Are you sick of exercising? Do you feel more like soaking for an hour in the hot tub, or spending some time in the sauna? Do it!
Exercise is key for a healthy lifestyle, but new research shows that sometimes it’s not so bad to be a bit more on the lazy side. Findings show that it is actually possible to burn the same amount of calories by spending time in a hot bath, as you do running. The same should go for the sauna, considering that the explaining factor in these results is the raising of the body temperature.
Dr Steve Faulkner at Longborough University is the man behind this discovery. In his study, participants were told to take a one-hour bath and to ride a bike for an hour. The comparison showed that both activities lowered the levels of blood sugar and burned calories at the same level.
– The patients responded in the same way to the bath as they did to the exercise. The level of blood sugar was even a bit more lowered from the bath than from the running, says Dr. Faulkner.
Passive heating can never replace physical activity, but these results indicate that heat can be used as a complement to exercise in a healthy lifestyle. Enjoy your sauna!
