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Portable infrared saunas are quickly inundating weight rooms and gyms nationwide. Athletes are using them as a key part of their warm ups, workout follow ups, and as a method to speed injury recovery.
An infrared sauna is perfect as a “heat therapy room” for athletes looking for a pre-workout activity to warm up muscles and increase flexibility. A quick session in a portable infrared sauna before a competition will give an edge to the physical abilities of an athlete while also helping to prevent injury.
Tissues that are heated to 112 degrees Fahrenheit and then stretched, retain roughly 0.5-0.9% of their length indefinitely. Thus 20 stretching sessions can result in a 10-18% increase in the length of tissues that are stretched in conjunction with infrared heat. (Justus Lehmann M.D., Williams and Wilkins, Therapeutic Heat and Cold.)
A portable infrared sauna’s deep and penetrating infrared heat relaxes tired, sore or damaged athlete muscles, which creates numerous benefits. The infrared heat will bring about better circulation by dilating the blood vessels which will in-turn assist tired and torn muscles in repairing and strengthening themselves. Additionally, the resulting decreased swelling, reduce lactic acids and loosening of muscles will lessen the pain of worn and tight muscles.
When it comes to more serious injuries such as sprains, athletes should follow the normal protocol of icing and compressing the area immediately after injury. Following these actions the deep penetrating infrared rays will ease the pain and speed the process of recovery.
The heat from the infrared rays is able to go deep into the joints of an ailing athlete. As the heat relaxes the muscles around the joint less strain and pressure is placed on the region. This helps overcome the issue of low low d circulation that exists in the body’s joints and in-turn improves their ability to repair and heal.
For those athletes who are temporarily unable to stick to their workout regimen because of injury or time constraints, infrared ray saunas are an effective tool to stay fit. Heat from infrared saunas causes an elevated heart rate, which is a low impact way to obtain a great cardiovascular workout. The American Medical Association explains that “many of us who run do so to place a demand on our cardiovascular system…. Regular use of indoor saunas may impact a similar stress on the cardiovascular system, and its regular use may be as effective, as a means of cardiovascular conditioning and burning of calories, as regular exercise.”
A great way to supplement an athletes fitness regime is to incorporate the calorie burning power of an infrared ray sauna. The Journal of American Medical Association reported that the average FIR sauna session burns around 500 calories. Regular sauna sessions boost the metabolism, eliminate fat cells, and burn lots of calories. Even though infrared sauna sessions are powerful and efficient calorie burners, do not consider them the absolute equivalent to a traditional cardiovascular work-out. Sauna sessions are great for warming up before, and relaxing after a workout, as well as keeping fit while injured and unable to be very mobile.
The popularity of infrared saunas among athletes makes sense when we look at the enhances performances, post-workout relaxation, and improved injury recovery that comes from regular sessions. There is not likely to be a decline of these portable saunas in the nation’s locker rooms.
To find out more information about how many athletes are benefiting from portable infrared saunas, go to HEALTHandMED.com
Tags: dry heat sauna, fir sauna, Health, Health Issues, infared sauna, infra sauna, infrared sauna, infrared therapy, portable infrared, portable infrared sauna, portable sauna, sauna detox, sauna therapy, saunas, sports medicine
Posted in Health Issues · November 17th, 2009 · Comments (0)
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