The weight loss fad is an on-going trend that millions of workout enthusiasts try to conquer as part of their customized exercise regimens. While losing weight is a definitive goal, it’s important to realize that weight loss will not happen overnight. Rather, it’s a steady process that requires commitment to intense bouts of exercise, and dedication to a balanced nutritional plan that does away with excess carbohydrates and fatty foods. One of the most concerning myths circumventing gyms is that running on a treadmill in a sauna suit will speed up the weight loss process. This dangerous belief has serious consequences and has the potential to result in hospitalization, or worse.
Sweat-Gear Running
Most active gym-goers have seen it: a man or woman running in stride on a treadmill decked out in sweat gear. Although this type of attire is appropriate when running in frigid outdoor conditions, it promotes significant health risk when inside of a climate-controlled building. Dripping sweat at an accelerated rate will not promote healthy weight loss. The biggest weight loss myth corrupting the minds of some active gym-goers is that the fluids leaving the body during exercise consequently results in weight loss.
Dangerous Temperatures
Running in a sauna suit or sweat gear can increase the body’s core temperature to dangerously high levels, which forces the heart to exhaust itself while sweat glands leak extraneous amounts of fluid. This process typically results in severe dehydration, but can also cause damage to the kidneys due to severe loss of electrolytes and heat stroke. Most people who engage in sauna-suit workouts experience temporary weight loss as a result, but immediately regain the weight they seemingly lost when gulping water. This is because fat is not burned as a direct outcome of running in sweat gear; rather, the body exudes excess amounts of water weight, which is quickly regained.
The Origins of the Myth
The sauna-suit-weight-loss myth is a product of sport. Several boxers and wrestlers use exercising in sweat gear as a tactic of temporarily decreasing their overall body mass in order to pass weigh-ins before competition. While this strategy can enable a competitor to fight at his or her next match, it does not cause significant reduction in body weight. You will not burn more calories than you typically would if you douse yourself in layers of clothing before running several miles on a treadmill. However, you will deplete your body’s natural ability to function at a high level because your body will drain itself of important fluids that would be used to fuel working muscles with the nutrients they need to operate efficiently.
It Takes Time
Healthy weight loss incurs over time. There is not a foolproof weight loss strategy that will help you trim your waistline by several inches in a few workout sessions. Starvation is also not an appropriate method of decreasing your overall body mass. You must actively engage in rigorous workout activity which combines both cardiovascular exercise and weightlifting in order to burn stored energy, commonly referred to as fat. In addition, it’s important to eat a diet rich in vitamins and minerals, and protein. Most importantly, you need to drink lots of water. Running in a sauna suit counteracts the most crucial element of losing weight: hydration. You can greatly improve your metabolism and natural fat-burning capacity by running on a treadmill, and you don’t need sweat gear to do it.
