These days, everyone is looking to shed a few pounds. There are tons of different medications and otc pharmaceuticals that are advertised to be the answer to all your weight loss issues – but they are the exact opposite. Instead, try taking a hot bath!
Of course, the most efficient way to lose weight is to eat healthily and exercise regularly, but not everyone has the time to go to the gym every day. Baths are great for everything honestly. They make you feel better, they get you clean, they relax you, and they make you lose weight too! A researcher at Loughborough University has been studying this subject for a while.
Dr. Steve Faulkner says bathing has similar benefits to exercising – including helping prevent type 2 diabetes! He and his team studied the effects of a hot bath on blood sugar levels and calories being burned. The study involved 14 people each enjoying an hour long soak in a bath that was at 104 degrees Fahrenheit, as well as going on an hour long bike ride. The tests were designed to raise core temperatures by one degree.
“The overall blood sugar response to both conditions was similar, but peak blood sugar after eating was about 10% lower when participants took a hot bath compared with when they exercised,” Dr. Faulkner reports.
He also explained that the anti-inflammatory properties of exercise are important for our immune systems and help us fight diseases: “This suggests that repeated passive heating may contribute to reducing chronic inflammation, which is often present with long-term diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.”
So if you can’t find the time to go for a run, draw a nice warm bath and relax instead! Not only are you treating yourself, you’re also improving yourself!