Unable to go for a morning jog, take a warm bath instead. Hot baths are no longer just a hygiene routine; they can help you burn just as many calories as you would have done if you went for a walk.
Highlights
- Hot water baths can help burn calories and control blood sugar levels and thereby prevent type 2 diabetes.
- Hot water baths are equivalent to the same amount of calories that are usually burnt by half-hour walks.
- Passive heating may reduce chronic inflammation, which is often present with long-term diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.
The study involved 14 people who had to first take an hour-long soak in a bath run at 104 degrees Fahrenheit and then an hour-long bike ride.
Both the tests were designed to raise the core body temp by one degree to measure the calorie burn in each session.
Although cycling burnt more calories than the bath, The bath surprisingly burnt calories equivalent of a 30-minute walk.
Dr. Faulkner said: "The overall blood sugar response to both conditions was similar, but peak blood sugar after eating was about 10% lower when participants took a hot bath compared with when they exercised."
"This suggests that repeated passive heating may contribute to reducing chronic inflammation, which is often present with long-term diseases, such as type 2 diabetes," said Dr. Faulkner.