Do saunas burn calories?

[Tyler883]

So, when I sweat my ass off in a sauna, then drink lots of water I don't really loose any weight, but does it burn calories? If so how much?

[Mckenzie]

You'll most likeley sweat out a ton of water and become very dehydrated. That is why they say not to stay in too long. However saunas are supposed to be good at removing toxins from your body and they feel damn good.:thumbsup:

But I would not look at it to lose weight....

[sputnik]

I would say no. Generally calories are burned by your body heating itself up. So the more activity you do, the warmer your body gets and calories are burned. In the case of a sauna/steamroom, its the sauna that heats up your body and not your physical activity.

However, after a workout nothing feels better than 15-20 min in the steamroom.

[mcshow]

a sauna does not burn calories, all it does is allow for your body to sweat ALOT, besides that it feels great, sauna's will not generally get a recommended form of trying to lose weight

[gggunit]

Alot of sports places sell sauna suits .. when I was in wrestling I was told to sit in the dry sauna to lose a few pounds.. and it did work.

[jaysas_63]

Originally posted by gggunit
Alot of sports places sell sauna suits .. when I was in wrestling I was told to sit in the dry sauna to lose a few pounds.. and it did work.

yea, but all u lost was water wieght, not fat.....and its not really a good idea to dehydrate urself before wrestling, unless ur right on the line for the higher weight class.

[bigboom]

actually saunas do help you lose weight...it decreases your blood pressure so in order for your body to still get blood your heart needs to pump harder which in turn raises your metabolism.

[JAYMEZ]

I remember wayyyy back , some kid had to loose weight for a wrestling match , so his coach made him go on the bike in side the sauna , well he eventually died , but he did loose weight? :dunno:

[seer_claw]

^^ For sure he lost weight. I used to wrestle at the UofA and was 10lbs too heavy for my weight class. I had a sweat suit on and did pushups and sit ups for 2.5 hours, in the sauna. I lost close to 13 pounds which was huge reduction. I could barely stand up after cause I was deydrated so much. You don't really burn calories just sweat out lots of water.

[Neil4Speed]

Sorry to change the topic, but like here is another side of the spectrum. If you were to say stand outside in the cold in a t-shirt and shorts (phenumia and frostbite aside) would you burn calories? I would think yes just because you need to get that energy somewhere to retain your body temperature (Law of conservation of Energy if I am not mistaken?)

[badseed]

I've heard tropical climates do increase your basal metabloic rate, but a sauna is'nt gonna make any significant changes in body weitght other than water loss mentioned above.

[Tyler883]

I've been googling numbers in the range of 600 calories per half hour, with increased metabolic rate after the sauna session.

When you body is in the sauna, even though you aren't exercising, you heart rate and breathing can be elivated, and you system is working overtime to try and stay cool.

Then after the sauna, when you drink more water, you metabolic rate is elevated while it is restoring the water back into your cells.

Sure you lose alot of water, and water loss doesn't equate to fat loss. But once the water is replaced, the calorie count for the whole ordeal is still better than light exercise.

The best I can tell is:

Saunas don't replace the need for exercise, but they do burn calories.

I thinking of changing my 1 hour cardio to a 40 minute cardio followed by a 20 minute sauna. The amount of fluid loss will probably keep my salt levels better.

[badseed]

I don't think you should subsitute a sauna for cardio. I'd be skeptical of where you're gettin theses numbers from, lemme guess....sauna companies??? The whole purpose of cardio is not just to expend calories but increase the efficiency of your cardiorespiratory system. I know a sauna won't accomplish that.

Like I said before it may increaese your metablosim a bit, but not enough to make huge difference and I'd bet my left nut you won't be burning 600 calories. If you believe that then why are there so many fat people exercising?????

600 calories HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH:rofl: :rofl:

[Ben]

Originally posted by Neil4Speed
Sorry to change the topic, but like here is another side of the spectrum. If you were to say stand outside in the cold in a t-shirt and shorts (phenumia and frostbite aside) would you burn calories? I would think yes just because you need to get that energy somewhere to retain your body temperature (Law of conservation of Energy if I am not mistaken?)

Yes, this is correct. Shivering is a way your body generates heat by using converting sugar to motor functions (tightening your skin, hairs stand on end, shivering) and generating warmth.

[Tyler883]

Originally posted by badseed
I don't think you should subsitute a sauna for cardio. I'd be skeptical of where you're gettin theses numbers from, lemme guess....sauna companies??? The whole purpose of cardio is not just to expend calories but increase the efficiency of your cardiorespiratory system. I know a sauna won't accomplish that.



Agreed, thats what I was trying to say with"Saunas don't replace the need for exercise" only you said it better

I'm going to keep googling for a more reasonable number than 600 calories, but its the only number I've found so far, and I've found it on 3 sites.....and yes, they are sauna companies.. :dunno:

if anyone finds another number, can you please post it?

[davidI]

Originally posted by Neil4Speed
Sorry to change the topic, but like here is another side of the spectrum. If you were to say stand outside in the cold in a t-shirt and shorts (phenumia and frostbite aside) would you burn calories? I would think yes just because you need to get that energy somewhere to retain your body temperature (Law of conservation of Energy if I am not mistaken?)

The colder the water that you drink is the more calories you'll burn. Drink tons of ice cold water every day and you'll lose weight :)

[jaysas_63]

Originally posted by Neil4Speed
Sorry to change the topic, but like here is another side of the spectrum. If you were to say stand outside in the cold in a t-shirt and shorts (phenumia and frostbite aside) would you burn calories? I would think yes just because you need to get that energy somewhere to retain your body temperature (Law of conservation of Energy if I am not mistaken?)

actually ppl sleep without there sheets at night, its said to burn about a 100 calories a week i think....but yea being cold = shivering, and shivering is your muscles using up energy uselessly to create heat, via friction, to warm up ur body.....

[bigboom]

why does no one listen?

its been proven that yes your metabolic rate WILL increase after a session in the sauna, because of that drop in blood pressure.

[jaysas_63]

Originally posted by bigboom
why does no one listen?

its been proven that yes your metabolic rate WILL increase after a session in the sauna, because of that drop in blood pressure.

i don't think the increase in metabolism would be anything spectacular, it definatly isn't worth the dehydration/ and the speeding up of the skin wrinkiling.......do u by any chance have the increase in ammount of cal u burn a day with frequent sauna use?

[Tyler883]

Here's a non-sauna selling website that confirms the increased metabolism of as much as 20% for several hours

http://www.annecollins.com/weight-loss/sauna-lose-weight.htm

So whats 20% of 3hrs of your BMR.......I think that works out to be about 100 calories for me.?

I'm still looking for a definitive answer on calories count....

[Tyler883]

http://cankar.org/sauna/health/health.html

"Weight loss"

"Short answer: Going to the sauna does not make you lose weight."

"Longer answer: yes, you can burn calories in the sauna, but you will be better off taking a short healthy walk."

"Most of any perceived weight loss in a sauna is due to sweating. The loss of bodily fluids will make you lighter for a few hours, but you will get the kilos (pounds) back very soon. You will remain thirsty and when you next drink, the fluids will be restored to your body."

"Meanwhile, increased cardiac output and the cooling process make the body use its energy resources. Estimates range from 300 or even 500 calories per sauna session (30 minutes), making it comparable to walking or jogging. In the sauna the only muscles working are those of your heart. While the heart is an important muscle, you would gain more from any physical activity, be it walking or swimming. These make your muscles grow and muscle tissue burns energy even while you rest. Not only will you feel better after a workout, you will be burning fat 24 hours a day."

"You will sometimes hear of boxers or wrestlers going to the sauna to lose weight. High end athletes can do this for two reasons. First, they only need to lose weight for a few hours, when they are officially weighed. They will drink a considerable amount of power drinks before entering the rink to get their energy back. Second, they are constantly monitored by their physician who supposedly knows when to stop."

[Tyler883]

I think that last site I posted from sounds reasonable, I think I'll compare saunas to walking, ie about 300 calories per half hour.

How about the rest of you?