If you just wanted to 'force' yourself to go for a run, stop for a moment. Scientists have found that a hot bath should be equally effective.
Steve Faulkner, a researcher at Loughborough University, says it has a hot bath has very similar effects and benefits as exercise – namely, it should help in prevention type 2 diabetes. He explained to The Conversation that a hot bath has always been relaxing, but only recently has science begun to discover how 'passive heating' improves our health.
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Faulkner and his team researched effect hot baths, which it has on blood sugar levels and the number of calories we burn in the process. V studies was involved 14 people, and each of them enjoyed a one-hour soak in the hot bath at 40 degrees Celsius as well as in a one-hour exercise on a bicycle. Both tests were designed to raise body temperature by just one degree, so the team could measure how many calories were burned in each activity. Although it is true that more calories were burned on the bike, the research showed that people burn just as many calories in a hot bath as in a 30-minute walk.
They also explained the important anti-inflammatory effects that exercise is supposed to have on our body immune system, and explained how it should help fight diseases. Repeated 'passive heating' is said to contribute to the reduction of chronic inflammation, which is often present in long-term diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
So kick off your sneakers – well, take off completely – and jump into a hot bath.
More information:
tandfonline.com
