Health, a good reason to sweat
In the sauna, both the body and the soul are cleansed
Would you believe that there are different forms of sweat? Good sweat and bad sweat. We may be biased, but when backed by science, we can comfortably say that when you get into our Sauna, you will be experiencing the Good Sweat. People feel good after a Sauna. Over the centuries, hundreds of different cultures have utilised steam, heat and warm baths to relax, to sweat and recover - from Finlands Löyly, to the Japanese mushi-buro and kama-buro and the Ancient Roman bath and steam houses. Heat therapy has stood the test of time in all cultures, but it is only recently that we are beginning to understand just why Saunas and heat make us feel so good.
So here is our first study, in 2019 a Finnish cardiologist called Jari Laukkanen published the findings of his longitudinal study (26 years!) into the Sauna habits of over 2000 middle aged men. Those who took regular Saunas (four to seven times a week) were found 50% less likely to suffer from cardiac related illnesses and regular goers were found to have less chances (again halved!) if incidences of strokes, pneumonia, Alzheimers disease and dementia. For someone who was retired from rugby at 20 years old and had significant head trauma from multiple concussions and knock outs, I found this study interesting, but also informative in how it can greatly affect my own health in the future. Safeguarding, protecting, actively taking steps to limit the potential long term consequences of the oval game I loved. But four to seven times a week? That is a lot. So surely there is more evidence to suggest that regular sauna trips are good for you, without the long term commitment of both time and money to go so many times? (although hey, if you want to come to Soil and Salt seven times a week I’m not complaining!).
Don’t fear! There are more!
I’m an ex PE teacher, ex Rugby Player, ex Judo competitor, current Mountain Leader, current Rock Climbing Instructor, current PTI / ATI with the Royal Navy and I love taking part in both Crossfit, Hyrox and Trail events and expeditions. I need to be fit, so I love getting a good sweat on in the gym and making that area a safe place for continuued improvement to everyone, and I’m good at it. So when we sweat in the gym, it is a good thing right? It’s good sweat.
Sweating in the Sauna is exactly the same, our organs are working hard and so are the blood vessels as they go through a series of Vasodilations, releasing heat from the core in radiation causing us to sweat. We have to regulate our own body temperature and internal environment (homeostasis). So our body is working hard to keep this internal environment at a lovely temperature of 37 degrees. So what happens when we go for a run? Our heart beat pumps faster to get O2 to working muscles. When we Sauna, our HB increases with the temperature to deal with the increased temperatures. This is essential a gym workout for the heart, the cardio flexing has been proven to keep our hearts healthy and more recent studies have shown that a 30-50 minute Sauna improves cardiorespiratory fitness in the same way that a moderate gym session does.
In your day to day life, how often do you think you hit the WHO’s reccommended physical activity levels? How could this be improved? After a workout, or activity, head to the Sauna and give your heart some love with it’s own workout. Although it doesn’t promote fat loss or muscle mass, it does keep the Cardiac muscle working efficiently. So combine both, and look after your health for the long run.
So good sweat. What?
When in the Sauna, you will produce around 0.5kg of sweat. 500grams in about 30 minutes. Have you seen Rocky with his bin bag suit? I used to do the same to make weight for Judo, this is much better! But more importantly, 97% of this is water, the other 3%? Toxins and heavy metals area also excreted, detoxing your body. We live in Kernow, or visit Kernow, an area that is ancient in it’s beauty and has green fields, blue seas and rivers - yet we still suffer from pollution and poorly managed waste disposal systems (SAS). So the detox of a Sauna is always useful. This third space, away from work and home, dedicated to restful mind space is potentially most beneficial as a tech free zone. So much of our lives is controlled by the flashing lights of a blue lit screen (says he typing away at this keyboard) that getting away, free from the pinging and vibrations of a phone screen, the noise of a busy life dies away. Some may sit and chat, socialising in this safe and vibrant place of shared experiences, whilst some may sit silently and quietly gaze into the near distance, in a place where their mind wanders freely.
We finish the Sauna different, we finish well balanced, we finish with a feeling that our body is back in order, lighter, more able to breathe freely.
This is a good sweat.
AI image of Soil and Salt Wellness with mine engine and the beacon