According to a recent survey, just short of half (around 45%) of the world’s population says they are currently attempting to lose weight (IPOS, 2021). 

Losing weight can be extremely difficult, with many people abandoning their plans early into their journey due to a lack of motivation to stick to their diet and exercise regime. Whilst diet and exercise are essential to weight loss and cannot be replaced, wouldn’t it be great if we could add a third tine to the traditional two-pronged approach? 

And wouldn’t it be even better if that third method was relaxing, enjoyable and could give you additional health benefits too? 

Your Hydropool hot tub can do this and more. Anecdotally, Hydropool customers have told us about weight loss achievements and their stories are backed up by multiple studies! So, hot tubs can aid weight loss as well as help suppress cravings and increase energy expenditure. 

So, by taking a daily dip in your Hydropool temperature-controlled hot tub, you can add a more relaxing and enjoyable dimension to your diet and weight loss programme. Soon you’re going to need a smaller bikini for those indulgent Hydropool sessions. 

How does it work? 

Appetite Suppression

One of the most difficult problems you face when dieting is fighting off cravings, whether that be a chocolate bar, a bag of crisps or a Friday night Chinese takeaway! Most experts agree, distraction is one your greatest allies when beating cravings! Firstly, what better way to distract yourself than by taking a long and relaxing soak in your heated hot tub? 

Your hot tub provides more than just the perfect distraction though, research also shows that immersion in warm water can help actually suppress your appetite, meaning you’re even less likely to snack in between meals. 

Studies by Mandic (et al, 2019) and Jeong (et al, 2018) confirm the appetite of individuals was suppressed when they bathed in warm water because doing this causes your core body temperature to rise. To counter this, your body makes physiological changes as it seeks to bring its core temperature back under control. One of those changes is to limit any bodily functions that produce heat (Yousef et al, 2020) and this, rather handily, includes digestion. As digestion slows, our appetite and cravings will naturally diminish. 

So, not only does your tot tub help distract you from those pesky cravings, they can also help curb your appetite, meaning you are much less likely to consume un-necessary calories by reaching for the biscuit barrel. But maybe you want something a little more energetic!  

Exercise In Your Swim Spa

Physical activity is without doubt the best way to help you achieve your weight loss goals. 

As you exercise, your body uses its carbohydrate and fat stores as its fuel source, meaning you lose weight as a direct result of the exercise you do (HealthLine, 2018). 

When starting a weight loss journey, for most people the primary aim is to burn their excess fat. Low intensity aerobic exercises, including walking, jogging and swimming are perfect for achieving this aim. This is because when we exercise aerobically at lower intensities, our body uses fat as its primary fuel source (Hargreaves & Spriet, 2020). Your swim spa provides the optimum environment for a variety of aerobic exercises, helping you achieve your weight loss goals. 

Not only does your Hydropool swim spa or hot tub provide the perfect exercise environment, but research also shows there are additional benefits to exercising in one. Again, when in a warmer environment, your body works harder to maintain your core body temperature, meaning you burn  more calories and fat (McCubbin et al, 2020 than when exercising at room temperature! 

Calorie Expenditure

After an intense exercise session (or even a busy and demanding day), most of us just want to be able to sit, relax and rest for a while. Whilst this is great, wouldn’t it be even better if there was a way to relax and also burn a few extra calories on top of those you’ve already burned from physical activity? 

Research conducted by Faulkner (2016) found that bathing in warm water can significantly increase the amount of calories that we burn. Specifically, Faulkner states that bathing in water heated to 40°C can increase the calories we expend by up to 80%! So, after that long day of work, swim spa session or 5k run, you don’t have to feel guilty about taking a moment to sit and do absolutely nothing. 

You can step into your own heated swim spa, sit back and allow your body some time to relax, rest and recover from all the work you’ve put in, all the while burning off some extra calories, pushing you closer to your weight loss or dieting goals. 

Getting the Engine Running In the Morning  

Breakfast can be an awkward meal for those of us who are dieting. You’ve just got out of bed, eight hours of inactivity and if you’ve got to drive to work straight after eating you can feel like your breakfast is sitting heavy in your stomach for a while. 

An early morning workout or even a session in your Hydropool hot tub can be extremely effective. Both exercise and immersion in warm water can raise your rate of metabolism, essentially meaning that you burn calories at a much faster rate (Hoekstra et al, 2018, NHS, 2020). 

Think of it like putting fuel in your car. If you had the car engine running whilst filling it up with petrol, your car is going to use that fuel right away. This is exactly the same for us in the morning, if your metabolism is already working quickly as a result of some form of physical activity or a change in core body temperature, you are going to burn calories at a much faster rate - to create energy to replace the energy lost. Subsequently, when we eat breakfast after some form of physical exertion, the calories you consume are going to be burned much faster. So, an early exercise session in your swim spa, or even a prolonged, meditative morning soak in one of your hot tub could help you increase your metabolism, helping you ensure that you’re able to burn off those breakfast calories much faster. 

As always, we advise seeking expert advice before starting a weight loss programme. What I have tried to do in this blog is to take feedback from Hydropool customers and back up this anecdotal evidence with scientific and medical studies. Your swim spa or hot tub can complement other weight loss regimes. 

To experience Hydropool Midlands’ Hot Tubs and Swim Spas for yourself, visit our showroom just off junction 25 of the M1 for Nottingham.  Request a brochure or a home visit and you can find out more across the Hydropool Midlands website, or by calling 0800 144 8827.

Sources

• Faulkner, S (2016) The effect of passive heating on heat shock protein 70 and interleukin-6: A possible treatment tool for metabolic diseases? Temperature. 4 (3) .p. 292-304 
• Hargreaves, M, Spriet, L (2020) Skeletal muscle energy metabolism during exercise. Nature Metabolism. p. 817-828 
• Mandic, I, Ahmed, M, Rhind, S, Goodman, L, L’Abbe, M, Jacobs, I (2019) The effects of exercise and ambient temperature on dietary intake, appetite sensation, and appetite regulating hormone concentrations. Nutrition and Metabolism. 16 (29) 
• Jeong, J, Lee, D, Liu, S, Chua, S, Schwartz, G, Jo, Y (2018) Activation of temperature-sensitive TRPV1-like receptors in ARC POMC neurons reduces food intake. Public Library of Science: Biology. 
• Hoekstra, S, Bishop, N, Faulkner, S, Bailey, S, Leicht, C (2018) Acute and chronic effects of hot water immersion on inflammation and metabolism in sedentary, overweight adults. Journal of Applied Physiology. 125 (6) .p. 2008-2018 
• NHS (2020) How can I speed up my metabolism? [Internet] available from: <https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/metabolism-and-weight-loss/>
• Yousef, H, Ahangar, E, Varacallo, M (2021) Thermal Regulation. Stat Pearls. 
• HealthLine (2018) The 14 Best Ways to Burn Fat Fast [Interne] available from: <https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/best-ways-to-burn-fat> 
• McCubbin, A, Allanson, B, Odgers, J, Cort, M, Costa, R, Cox, G, Crawshay, S, Desbrow, B, Freney, E, Gaskell, S, Hughes, D, Irwin, C, Jay, O, Lalor, B, Ross, M, Shaw, G, Périard, J, Burke, L (2020) Sports Dietitians Australia Position Statement: Nutrition for Exercise in Hot Environments.  International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 30 (1) .P. 83-98 
• IPOS (2021) 45% of people globally are currently trying to lose weight [Internet] available from: <https://www.ipsos.com/en/global-weight-and-actions>