Weight loss: Hot water bath better than 30 minutes of walking?

Fad diets to workout regimes, there really is no end to the extent people go just to fulfill the mission of losing those piling kilos. While working out is an important factor contributing to weight loss, going to the gym especially after a long, hard day can be exhausting. Weight loss just doesn't happen overnight and requires a lot of effort and exercises which cater to your need.
Turns out, you really do not need to depend on just a gym session to burn those calories. Taking a hot shower would do the job well too!
According to a study conducted by Dr. Faulkner in a London based university, it has been observed that you can actually burn just the same amount of calories as a rigorous 30-minute walk or jog session. The study For the experiment, 14 men were asked to perform in two tests- spend one hour bicycling or run the treadmill and then spend one hour in the hot tub. The sequence may sound very relaxing and ideal, the main goal behind this was to see how many calories were the men able to burn through both activities. The main goal behind doing this experiment was to raise the body temperature by just a degree. Results While there was no denying that the actual workout burned way more calories, it was observed that spending the required time in hot water burned around 130 calories, which is just the same as that of a 30-minute walk session. Why is that?

It might sound strange but there is a very valid reason why hot water helps in fat burning. No, it won’t just get rid of the fat or the weight but what hot water does it speed up the process and reduce inflammation in your body, which is core to weight loss.

The bath also seemed to have the same effect as exercise when it came to the anti-inflammatory response post-activity for each of the participants. Following up on the test results a day later, it was also found that the participants' blood sugar levels were 10 percent lower than those who did not spend one hour in hot water.

When the body has a higher than regular temperature, it burns more calories. To deal with the produced heat, the body works harder to maintain the internal temperature levels and burns way more calories. Basically, when the body faces any external stress like this, heat shock proteins are produced which accelerate the fat burning process.

Besides aiding weight loss and calorie burning, taking a hot bath or simply relaxing in hot water has plenty of benefits to offer for our skin, muscles, joints as well as the heart. Pain levels are reduced and hot water regulates blood flow levels as well. It is also a cure for insomnia.

But keep in mind, depending alone on hot showers cannot solve the problem. Indulging in any kind of workout along with a proper diet is the only way you can actually lose weight in the long run and maintain your health.

Source: indiatimes.com