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Using an Infrared Sauna for Weight Loss

“Within weeks I was astonished by the unparalleled results infrared sauna therapy had on my body weight.” – Saunas.org Customer – Sara, Virginia

The desire to actualize your ideal body weight is a universal thread that courses through our culture. Unfortunately, the process can become a struggle that is frustrating and often elusive. If you are looking to lose weight for health reasons, or simply to look and feel your best, you have probably tried a variety of techniques from exercise regimes to diets, without getting the results you crave.

There are several health factors that may be keeping unwanted weight on your body All the exercise and special diets in the world cannot undo the internal systemic issues that are the real culprit.

How can an infrared sauna assist with weight loss?

Infrared sauna therapy can help you lose weight by recalibrating the internal network of your body to assist in healing endocrine system malfunctions, increase the conversion rate of fatty tissue to lean muscle, burn calories, and detoxify the body.

In this article will learn the mechanism and function of the infrared spectrum of light as it dynamically interfaces with your body. The myth that weight loss occurs with sauna therapy only as a result of water loss through sweat can be disproved. In fact, the entire physiological system of your body is involved and affected by the infrared spectrum of light. In this article you will come to understand, through the lens of science, the profound impact that these wavelengths of light have on your ability to lose weight and keep it off!

Does An Infrared Sauna Burn Calories?

If you have ever wished that you could burn calories while sitting down relaxing, then your wish has been granted!  It might sound too good to be true, but it is real, and scientifically proven.

Dr. Masakazu Imamura, MD published the following study in the Journal of American College of Cardiology:

“If a 150 LB person usually burns around 300 calories jogging or swimming for 30 minutes, the infrared sauna promises to burn 400-600 calories in one 30 minute session.” (1)

A calorie is a unit of energy that helps us to measure what we are taking into the body. Food provides sources of energy that we need to survive. If the body is not converting the energy into useful nutrients to feed the basic mechanism in the body, then it may store excess calories as fat tissue to be used later in case of a survival situation.

As the body is exposed to the infrared light spectrum, there are several biochemical processes that begin to occur. The mitochondria, essentially an energy plant found in every cell of the body, is sensitive to the deeply penetrative rays of infrared light. This sparks increased production of ATP that releases nitric acid, thereby oxygenating the hemoglobin. Stoking mitochondrial activity through exposure to infrared light not only hyperoxygenates the blood, but also causes increased circulation throughout the body (2).

The infrared light spectrum activates full throttle circulation and enlists the aid of the heart to keep up. During your sauna session your heart rate increases and the cardiovascular system of the body is ignited. All of this is happening as you relax and simply expose your body to the warm hues of infrared light.

The intensity of the internal activity in the body mimics rigorous exercise without you “doing” anything. Among many benefits, infrared sauna therapy gives the body the illusion of exercise and therefore burns calories at faster rates than a vigorous cardiovascular workout.

You can actually, sit back, relax and enjoy the experience of burning calories to shed excess weight in your infrared sauna!

Survival Of The Fittest: Infrared Sauna Therapy Will Influence the Transfer of the Autonomic Nervous System and Help You Lose Weight

Person Standing on a Scale

Surprisingly, the inability to find relaxation may be keeping excess weight on your body. Imagine that through relaxation you could find your ideal body weight. This seems to run counter to everything we have ever been told about weight loss, and yet biomedical research can now demonstrate that staying in a stress response will cause you to hold on to fatty tissue.

Encompassed within the physiological network of the body is the autonomic nervous system. Sympathetic dominance reflects states of stress in the body. This is usually expressed during emergencies where survival is of the essence. Parasympathetic dominance, however, represents states of relaxation where cellular healing and regeneration occur.

In our modern world, the body will perceive an imminent threat to survival from a variety of stresses, including driving, exposure to electromagnetic fields, an alarm clock, and pressured time restraints in short normal daily activities and experiences. As cortisol and adrenaline are released in response to perceived stress, the body enters into sympathetic dominance. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to exit from stress response back into states of relaxation on your own.

Staying in stress response for extended periods of time will not allow the body to begin cellular regeneration. Also, the conversion of energy internally loses efficiency. Without efficient cellular activity, the body will not convert food to energy effectively. This will cause the body to begin to store fat rather than converting the energy to enhance cellular regeneration and rejuvenation (3).

Infrared sauna sessions will assist in your weight loss goals by gently coaxing the body out of stress response, back into states of relaxation. As relaxation takes hold of the body, the redirection of energy back into the internal cellular structure will enhance energy conversion and you will no longer store unprocessed calories as fat.

So yes, as you sit back and bask in the inviting warm hues of the infrared light spectrum, you will be signaling the body to efficiently convert energy and release the need to store excess fatty tissue in the body.

Infrared Sauna Therapy Addresses The Underlying Health Issues That May Be Causing Excess Weight: The Endocrine System

Perhaps you have tried exercise, maybe even have burned yourself out exercising, but are still carrying unwanted weight on your body. If you are frustrated by dieting and exercising without seeing the results you want, there may be an underlying endocrine system issue.

The endocrine system is a group of glands in the body that are responsible for a host of functions, including regulating your metabolism. The endocrine system includes the pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid gland, adrenal glands, ovaries, and testicles. As we discussed earlier, elongated states of stress response will wreak havoc on the body, affecting the endocrine system, which is responsible for stabilizing your metabolism (4).

If you have excess fatty tissue around the belly and low back, even after dedicated exercise and controlled food intake, then there is a high chance that you are suffering from a mild endocrine system failure as a result of excess stress in the body.

Regardless of how much effort you put into weight loss, if there is a failure within the endocrine system to function at its maximum, you may be stuck carrying excess and unwanted weight.

Infrared waves penetrate into the body and directly boost the function of the mitochondria of each cell to heighten ATP production and ultimately adaptive energy. The metabolism of your body will change after a few weeks of exposure to infrared light without putting stress on your body through exercise and food restriction (3).

Infrared sauna therapy may aid in healing the endocrine system by coaxing the body out of stress response, and secondly, by stimulating the productivity of the mitochondria within each cell of the body.

If you feel like the weight you carry is unfair, you may find the answer you have been looking for in infrared sauna therapy. You can heal your body and lose weight at the same time with infrared sauna therapy.

Infrared Saunas Convert Fatty Tissue To Muscle: The Role Of Human Growth Hormones

A man strengthening his muscles after infrared sauna therapy

Heat therapy of all kinds stimulates the secretion of Human Growth Hormones (HGH). Human Growth Hormones are anabolic hormones that simultaneously increase lean muscle mass and decrease fatty tissue in the body.

As the internal heat of the body raises, biochemical reactions are dramatic at the molecular level, this thermal transformation activates Human Growth Hormones. Infrared saunas are more efficient at raising the core temperature of the body than any other heat therapy modality and therefore increase the production of Human Growth Hormones, responsible for the conversion of fatty tissue to muscle, at faster rates.

The radiant heat of the infrared rays penetrates the initial layer of epidermis all the way into the soft tissue of the body. The intensity of this process means that the external temperature of the infrared sauna can be much lower than a traditional sauna, and therefore more comfortable. Additionally, the internal temperature of the body will be higher and will thus excrete Human Growth Hormones during shorter sauna sessions (5).

Through the process of increased Human Growth Hormones, infrared saunas will assist you in transitioning your body composition by changing the muscle to fat ratio in the body to give you a leaner and more sculpted physique.

 Detoxification Through Sweating Burns Calories: Debunking The Water Loss Myth

The most common myth found on the Internet surrounding heat therapy and weight loss is that you only lose ‘water’ weight and that you will gain it back after the sweating has stopped. This myth is unfounded in the biological function of perspiration.

Infrared sauna therapy will stoke the sweat glands of the body to release lots of water as a means of detoxifying the body. What the proponents of the above-mentioned myth do not understand is that the act of perspiration burns calories, that detoxification of the body enables better functioning kidneys, and alleviates stress on the endocrine system, all of which will assist you in reaching your weight goals.

As the internal temperature of the body rises, the regulatory thermostat inside the physiological network will immediately kick in to reduce the temperature. The human body is unique in its ability to self-regulate temperature through perspiration. The higher the internal temperature, the more the body will sweat (6).

The act of enlisting the sweat glands of the body, the associated increased heart rate burns calories and puts the body into the same state of cardiovascular exertion as if you were exercising, without actually moving.

The skin is the largest organ in the body. By capitalizing on the sweat glands as a means for detoxification, stress on the kidneys and liver are minimalized. When the internal organs of the body are functioning in a healthy efficient way, your metabolism will also regulate itself.

Toxic pollutants in the body create an atmosphere of elongated stress response, this overtaxes the endocrine system. If there is adrenal burnout or a low functioning thyroid gland there will also be excess weight.

Through active sweating in an infrared sauna, you will burn calories and detoxify the body, thereby freeing it of harmful pollutants that stress the physiological system. Remember, states of prolonged stress response in the body will eventually cause you to hold on to excess weight.

Infrared Sauna Therapy is a Safe Method for Weight Loss

Woman Standing on a Scale Looking Happy at What She Sees

It is natural to want to look and feel your best and actualize your ideal weight. Excess weight can be an indicator of potentially harmful health problems. Unfortunately, many methods of weight loss may harm the body and may not solve the problem.

Infrared sauna therapy is both an effective means of weight loss and a safe and healthy option. Leave harmful diet pills behind, reduce stress on the body by limiting high impact exercise, and feel free to relax about the food choices you make. Healthy amounts of exercise will still be important and feeding your body nutritious meals that support your health are necessary. But when it comes to weight loss, infrared sauna therapy will deliver the results you want.

Infrared sauna therapy may detoxify the body of harmful toxins by igniting the furnace within to produce copious levels of perspiration. It also supports the function of the endocrine system and will help to balance the thyroid gland and heal the overtaxed adrenal glands.

The relaxation you find in the infrared sauna will gently coax the body out of stress response back to states of relaxation where energy can be directed inward to optimize cellular function.

You can relax, have fun, and nurture the health of your entire being while effortlessly losing weight. In many ways, the infrared sauna is a dream come true for those who have longed to actualize their ideal weight.

*** Infrared Sauna Therapy: A Regular Practice to Maintain Ideal Weight

As you embark on your journey through infrared sauna therapy with the intention of losing weight, you will notice that a cascade of health benefits occurs. From radiant and glowing skin to musculoskeletal transformation to elevated moods and clarity of thought, you will begin to feel like the best version of yourself.

Please keep in mind, that like regular exercise and a healthy diet, to maintain ideal weight through infrared sauna therapy, it should become a regular practice. For best results, use your infrared sauna 4-7 times per week. Be sure to drink plenty of water to stay well hydrated.

Sources:

  1. https://massagejoplinmo.com/2019/05/03/how-do-infrared-saunas-burn-calories/\
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2996814/
  3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5941775/
  4. https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/endocrine-system-facts#1
  5. https://master-athlete.com/coaching/sitting-in-a-sauna-can-raise-human-growth-hormone-hgh/
  6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6360547/

Additional  Reading:

https://www.livestrong.com/article/337846-how-many-calories-are-burned-in-infrared-saunas/

https://www.livescience.com/52802-what-is-a-calorie.html

https://www.livescience.com/26496-endocrine-system.html

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