The Biggest Un-Truth Ever Told
For years we've all heard all of the extreme warnings that have been repeated over and over again about how sweating in a sauna suit can cause death, sweating will cause the body to dehydrate, is likely to cause a heart attack, increases chances of fainting, and is overall, not healthy! Afraid to sweat? Don't Be! The Question you need to be asking yourself is: Is this Fact or Fiction?
The problem with this type of warning is this, as "thinking" people, we've never really taken the time to stop and "think" to ask the so-called experts, WHY? Why is sweating in a sauna suit dangerous? Sure we've heard all of the same run-of-mill information repeated over and over again, but have you ever bothered to research the effects of sweating for yourself? My wild guess is, probably not! Because like most people you tend to go with the majority. It's that human nature thing about us all, where we want and need to fit in with the "in crowd" because we want to be accepted. After all if some doctor or "expert" tells you something like "sweating is bad for your health" you believe it. But remember this, what is the general warning about doctors and experts? To always get a second and third opinion right? Right!
The Health Benefits of Sweating
According to Dr.Jacquline Krohn (2000) "Our bodies are like sponges, absorbing the chemicals to which we are exposed. Much of that toxic brew is eliminated through the skin with sweat. In fact sweat often has a higher concentration of trace elements like nickel, cadmium and mercury than urine does."
What you haven't heard is that Most people sweat when they exercise or exert themselves and this type of sweating is both natural and healthy (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research 2009).
The cause of sweating stems from your body's temperature regulation system, specifically your sweat glands. Your skin has two types of sweat glands: eccrine glands and apocrine glands. Eccrine glands occur over most of your body and open directly onto the surface of the skin. Apocrine glands also cover most of your body, and develop in areas abundant in hair follicles, such as on your scalp, armpits and groin (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research 2009).
When your body temperature rises, your autonomic nervous system stimulates the eccrine glands to secrete fluid onto the surface of your skin, where it cools your body as it evaporates. This fluid (perspiration) is composed mainly of water and salt (sodium chloride) and contains trace amounts of other electrolytes; substances that help regulate the balance of fluids in your body - as well as substances such as urea (a nitrogenous compound found in the urine produced through protein decomposition or toxins). Source: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research 2009.
APOCRINE GLANDS SECRETE A FATTY SWEAT DIRECTLY INTO THE TUBULE OF THE GLAND! WHEN YOU'RE BODY IS UNDER STRESS SUCH AS EXERCISING, THE WALL OF THE TUBULE CONTRACTS AND THE SWEAT IS PUSHED TO THE SURFACE OF YOUR SKIN WHERE BACTERIA BEGIN BREAKING IT DOWN. MOST OFTEN, IT'S THE BACTERIAL BREAKDOWN OF APOCRINE SWEAT THAT CAUSES AN ODOR. Source: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research 2009.
What does this all mean? IF YOU SWEAT YOU LOSE WEIGHT!
The Myth Exposed!
So if sweating is so natural and healthy for you, why does everyone always advice against sweating in a sauna suit?
Because, some people might abuse a great modern day invention like the sauna suit and try to lose all of their weight in one day by wearing a sauna suit for too long. Admit it, you know some wacky people who think they can put on a sauna suit for 24 hours and sweat away ten years of bad eating habits! This is the dangerous part about sauna suits, ignorant people also have the money to buy them too; unfortunately there is no law against a moron purchasing a sauna suit.
Lack of basic intelligence and inability to use common sense is the biggest danger factor, not the sauna suit itself.
Big Question: How do I know when I am dehydrated if I am not a doctor?
Simple Answer: Do you need a doctor to tell you when you are thirsty? NO. Your body has an natural alarm that lets you know when you are dehydrated: YOU GET THIRSTY! When you feel thirsty, drink water or a sports drink. By drinking water and or sports drinks, you prevent dehydration. Remember, it is recommended that you drink up to 8-8oz glasses of water a day for good health.
SAUNA SUITS ARE PERFECTLY SAFE WHEN USED WITH PROPERLY
Sauna suits are great for sweating out toxins from the body and for losing weight, and not just water weight. Sauna Suits are basically designed to duplicate the same effects you would get by sitting in a sauna at the health spa.
The advantages of the sauna suit is that it is convenient, you don't have to spend an hour sitting around in a steamy sauna exposing all of your personal business with some ugly guy or eccentric girl who forgot to shave or who smell like rotten feet, ugh! Admit it; there is absolutely no privacy in a public sauna.
In a personal sauna suit you actually get to move around and do fun stuff such as walking the dog, cleaning your house, running around the block, reading a book while walking on your treadmill, skating, dancing, window shopping at the local mall and the list of fun activities goes on! At the end of your activity in your sauna suit, you get to reap the benefits of seeing how much dirt, fat, salt, toxins, and weight you've excreted while enjoying yourself! The only downside to sauna suits is that they look like trash bags because they are made of cheap plastic that usually rip and tear after a few uses. Hopefully somebody will make a sauna suit that looks half way decent one day. But in the mean time, any sauna suit out there in the market will do.
How cool is that? Weight loss can actually be fun!
You've heard the saying, "There's nothing like a good sweat!"
Common Sense:
The sauna suit is just like any other exercise or gym equipment, Use it with caution and don't over do it! If you know you have certain health problems or physical limitations, consult with your physician first. If you don't have health problems or limitations, consult with your physician. If it's 115F degrees outside, naturally you would not put on a sauna suit and go jogging, that would just be stupid! Again, use your common sense people! If your doc says it's okay to exercise, then it should be okay to exercise in a sauna suit. That sounds logical, right?
After all, you do want to accelerate and take advantage of the body's natural fat burning process, also known as: SWEATING!
DO SAUNA SUITS ONLY MAKE YOU LOSE WATER WEIGHT??
A lot of people who call themselves experts will tell you that working out in a sauna suit will only make you lose water weight; that once you rehydrate your body by drinking water and sports drinks- all of the weight will come back.
NOT TRUE! UNLEARN THIS LIE!
PUT ON YOUR THINKING CAPS!
Here is where I want you to start using your own brain to process information. I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt and ask you to use your own common sense, critical thinking skills, and ability to think logically for a moment.
If you go to the gym and work out, you work up a good sweat, you lose weight, you drink water and sports drinks to rehydrate, and then you go home or out with friends and have a nice sensible dinner.
Does that mean that all of the results from your workout are null and void? NO.
Does that mean that because you drank some water which is ZERO CALORIES that you have picked up the five pounds of Fat you lost? NO!
Has your doctor ever told you that once you start on an exercise program that you must not drink water or eat food because you'll just pick the weight back up? NO!
They tell you to eat healthy, drink lots of water, and to stay active!
Are you supposed to starve and die of thirst because you are working out and being health conscious?
Of course Not!
Things You Must Remember
A SAUNA SUIT DOES NOT MAKE YOU PICK UP WEIGHT
YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO RE-HYDRATE YOUR BODY ALL THE TIME!
WATER EQUALS ZERO CALORIES!
WATER IS NOT COMPOSED OF FAT!
WATER FLUSHES FAT and TOXINS OUT OF THE BODY!
When somebody tells you the same old lie about how you only lose water weight using a sauna suit, I give you permission to ignore them! They are lying to you!
The 2lbs of fat you burned off by working out in a sauna suit will not come back after drinking water!
Food is what makes you pick up weight because it has fat and other nutrients that generate energy. The energy from the food you eat is what gives you strength to move to burn the fat calories- if you are not working out and breaking a good sweat, you are not using the food for energy and therefore you are not burning fat!
When you work the body out in a sauna suit you speed up your metabolism and you burn fat calories, not water!
Does that make sense???
REMEMBER THIS
Most people sweat when they exercise or exert themselves and this type of sweating is both natural and healthy (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research 2009).
SAUNA SUITS ARE PERFECTLY SAFE WHEN USED WITH CAUTION!
Sauna suits are great for sweating out toxins from the body and for losing weight, and not just water weight
A Sauna suit will help you burn fat by heating the body and speeding up your metabolism!
Fat loss will be permanent if you are consistent with your exercise routine using a sauna suit
