As general health becomes more of a concern in a society overflowing with abundance, attention is often directed towards personal body weight. It’s likely true that now, more than any other time in history, obesity is increasingly common. This has brought on an entire industry dedicated to helping people identify the mechanisms that cause weight gain and persuade them towards more healthy endeavors. In the hot tub industry, there have been questions regarding their use and role in weight loss and gain. ‘Can hot tubs make you gain weight? Can hot tubs help you lose weight?’ In this article, we look at how regular hot tub use can help enhance an otherwise healthy lifestyle.
How The Calorie Balance Affects Weight
To actually cause the body to lose weight, one must induce a calorie deficit. This means that when subtracting the number of calories that are burned by the body from the number of calories that are accrued, a positive difference will result in weight gain while a negative difference will result in weight loss. Or more simply, that for weight loss to occur, more energy must be expended than accumulated. So, does spending time in a hot tub result in a net calorie gain or loss?
Does Hot Tub Use Burn Calories?
The fact is that the body burns calories simply by being alive. Your body will burn a nominal amount of calories even when sleeping or sitting immobile. This would mean that sitting in a hot tub should also burn calories. Does the hot tub’s heat and massaging action increase the number of calories burned? A 2017 study started to look into this effect a little more closely and early inferences were made that it’s possible that immersing yourself neck-deep in 104 degree Fahrenheit water for an hour can burn more calories than sitting at room temperature. Whether or not this calorie expenditure is significant enough to create a substantial calorie deficit is debatable, but it does allow one to assume that the answer to the question of, “Can hot tubs make you gain weight?” is in the negative.
How Can A Hot Tub Help With Weight Loss?
Unfortunately, to really make using the hot tub effective in aiding weight loss, it’s likely necessary to do more than simply sit and soak. That said, hot tubs create an excellent environment for vigorous exercise. The water increases stability making it an ideal place of exercise for those who suffer from balance issues. Water also reduces pressure on bones and joints allowing safer performance of exercises that would be considered high impact on dry land. The heat provided by the water is also helpful in relaxing muscles and tendons and reducing the chances of injury due to strains or pulls. A hot tub can also be used to enhance warm-up routines before a full exercise regime. If exercise is part of your weight loss program, as it should be, a hot tub can help advance your goals.
Hot Tub Use And Sleeping Patterns
Poor sleeping patterns are often associated with conditions related to obesity and high body mass index. Whether poor sleeping patterns actually cause weight gain has not been fully ascertained, but it’s generally accepted that better sleeping patterns lead to better overall health. Spending time in the hot tub has been found to quicken the onset of sleep as well as allowing deeper and more undisturbed rest. It appears this is related to imitating the natural body temperature rhythms that are linked to drowsiness and sleep. If you’re looking to complement your weight loss program by improving your sleep hygiene, a hot tub can be part of a relaxing pre-bed routine.
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