There are many ways to lose weight, with most people choosing dieting or exercise. However, some people now claim that bathing can also help with weight loss. Is this true? How does bathing help with weight loss?
Can Bathing Help with Weight Loss?
Bathing can indeed help with weight loss.
During bathing, dirt on the body is washed away by water and sweat. Residual impurities and excess water in the body are also eliminated along with sweat, helping to reduce swelling and promote metabolism, thus achieving the goal of weight loss.
Weight Loss with Alternating Hot and Cold Showers
The water temperature during bathing should be set around 38 to 40 degrees Celsius. It is best to use alternating hot and cold showers. Start with a hot shower at 40 degrees Celsius until the body starts sweating, then dry the body and switch to a warm shower at 35 degrees Celsius. Once the body adapts to the water temperature, switch back to hot water. Repeat this alternating process 4 to 5 times to continuously expand and contract blood vessels, increasing blood circulation.
Bathing with Massage
Massaging during bathing can help clear the lymphatic system, accelerate blood circulation, enhance metabolism, and achieve the effect of detoxification and weight loss. Specific massage techniques include the following:
Leg massage: Start with vigorous massage from the outer side of the thigh to the ankle, until a comfortable pain sensation is felt, and repeat five times. Then, start massaging from the inner side of the ankle towards the groin area to promote lymphatic flow in the groin and eliminate waste from the body.
Arm massage: Bend one arm slightly and press the other arm from the fingertips to the upper arm in a straight line. Straighten one arm and grab the extended upper arm with the other hand, rotating the flesh on the arm.
Abdominal massage: Massage the waist fat in a circular motion, then use a shower head to spray the abdomen in a clockwise direction, alternating between near and far distances, with the water flow being strong and weak.
Weight Loss with Bathing
If you have a bathtub at home, you can take a bath. When the body is immersed in hot water, it consumes more calories. If you add herbal bath products to the hot water, many medicinal herbs can help with detoxification, fat burning, and skin firming, greatly enhancing the effect of weight loss.
What Materials are Good for Bathing to Lose Weight?
Traditional Chinese Medicine Materials
Using detoxifying and dampness-reducing traditional Chinese medicine materials in the bathing water can take advantage of the expanded body pores due to hot water, allowing the ingredients in the medicine to quickly penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin, achieving the goal of weight loss.
Here is a recommended herbal bath recipe: Take 10 grams each of dried lotus leaves, peppermint leaves, cassia seeds, hawthorn, and green tea leaves, boil them in 3 to 5 liters of water for an hour, filter the residue with gauze, and pour the herbal bath into the bathing water. Soak for about 20 minutes. Consistent use for a month will show significant weight loss results.
Essential Oils
Pour 7 to 8 drops of essential oil into the bathing water and massage while bathing. As the body pores open up, the skin quickly absorbs the essential oil. Bathing with hot water also accelerates blood and lymph circulation, promotes body metabolism, and thus achieves the goal of weight loss.
Coffee and Green Tea
The caffeine in coffee and the tea polyphenols in green tea have a stimulating effect on the nerves. Using both together can promote blood circulation, accelerate fat decomposition and metabolism, and reduce the production of new fat. Boil a pack of instant coffee in 2 liters of boiling water for 5 minutes, then add a green tea bag and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove the green tea bag and pour the mixed juice of coffee and green tea into the bathtub, adding hot water to make a bath solution. Before soaking, rinse off the oil and sweat from the body with a shower, then soak in the bath. This way, the pores will not be blocked, and the ingredients in green tea and coffee can be effectively absorbed, thus achieving the goal of weight loss.
What to Pay Attention to When Bathing to Lose Weight
It is best to drink a glass of water before bathing, whether warm or hot. Before showering, wet the limbs first, then wet the rest of the body. If taking a bath, start by pouring hot water on the toes, then start bathing. After soaking for five minutes, take a break for five minutes and slowly drink a glass of hot water. Use loofah or a cotton towel with massage oil to massage the areas with more body fat for a few minutes. Then, soak in the water for 8 to 10 minutes. Finally, rinse the toes with warm or cold water to tighten the skin.
