Sauna and bathhouse for weight loss. Dangerous or useful?

Do you know how to lose 2-3 kilograms without torturing yourself with hunger and exercise? And in addition, get soft and velvety skin? It's very simple - you just need to steam it thoroughly. It’s even better to visit the bathhouse or sauna regularly.

“Sauna therapy” sessions improve health, normalize metabolic processes, help lose weight and get rid of orange peel. You just need to steam wisely. We’ll talk about the basic rules of bath therapy: how many calories are burned in a bath and how a bath helps against cellulite – in this article.

Attention!

Energy consumption for sweating

The secretion of sweat by the sweat glands occurs constantly.
A person produces from 300 to 1000 ml of sweat per day. Why do we sweat? Of course, cool the body. In other words, force it to waste energy (thermal) that has been produced and is not needed at the moment. Heat is produced as a “side effect” during the work of muscles, internal organs, digestion, and metabolism. And if the body temperature rises above a narrow permissible limit, then with the help of sweating the body returns it to normal. It has been established that 0.58 kcal of energy must be spent to evaporate 1 g of water.

Burning calories in the bathhouse and sauna

It would seem so great - you just need to increase sweating and the body will spend energy on sweat evaporation and here it is, the desired weight loss.
However, do not rush to fall into the trap and think about it. Sweat helps the body get rid of heat that is produced by muscles, internal organs or metabolic processes. But sweat itself does not produce this heat and in no way increases the body’s energy costs. Let us emphasize this again: sweat is a way to dissipate excess heat into the environment. This method only works when water can evaporate, that is, at low air humidity. In a bath or sauna, the body heats up not due to internal energy-consuming processes, but due to the absorption of heat from the environment. This absorption does not require any energy expenditure. Then there are 2 options:

1. If the humidity in the bathhouse is high, then the evaporation of water (sweat) practically does not occur; the secreted sweat simply drains and does not waste energy, does not help the body cool down.
2. If the air is dry, sweat will evaporate, helping the body release the heat it received from the environment. In this case, the body will produce a little less sweat than in the first case and critical overheating will not occur longer.

In both options, there can be no talk of any increase in energy consumption or fat burning. On the contrary, muscles relax and metabolism slows down.

Finnish, Russian or Japanese – which pair to choose?

H2_3 Dry hot air accelerates metabolism more significantly than a steam room due to higher temperatures and active sweating. In one visit to a dry sauna you can get rid of 3 kg of excess fluid. But the Russian steam room is not inferior. In addition, anti-cellulite massage with a bath broom works wonders. So which bathhouse should you go to? Let's look for the answer together.

Finnish sauna

A traditional Finnish sauna will greet you with 80-100 °C and dry air. You sweat here very profusely; in just 10-15 minutes you can lose up to 1.5 liters of fluid. Do not use brooms in the sauna; at this temperature you can easily get burns.

However, recently the harsh Finns have softened the conditions in the saunas. Now here you can find a bucket of water to humidify the air. So steaming is no longer so dry and hot. In the meantime, you will rest quietly on the shelf, your body will warm up well, your skin will begin to breathe through the enlarged pores, becoming saturated with oxygen, and your blood will flow more actively. The accelerated lymph will remove decay products and other toxins from the skin cells, swelling will disappear, the hips, buttocks and waist will visually become smaller, and along with them the signs of cellulite. Session duration is up to 1-1.5 hours.

Russian bath

Although the temperature in a Russian bath is lower - about 55-70 °C, sitting in a steam room is much more difficult due to the high humidity. Hot steam prevents the evaporation of sweat, and heat exchange occurs more slowly. At the same time, the subcutaneous layer heats up very well, which makes metabolism faster.

Be sure to use a broom! This procedure will give beauty to your skin: an oak broom speeds up metabolism, a currant broom smoothes cellulite, and a birch broom makes oily skin cleaner. But it is better to refrain from traditional dousing with cold water or diving into the pool. Such a shake-up mobilizes the body's defenses, but is completely unsuitable for weight loss. Cold water turns off sweating, and we don't need that. Session duration is up to 2 hours.

Turkish bath

If you cannot tolerate Russian and Finnish baths, visit a Turkish hammam. The temperature here is only 45-50 °C. Inside the steam room, as a rule, everything is made of stone - from the walls to the benches. But don’t be afraid to catch a cold: the marble is heated, and the thick steam warms up the body perfectly. Traditional massage with soap foam, peeling and wrapping will restore strength, add attractiveness and get rid of cellulite.

Japanese bath

The Japanese bathhouse – ofuro – can be called exotic. Essentially this is a large barrel with a fire under it. The body is immersed in hot water up to the shoulders, and this has its advantage: it is easier to breathe, since the head is outside the bath. At the same time, the body warms up perfectly and loses toxins. There is no need to worry about being boiled alive. Modern Japanese saunas are equipped with thermal insulation; water is constantly circulated and heated.

Infrared sauna

Another Japanese invention. In such a bath you will not find the usual steam and heat. The temperature in the cabin is very pleasant - only 45-65 °C. The body is warmed up by infrared rays, and they do it so intensely that after just 5 minutes you begin to sweat profusely, getting rid of extra pounds and cellulite. But precisely because of such fast action, it is difficult to recognize overheating in time. It is not recommended to stay in an infrared sauna for longer than 20-30 minutes.

The harm of losing weight using baths and saunas

Between 55% and 80% of an adult's body weight is water.
On average 73.2%. Different tissues have different water content. The least amount is in adipose tissue – only 10%. Therefore, the higher the degree of obesity, the lower the percentage of water from total body weight, and the faster each lost kg of water will lead to a state of dehydration. And the first blow will be right in the heart. Not figuratively, but in the most literal sense. With large losses of water, the blood thickens, and the heart is forced to do very hard work.

With sweat, a person loses not only water, but also creatine, chlorides, sodium, potassium, calcium, organic substances, microelements, and vitamins. If water and other elements are not replenished as soon as possible, a violation of the water-salt balance will occur.

Water is a necessary element for all processes to take place. It is not only a solvent for inorganic substances, but also a medium in which metabolic processes occur. Water is also included in the composition of tissues. So 1 gram of glycogen contains 1.5 ml of water, and 1 g of protein contains 3 ml of water. If there is a lack of water, most processes cannot proceed normally.

Especially noticeable are the disturbances that occur in the gastrointestinal tract (constipation occurs), the cardiovascular system (heartbeat increases), and the central nervous system (irritability appears, sleep is disturbed). The person also feels weakness, muscle cramps, and it is difficult to force himself to do anything. Possible pain and discomfort under the right ribs. These are signals from the liver about disturbances occurring in its work.

Unfortunately, many do not take these signals into account and, showing willpower, continue what they think is weight loss. Such inattention to oneself can lead to much more serious metabolic disorders, which are not always reversible.

How to lose weight using baths and saunas

As a rule, people go to the sauna after training.
This is due to the relaxing effect. But if you are trying to lose weight, then low-intensity aerobic training after visiting a sauna (bathhouse) will be effective. Such training will cause catabolic processes in the muscles with intense destruction and use of fat. If you decide to resort to this method of losing weight, then you need to remember that before you give yourself physical activity, you need to restore the water and minerals lost through sweat. During a short stay in the sauna, it is enough to drink mineral water for these purposes.

But remember that fat contains a lot of energy, namely 1 kg of fat contains 7800 kcal. An hour-long workout will make you burn from 300 to 700 kcal. Even if the body takes all the necessary energy from fat reserves, this will be expressed in a change in body weight of 50-100 g. The sensitivity of most scales does not allow you to measure such a small change in body weight, which means you may not even notice the effect of one workout with the usual weighing . In this case, weight loss due to water loss in the sauna is much more pleasing - immediately minus 500 g, and sometimes even 1-1.5 kg can be lost. The choice is up to you. What do you want: burn fat and stay healthy or enjoy self-deception?

Calorie consumption for various activities

The body requires different amounts of energy for different activities.

Cardio loads

One of the most energy-intensive types of physical activity is aerobic exercise. When they are performed, the heartbeat quickens and the pulse increases, which accelerates the consumption of kilocalorie units (kcal).

You can calculate how many calories are burned when your heart rate increases using the formula: 0.014 × body weight × training time × (0.12 × heart rate during training - 7).

Or you can use the Active Calories fitness app, designed specifically for the Apple Watch. The smart device monitors heart rate, distance traveled, speed, and blood pressure. It makes it easy to determine calorie expenditure for various activities that increase your heart rate.

Cardio loads

Swimming in the pool

When swimming, all the muscles of the body are used, which increases energy expenditure. When performing different techniques, the consumption data will differ.

A ride on the bicycle

To determine how many calories are spent when riding a bicycle, it is necessary to take into account the pedaling speed, resistance (when using mountain models), road terrain, duration of exercise, and the person’s initial weight.

Walking

Walking, contrary to popular belief, is one of the best forms of aerobic exercise. It has no contraindications, has a positive effect on all work functions and helps increase calorie burning.

Jumping

Jumping rope

The harm of losing weight using baths and saunas for those who want to understand more deeply

We have already briefly touched upon the issue of water-salt imbalance.
If you are ready for a variety of medical and physical-chemical terms, and also want to understand more deeply the essence of the disorders, then we recommend that you read this article further. Why water-salt balance? Why are salts and water so inextricably linked? The answer is simple - in each cell, in the internal environments of the body, it is necessary to maintain a certain amount of osmotic pressure. This is the pressure with which internal fluids (water and sodium, potassium, calcium, etc. ions dissolved in it) press on the walls and shells. The magnitude of osmotic pressure depends on the concentration of the solute. Any deviation in the composition of internal fluids is unacceptable and is monitored by many receptors.

To maintain water-salt balance, mineral ions are needed, the main ones being Na+, K+, Ca++. These elements cannot be produced by the body, and their only sources are water and food.

In a bath (sauna), large quantities of water and mineral salts are lost through sweat.
If minerals and water are not restored as soon as possible, the body will not be able to maintain the required composition of internal fluids. Drinking water without salts will only worsen the situation. And without the necessary concentration of mineral ions in the cell and extracellular environment, even such a simple process as muscle contraction is impossible. Author of the article: Natalya Kochetkova, trainer on psychotechniques for weight loss of the KgMinus.ru project

Adviсe

• Before you begin a course of healing in an infrared sauna, make sure that your body is ready for thermal energy therapy sessions. Visit a cosmetologist, a therapist, do a cardiogram if necessary, and for varicose veins and gout, visit the treating phlebologist and orthopedist. To actively lose weight, adjust your nutrition system according to the individual recommendations of a professional nutritionist.
• If you are completely healthy, then prepare your body for a heat therapy session yourself. To do this, distribute your meal hours so that there are at least 2-3 hours between a hearty lunch and the session.
• Immediately before the warming procedure, you can eat your favorite fermented milk product (kefir, ayran, yogurt, low-fat fermented baked milk). Such products, with the help of a high-quality bacterial composition, activate digestion and promote the burning of subcutaneous fat.
• Drink enough pure mineral water. After all, you will actively sweat in an infrared sauna, and therefore you should avoid dehydration.
• The beauty of your face and body directly depends on the state of your nervous system. Therefore, if you feel tired, irritated, or anxious, then do not skip heat therapy sessions. In a relaxed state, you experience happiness, which means you eat less high-calorie foods. Regular use of an infrared sauna promotes stress resistance and weight loss in general.