How a Hot bath can replace Fitness and Make you lose Weight
Most of us associate a hot bath with relaxation and pleasure. But a bath can be both relaxing and burn calories. That's right — instead of running down the street on a chilly autumn morning, you can just dive into a hot bubble bath. The effect will not be so fast, but, you must agree, it is difficult to compare these two classes.
Scientists from the British Loughborough University have found that relaxing in a hot bath can get rid of 140 calories. This is the same amount as a person spends on a 30-minute walk. The secret of this "lazy fitness" is in the elevated temperature and its effect on metabolic processes in the body.
The experiment involved 14 male volunteers. They were offered to ride a bike for 60 minutes or sit in the bathroom for the same amount of time. The water temperature at the same time was 40 degrees. The scientists wanted to raise the subjects' body temperature by just 1 degree for one hour. Everything was under strict control — calorie consumption was calculated and blood sugar levels were measured.
As expected, cycling did a better job with calories. But the hot bath also gave certain results. In addition to burning fat, hot water also had an anti-inflammatory effect. Cycling, by the way, has not shown such therapeutic results.
Steve Faulkner, a researcher at Loughborough University and the initiator of the experiment said about its result as follows:
But that's not all. Further experiments with hot water showed another interesting effect. If you take hot baths for 8 weeks in a row, then blood pressure decreases. Doctors believe that this is due to an increase in the level of nitric oxide in the blood. It is released when the body is heated and promotes vasodilation.
Despite this optimistic news, scientists still do not recommend completely giving up physical activity. Although hot baths are useful, they still cannot replace movement. Yes, there are other unexpected ways to lose weight, for example, urine injections.