Saunas have been a popular relaxation tool for a long time. When saunas were first introduced, they were primarily used to relax muscles and relieve stress and tension that builds up throughout life. As saunas became more and more popular and widespread, people who used them regularly began to notice some very desirable side effects. Specifically, people began to notice weight loss as a result of using saunas.
Weight loss: myth or reality
Many people still do not believe the reported weight loss through sauna use. However, the growing popularity of saunas around the world cannot and does not lie. Studies have shown that frequent use of the sauna helps to lose weight, since the high temperature acts not only on muscle tissue but also on fatty tissues in the body.
Many people agree that saunas have helped them lose weight. The question is how? It is not true that the heat of the sauna helps melt fat. Saunas, natural or infrared, cannot melt fat with the help of heat. What a sauna actually does is help the body get rid of excess salt through sweat.
What does salt have to do with weight loss? A lot – there are many medical reports explaining the connection of salt and weight gain. This gain is not fat gain but water retention gain. When a person consumes excess salt, it is deposited under the skin and in order for it to be non-toxic, it will require water. The more salt you accumulate under your skin, the more water your body will demand and retain.
The sauna helps you to get rid of this extra salt and therefore gets rid of the water weight you have gained. If you want to maintain the weight loss you enjoy from visiting the sauna, you should keep salt intake to a minimum in your diet.
So sauna does indeed help you lose weight, though not in the usual way to melt fat. The heat generally forces the body to sweat out excess salt and toxins and thus reduces a large portion of the water weight. Combined with a healthy, salt-free (or reduced-salt) diet, you can enjoy the new way to stay fit and healthy.
Those who have studied the effectiveness of saunas for weight loss have noted that along with the relaxation benefits of saunas, they help with detoxification of the body and with weight loss, when used frequently. What could be a better combination? One takes a sauna to relax and relieve stress and ends with weight loss and detoxification of the body.