How Does Sauna Weight Loss Work?
Okay, you have probably seen the sauna weight loss claims that say that you can lose up to four pounds with just one half hour in the sauna. How exactly does this work? If you are smart you don't believe the claims that the sauna will melt the fat in your body so that it will ooze out of your pores along with the sweat. Besides, would you really want that to happen? You would end up being really greasy afterwards.
In truth, if you weigh yourself right before you get into the sauna and right after you get out you probably will notice some sauna weight loss. The problem is, this isn't permanent weight loss. This is just water weight loss from sweating due to the heat of the sauna. Weigh yourself again after you have had plenty of water to drink to rehydrate yourself and you will find that most, if not all, of that weight loss is gone and you are back at the same weight that you started out at.
Of course some people might be tempted to just not drink that water after they get out of the sauna in an effort to keep that sauna weight loss from coming back. However, this is really dangerous since dehydration can cause major health problems. You would be better off to minimize salt consumption as much as possible since salt can make you retain extra water that you wouldn't otherwise need in your body.
This means that sauna weight loss really isn't anything you can count on. The best way to lose weight is still a combination of eating a healthy diet and exercising, including both strength training and cardiovascular exercise. Of course if you enjoy the sauna there is no reason not to use it, and you might end up losing a little bit more weight overall if you do so. If you have access to a sauna at the gym, it can be a nice way to reward yourself after a hard workout, and your muscles will probably thank you for it and be a bit less sore the next day.
