Does a Hot Tub Help With Weight Loss?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful!? Imagine the joy if something as pleasant and relaxing as simply being in your hot tub helped you to lose weight. Surely it would be too good to be true!

Can simply sitting in your hot tub really help you with your weight loss goals, surely life isn’t that kind – we need to at least suffer a little bit in the pursuit of the body beautiful, surely?

Well, ever the optimist, I set out to find out the facts and to see if using a hot tub regularly can really help with weight loss and this is what I found out.

So, does a hot tub help with weight loss? Soaking in a hot tub does not directly help with weight loss. In fact, you only burn 3% more calories in a hot tub than you do sitting on a couch. However, hot tub users experience reduced levels of stress and this is a key factor in helping you to lose weight.

So, that’s good news then! Hot tubbing can be a contributory activity that can help you to reduce your stress levels which in turn can lead to weight loss. Let’s find out how that works and see if there are any other ways that a hot tub can help with weight loss and a generally healthy lifestyle.

Get in your hot tub to reduce stress and lose weight

Stress, as we all know, is a big problem in modern life and when we are stressed our bodies release a hormone called cortisol. Now, cortisol, in many ways is a good thing. It sets us into “fight or flight” mode – it was great for helping our ancestors react quickly to short-term stressful situations before receding when the threat had passed.

The problem today is that many of us are in an almost continuous situation of stress and overstimulation and our bodies are producing large quantities of cortisol on an almost constant basis.

So, why is this a problem? Surely cortisol is designed to help us combat stressful situations? Well, yes, it is but it also can trigger three other more problematic responses and these are particularly difficult for anyone who is trying to lose some weight or even to remain at a steady weight.

• For a lot of people, cortisol triggers a need to “comfort eat” and, inevitably, rather than going for something healthy, cortisol leads to cravings for high fat, salty foods. These might temporarily lead to a sense of comfort and wellbeing, but in the longer term, these types of foods can lead to all kinds of health problems – not least obesity.

• Cortisol also blocks out testosterone production which can lead to less muscle growth and development. Muscle burns up a lot of calories and if you aren’t producing new muscle to burn the calories you are eating then you will put weight on. A glut of cortisol can also lead to injuries and illnesses not healing and repairing as quickly as they could do again encouraging us to take less exercise and burn fewer calories.

• Cortisol encourages the body to store more fat, particularly deep abdominal fat. Again, not what you really need if you are aiming to lose some weight!

This is where one of the prime benefits of regularly using your hot tub comes in. You already know that being in the hot tub is relaxing and makes you feel better and it will, in actual fact, reduce the cortisol, with all it’s related problems, in your body. In fact, research has shown that you can reduce the amount of cortisol in your body by up to 16% in just a few days by being relaxed and de-stressed.

The hot water in your hot tub makes your blood vessels dilate, the blood pumps around your body more freely. Your heart also benefits from the warmth and the buoyancy and pumps more strongly surging oxygen-rich blood around the body.

Your muscles feel relaxed in the hot water and, as you relax your breathing rate decreases and deepens. This is a key signal to the body to reduce the production of cortisol and to help reduce those cravings for unhealthy food.

Other stress-relieving aspects of hot tubbing include being out in the open air, probably away from stressful phones and situations and spending time chatting with family and friends. All of which adds to a general feeling of health and well being that you will hopefully be only too familiar with!

Obviously, if we are feeling relaxed, healthy and positive we are much more likely to exercise, go for a walk, spend time with the kids or go out to see friends rather than spending our time grazing and overeating.

Hot Tub Weight Loss Facts

Hot tub before a meal – Did you know that if you have a dip in the hot tub before a meal the chances are that you will eat less afterwards? When you get out of a hot tub you have a diminished appetite, probably because your body is busy keeping cool and your heart is busy pumping. Your body has been busy dealing with other priorities and eating gets pushed down the pecking order.

So, if you can manage it try having a large glass of water and then getting into the hot tub for 20 mins or so directly before eating. This might take a bit of planning as you might need to pre-prepare the food or go in the hot tub during the cooking time.

It might also feel like a bit of a strangely timed indulgence as well! However, if it becomes a regular habit you should find that you are naturally eating a little less and that you will possibly lose some weight.

It’s worth pointing out that it’s not a great idea to get in the hot tub directly after a large meal as your body will be expending quite a large amount of effort on digestion at this point. If you then add the extra strain of trying to keep cool in the hot tub, or your core temperature increasing then you could easily start to feel a bit nauseous.

Hot tub before bed – Getting in the hot tub before bed can also really help aid restful high-quality sleep. Research has shown that people who regularly get good sleep, and plenty of it, are far less likely to gain excessive weight.

In many ways having a hot tub soak just before bed is the ideal time of day to wind down and perhaps spend some quality time with a loved one. It also means that you won’t be tempted to spend the last hour or so before you sleep staring at a screen which has been proven to stimulate our brains and make shutting off to sleep more difficult.

Now, this might all seem to be getting a bit too much – a hot tub before a meal, a hot tub before bed – it’s starting to sound a bit like a full-time job! Obviously, it’s probably to going to be practical to hot tub several times a day but in Japan having a hot tub is a daily experience and very much a way of life.

The health benefits, in terms of keeping the body supple and also lifting mood and giving a general feeling of wellbeing, are widely recognized and the Japanese traditionally refer to a good hot tub session being the equivalent of having a full meal.

Now, I’m not too sure about that as, to be completely honest, I’m not sure that even the very best hot tub experience can provide the same energy and pleasure as a good meal but I can see where they are coming from I think. I guess it’s about the feeling of wellbeing and comfort that you feel both after a good meal and a good hot tub.

Both are possibly shared with friends and are a social experience as well as both having a sense of daily ritual and occasion to them.

Exercise in your hot tub

Now, unfortunately, sitting in your hot tub only uses about 3% more calories than sitting on your couch watching TV. This is a shame because it would be a reasonable assumption that, if your body is working hard to keep your core at a reasonable temperature, it might burn a larger number of calories in the process.

You could be completely happy with this or you might be wondering if there is a way that you can burn off a few extra calories whilst you are sitting there in your tub!

Moderate exercise in your hot tub can be an excellent idea. The resistance of the water gives you an extra boost in terms of the effort that you have to put in but, most importantly, it can be much more comfortable than exercising on dry land.

Your body is buoyant and supported, there is less chance of falling and of injury, and your movements have to be smoother and less jarring on your joints. Your muscles will also be warm and supple which makes the possibility of a strain or sprain less likely and it’s just very pleasant exercising in the warmth.

The only problems occur if you start to overdo it and your body becomes overheated. We naturally sweat when we exert ourselves to cool ourselves down and the sweat will be significantly impeded in it’s job in the hot tub so be careful that you don’t get too hot.

Stay well hydrated and, if you feel even slightly unwell, light-headed, nauseous or dehydrated then take a rest and cool off a bit.

Hand claps – This does sound really easy, but if you make sure that you do it completely underwater it can be quite challenging and is good for the arms! Get into the water so that your body is submerged up to your neck, then stretch both hands out as far as they will go and then clap them together as quickly as possible. After several repetitions, you will know that it is working if your arms ache with the water resistance!

Core crunches – The word “crunch” always sounds a bit painful when it’s used in an exercise context! But because you are underwater this is one of the most pleasant crunches you can do. Sit in the hot tub and grab on to the sides so that you can lift up a little and extend your legs out in front of you.

You should feel a floating sensation but you will need to stabilize yourself by holding onto the hot tub. Once your legs are extended out as far as you can get them keep floating and bring them into your chest or “crunch” up.

Extend your legs out again and repeat. This is a great exercise for engaging your core and so much smoother and less stressful on the body than trying to do this type of exercise out of the water.

Pedal it out – Again holding onto the side for stability pedal and kick your legs round just as if you are on a (horizontal) bicycle. This is great for calorie burning and if you keep it going for a little while you will be getting a good cardio workout too. Just be careful not to overheat, dehydrate or start to feel unwell.

Squats – Squats are considerably more comfortable when supported by the water. You can hold onto the hot tub sides to help with balance and support. Try to get as wide a range of movement as you can and go for several repetitions.

Calf raises – Great for toning your legs. Stand in the middle of the hot tub and raise yourself onto tiptoes. Stay there for 3 – 5 seconds and then go back to the floor before repeating. You can extend this movement and combine it with a squat by going down as low as you can get in the water and then standing to as tall as you can on tiptoes and then repeating.

What other hot tub health benefits are there?

So, now we know how using a hot tub regularly can (indirectly) help you to lose weight. What other health benefits does hot-tubbing have as well?

Relief from joint and muscle pain – Applying heat to aching joints and muscles is a good idea. If you suffer from arthritis or have any regular joint pains you will probably find that the pain is relieved whilst you are in the hot tub and that, if you hot tub regularly, you will find relief throughout the day as well.

Strained or sore muscles can also benefit from the application of heat. Warm muscles are more supple and you will gain relief from pain after a good soak in the hot tub.

Lower blood pressure – After 15 minutes or more in the hot tub your blood pressure will lower a little as the blood vessels underneath your skin dilate with the warmth. This can be a good thing and can help relieve headaches and migraines. If you have any heart condition, however, you should consult your doctor before using a hot tub.

Lowers stress levels – Just the very act of spending some quality time in the hot tub will lower your stress level and boost your mood. The massaging effect of the jets releases endorphins and it’s hard to get out of the hot tub feeling less positive than when you went in!

Gets you social – A bit like eating together around the table, using the hot tub with friends or family is a social activity and we all benefit from a bit of good conversation and a good catch up!

Usually, there are few distractions in the hot tub making it the ideal venue for spending some quality conversation time with people we love. Again, we thrive on this type of close emotional contact and it gives us a boost.

Gets you out in the fresh air – Assuming that you hot tub is out in the garden you will be out in the fresh air with the sun on your face (hopefully) and the breeze in your face. We need this connection with nature and, if we can relax in the warm whilst we get it what’s not to like!

How to Really Lose Weight

So, we’ve seen how a hot tub can definitely contribute to a healthy lifestyle and also so can help with weight loss and fitness.  However, it would be naive to think that just sitting in your hot tub more often is really going to help you to lose a significant amount of weight. 

I have a personal weight loss journey that saw me lose around 56 lb of weight once I had finally worked out how on earth to do it. Previous to this I had spent almost two decades being unfit and overweight.  I was living a more stressful lifestyle and and binge-eating was for me a huge problem. I did at the usual things of trying to diet and also trying to go on exercise regimes but I never really stuck with them.

 There were two things that absolutely finally worked for me.  I realized that the only way that I was ever really going to lose weight was very simple: I had to eat less and exercise more. 

To help me eat less I started to keep a daily calorie count of how much I was eating on an app on my phone. This sounds like a very simple thing that wouldn’t possibly make a big difference but for me, it was a big motivating factor.  I enjoyed recording what I was eating and seeing graphically displayed where I was in terms of my calorific intake.

I found it satisfying to make sure that I didn’t go over my daily amount of calories and also so to be able to put into the app the amount of exercise that I was doing to offset the calories.  The app that I used was My Fitness Pal but there are several others available.

The second thing that made a big difference for me was reading a book called No Sweat by Michelle Segar. I think we have all become far too too concerned with fitness and sport and competitiveness and effort and pain all being mixed up in the same confusing cocktail.  When I read No Sweat I realized that actually, fitness doesn’t necessarily have to involve unpleasantness and pain and it’s actually can be enjoyable and exciting.

The book walks you through ways of finding what motivates you and what sort of movement or activity you are going to find most fulfilling.  It really doesn’t matter what activity it is as long as you are actually moving around and doing things. Anything is good from gardening to walking to kite flying etc etc. 

For me my big savior was discovering cycling.  With the combination of regular cycling and using My Fitness Pal I lost around 4 Stones or so and have kept that weight off now for about 4 years.  I can’t describe how much better I feel. It wasn’t all plain sailing and there were times when I felt constantly hungry and constantly tired but the long-term benefit has been absolutely well worth it.

 I think one of the main keys is not to compare yourself with other people.  I used to tell myself that even if I cycled for 10 minutes it was 10 minutes that I hadn’t been sitting around on the sofa and so it was good.

I worked up from there. Honestly and truthfully when I set out, 10 minutes on a bike was all I could manage – I was breathless and it hurt.  A year ago I completed a 100 mile bike ride and was tired but in good shape at the end of it .

If I can do this sort of thing anybody can.  Be kind to yourself, encourage yourself no matter how small the steps are and, and as long as you are moving forward, no matter how slowly, everything is good.

Related questions

How much do you sweat in a hot tub? It’s a revolting fact but, apparently, it’s possible to sweat a pint of sweat per hour when you are in the hot tub. Thank goodness for chemicals and filtration systems!

Does a hot tub increase metabolism? Yes, being in a hot tub does increase your blood flow and speed up your metabolism. However, you will only burn around 3% more calories boing in a hot tub than you will just sitting on the couch watching Netflix! You can do gentle exercise in the hot tub to help things along further!

Do hot tubs reduce cellulite? They possibly do. There’s anecdotal evidence to suggest that the increased blood flow and the stimulation provided by the jets can have an effect on the reduction of cellulite.

Being in the hot tub can also reduce swelling and help with fluid retention so there is some evidence that certain types of fat deposits can be reduced simply by sitting in the hot tub.

Now that’s great news isn’t it!