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Do you diet and exercise but struggle with weight loss and your overall wellness? If so, you aren’t alone! But, there are things you can do to take it off. And, if you have your own hot tub, you have your very own weight loss toolkit!

Many of us struggle with a bit of extra weight and how to lose it.

Over the years you may have exhausted many methods and diets in an effort to lose weight. Some of them worked while some of them didn’t.

You may have found that the most long-lasting weight loss happens when you do something you love that is sustainable in the long run. This is where your hot tub comes into the picture.

Your hot tub has health benefits for weight loss, and you can add hot tub soaking to your weight loss toolkit.

Sure, it doesn’t burn a ton of calories, but it does burn about 3% more than if you were sitting on your sofa. Let’s look at the ways you can leverage your hot tub for weight loss.

Hot Tubs Provide Stress Reduction

Stress plays havoc with your hormones in dramatic ways.

One of the most significant ways involves cortisol, the “stress hormone.” The effects of cortisol can be devastating for people trying to lose pounds and even to those who are trying to maintain a healthy weight.

Cortisol, which is associated with the body’s “fight or flight” response to a stressor or threat, affects the body in three ways that can make weight loss difficult or impossible:

1. Cortisol can trigger many individuals to crave high-fat, high-sodium foods in an effort to self-soothe and cope with stress. These foods can easily result in weight gain.
2. Cortisol can prevent your body from building new muscle by reducing testosterone levels. More muscle means a faster rate of burning calories, which in turn drives weight loss. High cortisol levels halt that muscle-building process. This can also result in a longer healing process for muscle injuries, which subsequently make it difficult and painful to exercise.
3. Consistently high levels of cortisol can increase the amount of body fat, particularly in the abdominal region, by triggering the body’s fat storage response.

The adverse impact of high cortisol levels is well-documented. Here’s where a hot tub may be beneficial: When you’re soaking in hot water, your body’s muscles relax, and your breathing slows. The net effect is profound relaxation and a decrease in cortisol levels.

With a hot tub, you enjoy the added benefits of fresh air and time in nature. This reduces stress levels by relaxing the brain’s high-level function control center, the prefrontal cortex.

Bottom line: relaxing in a hot tub may lower cortisol levels and aid your weight loss attempts.

Hot Tubs Help with Injury Recovery

Exercise is a critical component of successful weight loss journeys.

Staying active, though, is difficult when you have an injury. This is where the hot tub comes in as it an aid in your  recovery efforts. This is because the hot water can help temporarily relieve pain and promote healing.

High-impact cardio exercises such as running and cycling are among the most effective activities for weight loss and the maintenance of a healthy physique. But high-impact exercises frequently result in injuries. These injuries can be slow to heal, which ultimately leads to weight gain due to inactivity.

Fortunately, improved circulation can aid in recovery from an injury. Hot water causes capillaries and blood vessels to dilate, which allows blood to flow more freely within the body. This increased blood flow to the injured area—and to your body as a whole—results in accelerated healing. This is because the body uses the circulatory system to transport vital healing resources to the site of the injury.

As with every injury recovery plan, it’s important to consult a physician before using a hot tub. Your doctor may recommend special measures during different phases of the healing process.

By improving circulation, hot tubs may be useful in helping injuries heal.

Hot Tubs Improve Sleep

If you’re like many Kansans, you may struggle to fall and stay asleep at night.

Unfortunately, this can make for a more challenging weight loss journey, as chronic insomnia and sleep disturbances have a dramatic impact on hormone levels and other body systems.

Consider the following:

• Chronic insomnia elevate cortisols levels. As mentioned above, cortisol is known to increase hunger levels.
• Sleep deprivation increases levels of ghrelin, the hormone that makes you feel hungry. This makes it difficult to maintain a healthy eating schedule.
• Poor sleep habits decrease leptin levels. Leptin is a hormone that makes you feel satisfied after eating, so lower leptin levels make it far easier to overeat.
• Sleeplessness can shift your body into “survival mode,” which results in a dramatically slower metabolism as the body attempts to conserve resources.
• Chronic insomnia can increase serotonin levels, which in turn can motivate people to eat foods that are high in carbohydrates and fat.
• With sleep deprivation, mitochondria—the powerhouses of the cells—begin to shut down, resulting in a reduction in the amount of sugar that your body processes. This can lead to weight gain, as the affected fat cells may be as much as 30% less capable of dealing with insulin.

So how can a hot tub help combat insomnia and weight gain?

Hot water promotes relaxation. Many people find a hot tub soak preps them for a good night’s sleep.

Some individuals may find that a soak in hot water is even more effective than other, far less healthy alternatives for achieving deep relaxation, such as imbibing alcohol—a substance that only contributes to weight gain.

What’s more, hot tubs can help temporarily ease the musculoskeletal pain that is a primary cause of insomnia for many people.

For people with sleep disorders, using a hot tub might improve the quality of sleep.

Hot Tubs Provide Temporary Relief from Pain

If you have chronic pain from conditions such as arthritis, exercise may be difficult.

Yet, hot tubs may provide some people with temporary relief from pain while also improving range of motion.

This temporary relief can improve quality of life while making it easier to sleep, exercise, and stay active.

Hot water can be extremely soothing to the muscles and joints. The heat also improves circulation, which speeds the healing of injuries while simultaneously promoting overall better health. Immersion can also reduce tension, which is another key contributor for many chronic pain sufferers.

Some studies show hot tub usage may help temporarily relieve pain.

To Conclude

It’s important to consult a physician before beginning any weight-loss routine. But if you struggle to lose pounds or to maintain a healthy weight, a hot tub may be a valuable—and enjoyable—weapon in the battle for healthy weight loss.

If you’re considering purchasing a hot tub, Caldera Spas® offer luxury, comfort, and bliss. We encourage you to contact us today to discuss which model is right for your needs and lifestyle!

Source: Caldera Spas