Using An Infrared Sauna For Weight Loss: Everything You Need to Know
“If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.” These are words to remember when thinking of your health and workout routine. However, some of the things that are often touted to help you lose weight can indeed assist in the process. Infrared saunas are no different. Unlike their steamy counterparts, infrared saunas use infrared heat, directly penetrating the body. This radiant heat activates a range of physiological responses, promoting relaxation, detoxification, and potential calorie burning. There are many benefits of infrared saunas – adding consistent far infrared sauna use to your health regimen will help you burn more calories than with exercise alone and provides several other health benefits. Today, we want to explore the topic of using an infrared sauna for weight loss; but first, let’s dive into what exactly a far infrared sauna is.
What Is A Sauna
To find out whether or not a sauna will assist in your weight loss goals, first one needs to know how it works. A far Infrared sauna consists of some of the rays of natural sunlight without the dangerous effects that the ultraviolet sun rays can have on your body. Far infrared rays penetrate almost two inches deeper into the body than the other infrared waves (near infrared waves & mid-infrared waves) allowing for the heat to raise your body’s core temperature from deep inside. This helps infrared sauna users to feel a sort of rejuvenation at the end of a sauna session because these rays are believed to help aid in better blood circulation, deeper relaxation, and detoxification.
Some studies show that infrared saunas burn calories at about 600 calories per hour and can even keep your heart rate elevated for the 30 minutes following the session. During a far infrared sauna therapy session your body’s core temperature increases and makes your body work that much harder to cool itself down which causes a substantial increase in sweat and also increases blood flow and heart rate. This, in turn, raises your metabolic rate, assisting in weight loss and additional caloric burn.
Far Infrared Sauna For Weight loss
Members are often curious about how to use the sauna for weight loss. But does infrared sauna burn calories? When you are producing sweat, your body is expending extra energy. This causes your basal metabolic rate to rise and can keep your metabolism rising far beyond the length of your session. This means that the infrared sauna burns more calories than if you were to work out and leave the gym straight away.
Probably the most obvious way that a sauna can help with weight loss is by water weight alone. At any given time our bodies can hold up to five pounds of water weight. By sweating in any way, whether through exercise or sweating it out in a sauna, you are able to shed some of those pounds. However, be aware that water weight is easy to lose and easy to gain, and should, for the most part, not be something you worry about. Generally, you will gain any pounds lost as soon as you hydrate yourself, which is something that should be done after every single sauna session.
So the answer lies in the increased core body temperature and the sweating experienced during an infrared sauna session. As the body cools down, it expends energy, potentially leading to calorie burning. While this calorie burn is not as substantial as regular exercise, it can contribute to overall weight management efforts.
The Healing Powers Of The Sauna
Saunas are known for their relaxation benefits. They can help to reduce stress by decreasing the stress hormone, cortisol, in the body. Moreover, many gym-goers use the sauna to help with muscle recovery. So, after your post-workout stretch, you can add on a sauna session to penetrate deep into your muscles and in order to help them recover. This means that another way far infrared saunas help you to lose weight is by keeping your body from pain in order to allow you to work out even more.
The Dangers Of Spending Too Much Time In The Sauna
As with almost every gym activity, sauna usage should be approached with caution. One of the main dangers of using a sauna is dehydration. We recommend hydrating before, during, and after each sauna use. A good rule of thumb is to drink at least 4 ounces of water every 15 minutes. If you start to feel that your body is overheating, head on over to the showers in our locker room and take a cold shower. This will help to bring your body temperature back down. Some people should avoid sauna use altogether. Consult your physician if you are thinking of adding the sauna to your gym routine.
Find A Sauna At Chuze Fitness
Have you been searching around for “gyms with saunas near me” to add the far infrared sauna into your gym routine? Check out our gyms with saunas below!
California
Carlsbad, Escondido, Santee, Mission Valley, Rancho Bernardo, National City, Chula Vista, Cypress, Garden Grove Rialto, Fullerton, Rancho Cucamonga, Corona, Anaheim, Cudahy, San Bernardino.
Arizona
Grant & Craycroft (Coming Soon), Ajo & 16th, Tucson Mall.
Colorado
Broomfield, South Monaco, Englewood, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Thornton, Westminster.
New Mexico
Winrock Town Center (Coming Soon).
Sources:
- Kassel, Gabrielle. “Can Sitting In An Infrared Sauna Really Help You Lose Weight?” Woman’s Helath. 13 February, 2018. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/a16869771/infrared-sauna-weight-losss/
- Podstawski, Robert et al. “Sauna-induced body mass loss in young sedentary women and men.” TheScientificWorldJournal vol. 2014 (2014): 307421. doi:10.1155/2014/307421
- Goldman, Rena. “Do Saunas Help with Weight Loss?” Healthline. 26 February, 2019. https://www.healthline.com/health/sauna-weight-loss-miracle
- Brennan, Dan. “Health Benefits of Infrared Saunas.” WebMD. 25 October, 2021. https://www.webmd.com/balance/health-benefits-of-infrared-saunas