Do you like taking a hot bath after a hard working day?
Relaxing with soft music, a good book and a glass of wine? Surely I do!
But did you know that in addition to the relaxing effects, a hot bath allows to burn calories?
It is the surprising discovery that a group at the Loughborough University (Leicestershire county in the English Midlands) made after running experiences on alternative ways to exercise in order to control type 2 diabetes.
The experiment involved a group of 14 men who went through two tests. The first group rode a bicycle for one hour and the second group spent one hour in a hot bath at 40°C (104°F) in order to increase the body temperature of 1 degree.
Obviously, the results show that the cycling session burned many calories but unexpectedly, the passive heating of a hot bath gave surprising benefits.
The researchers discovered that a one hour hot bath could help people burn as many calories as a 30 minute walk (around 130 calories – more or less the equivalent of a Coca Cola can). It also reduces sugar spikes from 10% compared to the ones obtained after a bike session.
Interesting, isn’t it? But…
However, we can’t emphasize enough the value of engaging in a physical activity to maintain a good health. Moreover, keep in mind that taking a bath requires 35 to 40 gallons of water instead of 25 to 30 gallons for a shower… And remember, there is no small effort for the Environment!
I was wondering if spending time in saunas, another passive heating way, which at least is an environmentally friendly alternative to a bath, would have the same results? What do you think?!?
By the way, in Finland, where saunas are a tradition, the University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, discovered that sauna bathing decreases cardiovascular diseases… Who says we needed further reasons to spend some relaxing time in a sauna? :p
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