Hot Bath Slimming

Can you get the benefits of exercise by having a hot bath?

18:28 13 July 2016

Having a hot bath or a sauna offers various benefits but are they comparable to those we reap from exercising? 

 

Dr Steve Faulkner of Loughborough University has conducted an experiment that aimed to compare the relative benefits of having a long, hot bath versus an hour of hard pedaling.

 

For the experiment, a group of volunteers was fitted with equipment to monitor blood sugar levels and internal, core temperature as well as to measure the amount of calories burn.

 

For the first part of the experiment, the participants were treated to a very relaxing long, hot bath where their core temperature was monitored. Meanwhile, the second part focused on getting participants to sweat on a bike.  

 

"One of the first things that we were looking at," Steve says, "is the energy expenditure while you're in the bath and what we found was an 80% increase in energy expenditure just as a result of sitting in the bath for the course of an hour."

 

The average calories burned for cycling for an hour is 630 while having a hot bath or a sauna burned 140 calories, which is equivalent of a brisk 30-minute walk.