How Improve Your Fitness without Exercise | Sauna Benefits
Wouldn’t it be nice to get fit without exercise? I’ve been asked that one. I may have looked back as if the inquiring mind had two heads, since I love the exercise, need it and crave it like someone else might crave chips.
Defining “fit” is an important little detail here. Looking fit? Or Being fit? Two different things. You’re not going to dramatically increase your VO2 max or your strength with what I’m about to share. If you want to see a bit more tone, improve the quality of your skin and reduce the appearance of cellulite? You might want to be all over this. You CAN however improve your recovery from the workouts you’re doing to improve your fitness with this, so indirectly yes you can get a fitness boost with this.
If you’re in that do-less-get-more-fit camp, too busy or exhausted, or you’d love a way to get to that “next level” of fitness, easier, I might have it. This is perfect for those days – or times in the day you finally have time but it’s dark or you’ve got something on the stove and can’t get away.
If you love to exercise, you know those days you know deep down another workout is not the best thing but you want to do something?
Sauna.Decrease Soreness After Workouts
Decreased delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) gives you that can’t-sit-down feeling for one to three or more days after a workout. That soreness is a sign of significant tearing that’s occurred as a result of the exercise. It was too much too soon potentially for you.
Sauna is Smart
Penetrate the neuromuscular system – which is one of the biggest reasons you get fit early on (the brain-muscle connection). During your first 4-6 weeks of a new program your progress is all about your neuromuscular system. Basically your brain learns to talk to your muscles better. You’re recruiting more muscle fibers. It works for both strength training and endurance exercise.
Reduced Risk of High Blood Pressure
If you’re relatively healthy and fit the exposure to sauna (and increased stress) can reduce your risk of blood pressure. The blood pressure reduction in middle-aged male study subjects was 50% in those who did sauna 4-7 times a week as opposed to those who did it once.
A decrease in water retention, (which is in part what causes blood pressure) is another benefit many women want. If you’re ankles seem to be swollen or you’re puffy try it. (Belly bloat is not going to benefit as it’s related to wrong foods for the wrong time in your life).
Sauna could be a big player in effort to reduce the appearance of cellulite. The benefits for collagen for skin in combination with reduces the appearance of cellulite. Although this isn’t a part of our new (and only) cellulite targeting program for midlife women, I wish I could share the benefits of sauna with you!
Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk
There’s a lower risk of developing dementia with moderate to high frequency (4-7 times a week) use of infrared sauna. A study was done on midlife men, however it’s important to note that women have a 2x greater risk of developing mood or cognitive disorders. In this case, I would say if it worked for them there’s a good chance women will also benefit.
Your Hot to Chill Pill
Relaxation may have a lot to do with many of the physiological changes in the body. Whether you lie down in your sauna (like my personal sauna) or you sit, even do mild stretching in a sauna, its time you’re not doing things that add stress. So the stress reduction and self care habit of sauna may indirectly contribute to reduced heart disease and reduced risk of dementia.
A Sauna Doesn’t Do Reps for You
Let me be clear in saying sauna does not replace a girlfriend’s need for exercise. It doesn’t do the work for you. It will however, improve your fitness when you add it to your exercise, like a good fitness routine will, without the annoying repetition counting.
Your Hot to Chill Pill
