As an athlete, you could lose some water weight for weigh-in purposes.
If you happen to have an event coming up, losing water weight may help you to fit into your chosen outfit.
If your career has weight requirements for appearance or agility purposes, as with modeling or air hostessing, getting rid of a few pounds overnight can be very beneficial.
You can also lose water weight for insurance purposes.
Despite the few beneficial uses mentioned above, it is important to note that allowing your body’s natural level of hydration to dip can be dangerous if not quickly brought back to normal after your event or weigh-in.
Dehydration is very bad for the body, and using a sauna without replenishing the water you lose during a session could lead to headaches, dizziness, and fatigue within a few hours. If you continue to deprive yourself of water, you will begin to lose strength, stamina, and even muscle mass, and you may upset your body’s natural balance of minerals.
Before you begin using your sauna for weight loss, you should always consider your own health and safety. Here are 3 tips to help you properly care for your body before, during, and after each session:
Using your sauna after your workout is ideal, but using it before your exercise session could cause your body harm.
You could experience dehydration or hyponatremia because of too much fluid loss.
Your muscles may become strained, causing injury.
You could become dizzy, or even end up fainting.
Your body becomes very relaxed during a sauna session, which would make jumping straight into an intense workout very difficult.
As mentioned earlier, using your sauna will cause you to lose water weight. While you sweat, you release toxins through your pores, but also important minerals, which is why proper hydration is essential.
Drink a full glass of water before you enter the sauna.
Electrolyte-rich sports drinks, like Powerade or Gatorade, can help you rehydrate and replace lost electrolytes.
If you do not drink enough fluids, you could put your body at risk of dehydration.
Without enough water, your body cannot perform the simple processes that help you function.
You could also experience hyponatremia (lack of sodium in your bloodstream) if you are not properly hydrated.
You wouldn’t attempt to run a 5K marathon without proper training and preparation, and the same goes for time spent in the sauna. The goal is to gradually increase the length of time that your body is able to tolerate the high temperatures.
If you are brand new to the sauna, start with a short, 5-minute session, especially if your body is sensitive to heat.
If it goes well, work your way up to two or three 15 to 20 minute sessions a week.
As the feel of the sauna becomes familiar to your body, you can work up to enjoying daily sessions, which will eventually become easy and enjoyable.
Your comfort level matters most, and tolerance varies from person to person.
In short, using a sauna for weight loss can be a helpful tool. Not only will you be able to work out longer and harder, but your stress levels will be lower as well. Less stress makes losing weight much easier. If you are looking for a quick way to lose weight, you can shed up to five pounds of water weight by sweating in the sauna for one session.
Your sauna will also help you drop extra pounds through detoxification and a faster metabolism. The best type of sauna to help you lose weight fast is the infrared sauna. It boosts your endocrine system and promotes mitochondria production in your cells. For a safe, healthy session, remember to use your sauna after, rather than before a workout. Drink plenty of fluids, and gradually increase the length of time you spend in your sauna.
