There’s some great news for all of you that love taking baths. Researchers have found that soaking in a hot tub can have just the same effects on our body as a half-hour walk. These researchers, at Loughborough University, created this study and tested the theory by having 14 males complete 2 separate tests. One test was for an hour on a bicycle and the other was a one hour bath in 104-degree water.
The primary objective of this study was to elevate the participants’ body temperatures by 1 degree. Between the tests, the males on the bicycles burned a lot more calories than the ones in the bath, but they figured out something shocking- that the people in the hot bath burned roughly 130 calories. According to sources, a 30-minute walk burns about the same number of calories, 130.
There were additional conclusions in this research. As the glucose levels of the study’s subjects were monitored for a day after the test was completed, the levels were 10% lower in the bath takers. The ‘hot-bath’ subjects also exhibited anti-inflammatory responses in the same way exercise shows.
So when it comes down to the terminology, passive heating, aka taking a hot bath around an hour can help any inflammation issues your body may be having. The concept of using passive heating in terms of a medical procedure is actually a somewhat emerging treatment. A country that is really practicing and studying this is Finland. The JAMA journal says that Sauna goers (having a Sauna can also be defined as passive heating) can fight cardiovascular problems and diseases.
There is one element to this study that should be stated; all the subjects were male. Sometimes men and women’s bodies do differ in many ways, so the results may vary in women. However; our bodies are also very similar and the physiology should translate to women in most respects. One thing is for sure: taking a hot bath is proven to help your health according to this new study!