A lot of people ask the question, does using a steam room actually help you lose weight? Is it equal to doing cardio? The simple answer is that there’s a fine line between a steam room and cardio.
There is no replacement for cardio, unfortunately. While a steam room can help weight loss, it can’t be all you’re relying on. Needless to say, sweating it out in a steam room instead of doing cardio may be ill thought-out but there are various health benefits worth noting, including reduced risks of heart disease and dementia.
The first thing you may pick up on about a steam room is how it instantly de-stresses and relaxes your muscles. The heat then sinks in and before long, perspiration is dripping off your body which literally takes the weight right off you. The problem with this, if there ever was one, is that a lot of weight you lose in the moment is water weight. That means, sure, you can eat into your weight quickly but as soon as you hydrate, your number is going to go up again.
Where steam rooms and cardio intersect is not so much with calorie burning but rather, the improvement in cardio health. A recent study published by the University of Eastern Finland analyzing heat therapy environments found the effects to be similar to moderate exercise, in addition to a steam room helping decrease blood pressure and stiffness in the arteries.
People who frequent steam rooms and saunas have a lower risk of heart disease. Although this risk lowers experiencing a heated room environment 2-3 times a week, when you increase it to four to seven times a week, your risk lowers even further. Since dementia and heart disease are closely linked with risk factors such as high blood pressure, it’s therefore believed a steam room may help to minimize this risk as well.
The health benefits from a steam room come from many things. Sweating, for example, has a diuretic effect which lowers blood pressure and takes off some of the stress from the heart. Endorphins are also released from the heavy sweating which can help perceptions of pain and the heat itself increases blood flow to the muscles which removes some of the accumulated lactic acid in these areas, and helps muscle flexibility and joint stiffness.
In a steam room, the heart rate is also raised, as high as 150 beats per minute in some. It’s an analysis of the effects on BPM which correlates moderate exercise and steam room. Instead of lifting weights, going for a brisk walk, completing household chores, or jumping rope, a steam room provides the same benefit from the perspective of heart rate. With minutes in a steam, the body’s already working to produce these effects which is why the suggested duration of time spent in a steam room is no longer than 20-25 minutes.
All in all, just because a steam room doesn’t exactly count as cardio and won’t help you lose significant amounts of weight all on its’ own, there are enough benefits to recommend it to anyone who is looking to improve their health. For people with chronic conditions, athletes in rehabilitation or recovery, and those of us already on weight loss plans, add 15-20 minutes of a steam room to your weekly routine to see the difference.