Many athletes have been aware of the benefits of infrared
saunas as a way to help increase their physical performance and boost
endurance. Even Dr. Mehmet Oz
is a big advocate for the infrared sauna as he discussed the benefits of these
saunas with Oprah on her show. Dr.
Oz and Oprah even stepped into a Sunlighten
sauna to experience the benefits firsthand and Dr. Oz explained, “It makes the
same rays that come from the sun and filters out the UV radiation so it only
gives you the infrared radiation. The infrared radiation goes into the skin a
little bit without heating you or the external environment too much. It
gets your heart rate to beat faster, it burns calories, and raises your
metabolism.” Who knew? So it’s time to get in on the infrared sauna secret!
First, as demonstrated by Dr. Oz, infrared saunas offer a
great way to get a low impact cardiovascular workout. The infrared rays
penetrate deep into the muscular tissues and internal organs and the body
responds by increasing heart rate. This leads to a cardio-conditioning effect as
the body responds by trying to cool itself off and therefore heart rate and
metabolism increase. The
Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) explains that infrared
saunas can burn about 500 calories per session on “a moderately conditioned
person,” therefore making the infrared sauna a great way to burn calories and
boost metabolism. However in no way should these infrared saunas be considered
a replacement for standard cardiovascular workouts. They are most useful as a pre-workout
warm-up, as heated muscle tissue makes us more flexible resulting in a reduced
chance of muscle-related injury, or as a post-workout therapy. It can even be
used as a supplemental way to stay fit if your body is healing from an injury.
Next, infrared heat greatly benefits the tired, sore, or
damaged muscles that athletes often face with the daily strain of their
exercise routines. Heat penetrates the muscles and dilates blood vessels thus
increasing blood circulation and assisting in muscle repair. Infrared heat helps
reduce the amount of lactic acid that causes the sore, tight muscles and promotes
relaxation in the muscles and loosens up this lactic acid build-up.
Furthermore, infrared saunas have been known to help chronic
pain sufferers, such as those with fibromyalgia or arthritis who regularly battle with joint stiffness. Studies
indicate the infrared sauna increases endorphins, the body’s natural pain reliever,
and this reduces inflammation allowing the muscles to relax and helping to
restore natural joint function. Athletes put a lot of strain on their joints and
the heat of the infrared sauna can get deep down into the joint area and loosen
the muscles allowing for more blood flow which helps to speed up recovery of
the joints.
So as infrared saunas continue to gain in popularity with
athletes, let’s not forget even if you’re not a serious athlete, these are
still benefits you can tap into as well. Maybe you’re a gym rat, a weekend
warrior or just need a bit of daily stress relief from a hard day at work,
sessions in an infrared sauna can help to restore your vitality! And, as if
that weren’t enough, there are still additional benefits above and beyond
repairing the body from physical wear and tear that infrared saunas are good
for. Here are a few:
·
Improves skin conditions – Infrared saunas offer a deep
cleanse, getting rid of impurities, toxins and dead skin cells, leaving your
skin glowing and clean. The increased blood circulation also improves skin tone,
elasticity and texture and helps diminishes fine lines and wrinkles.
·
Weight loss/Reduces toxins – Have you ever dieted and exercised
but just feel you’ve reached a plateau and can’t get those few extra pounds
off? Well, often the difficulty with this is related to chemical toxicity.
Heavy metals and toxic chemicals are stored in the fat cells and the best
way to rid the body of toxins is through the skin. A 20-40 minute infrared
sauna session will burn 200-500 calories, as many as jogging for half an hour.
So go sweat that extra weight off!
·
Coronary Artery Disease and Hypertension – There is evidence that blood
vessels remain elastic and pliable longer due to regular sauna use, as well as
improved blood pressure for hypertension patients.
·
Relieves Stress – Perhaps the most immediate relief
from the infrared sauna is stress relief. The heat an overall massaging effect soothes
nerves and reduces tight muscles, leaving you refreshed and rejuvenated.
Ready to go? Many day spas are starting to offer these modern infrared sauna sessions. Costs are around $45-85 a session and packages of a series of sessions or day spa members usually will have a reduced price per session/package.
Dena DaSilva (Las
Vegas, NV/Riviera Maya, Mexico) is a health and wellness, eco-living and travel
writer, active in sharing her research, experiences and knowledge on a variety
of these topics. Born into a very health-conscious and fitness-crazed family, this fun-loving energetic beach lover and avid traveler has a natural passion for all things promoting health, wellness, eco-conscious living and travel. She earned two BA degrees at West Virginia University and an
MBA with an emphasis in Marketing and International Business from Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business and Management.
