Sauna Treatment to Lose 5 Pounds

Saunas can be safely used in moderation as a weight-loss tool. Weight loss occurs when you decrease caloric intake and increase physical activity. A person in average physical condition will sweat off approximately 500 grams and expend about 300 calories during a 20-minute sauna session. This is the equivalent calorie expenditure of running two to three miles. When combined with dieting, sauna use can help you lose five pounds efficiently.

Burning Calories

• Naysayers claim that you might lose five pounds in water weight with sauna treatment, but you will gain it back immediately when you rehydrate. This is actually untrue. Although you will regain water weight lost in the sauna by drinking water, you will not regain the calories that your body used to expel that sweat. The process of sweating causes your heart rate, metabolic rate and overall cardiac output to increase, thereby effectively burning calories. Sauna treatment is, therefore, a calorie-burning activity that can help you lose five pounds in conjunction with a healthful, low-calorie diet.

Sweating Salt

• When you sweat in the sauna, you expel salt from your body as well as water. Removing salt from your body helps support faster weight loss because salt causes excessive water retention. Although some of the water weight lost in the sauna will return when you rehydrate, by continuing sauna treatment and decreasing salt intake, your body will retain less excessive amounts of water. Decreased water retention means less bloating and a lower number on the scale.

Warning

• Although sauna treatment in moderation can help you safely lose five pounds, excessive sauna use can be dangerous. Don't spend more than 30 minutes at a time in the sauna. Staying in the sauna too long can result in dehydration, heat stroke and hyperthermia. Thirty-minute sauna sessions will help you lose five pounds without endangering your health.