Can I Lose Weight from Using a Hot Tub?

When most people think of hot tubs, they think of sitting back with their eyes closed while resting and relaxing in bubbling, warm water. Weight loss usually isn’t the first thing that springs to mind when most people envision using a hot tub. However, there may be ways to use your hot tub to help you shed a few pounds. In this article we’ll go over various hot tub uses and their ability to help you lose weight.

The Hot Water Soak

It stands to reason that immersing your body in hot water will increase your body temperature. And an increase in body temperature should lead to burning more calories. So does that mean by relaxing in your hot tub you’ll be able to lose weight? There has been research into this phenomenon, but unfortunately it appears the amount of calories burned by simply sitting in a warm hot tub is relatively nominal. The fact is that with even the most liberal estimates, sitting in a hot tub for 20 minutes will burn as many calories as walking slowly for a similar amount of time. Yes, by sitting in a hot tub, you’ll be burning calories, but not enough to make much difference on the weigh scales.

The Pre Dinner Soak

It’s said that soaking in the hot tub before dinner will decrease your appetite. Accompanied by drinking a large glass of water, a soak in the hot tub 20 minutes before eating can apparently decrease your appetite and make you eat less once you sit down at the dinner table. It sounds reasonable enough. And even if it doesn’t lower your appetite, at least you’ll be well relaxed at supper time!

The Pre Bedtime Soak

By having a relaxing soak in the hot tub before bedtime, you’ll improve your chances of a deeper and longer sleep. And being well rested has been said to decrease the chances of weight gain. There are studies that indicate people with poor sleeping habits or who receive less than five hours of sleep a night are more prone to weight gain. Once again, even anecdotally, the idea that a relaxing soak in the hot tub before you go to bed will result in a better sleep sounds quite reasonable!

Hot Tub Exercise

Of course, it’s well known that the scientifically proven way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more. Earlier we spoke about using the hot tub to bring down your appetite. Here we’ll talk about using the hot tub as an area to perform exercise. Although initial thoughts may not consider a hot tub as a place for exercise, the fact is that it can be the perfect place for a workout routine. Not only does the warm water increase your blood circulation and warm up your muscles which lowers your chances of injury, you have the perfect relaxing spot once you’re done your workout! Water’s natural resistance can turn simple movements into excellent workout programs. Actions performed underwater such as arm circles, clapping your hands, or doing bicycle kicks all become much more of a workout when compared to the same actions done out of the water. Water’s buoyancy also provides a great medium for low impact exercise needed by people with joint or bone issues. Exercises such as running on the spot can be performed much more safely if one is worried about the effects of heavy impact on knee joints or ankles. Water buoyancy can also increase the safety of people who are overweight or have mobility issues.

Perhaps if you were seeking another reason to purchase a hot tub, how it can help you shed a pound or two might be the encouragement you need to take the plunge and become a hot tub owner.

Meta: Hot tubs have many health and wellness benefits. Is losing weight one of them? Click here to find out more.

About the Author

Scott Bland has been in the leisure industry for nearly 20 years. As a sales manager in the leisure industry he knows hot tubs inside and out. Right now he works sales while writing about consumer goods on the side. If you want to contact him, you can do so at hisLinkedIn