You mean a sauna can improve my endurance for running?

Did you know using a sauna can (in some areas) produce better results than exercise? I didn’t believe it either. What are we listening to this week? For 1, one of Dr Ivo’s new favs: Dr Rhonda Patrick

This is an absolutely great, referenced short on some of the benefits of hyperthermic conditioning (ie sauna use). One of the most surprising effects was benefits which exceeded exercising!

Here is one small excerpt:

Being heat acclimated enhances endurance by the following mechanisms:

It increases plasma volume and blood flow to the heart (stroke volume). This results in reduced cardiovascular strain and lowers the heart rate for the same given workload. These cardiovascular improvements have been shown to enhance endurance in highly trained as well as untrained athletes.

It increases blood flow to the skeletal muscles, keeping them fueled with glucose, esterified fatty acids, and oxygen. The increased delivery of nutrients to muscles reduces their dependence on glycogen stores. Endurance athletes often hit a “wall” when they have depleted their muscle glycogen stores. Hyperthermic conditioning has been shown to reduce muscle glycogen use by 40%-50% compared to before heat acclimation. This is presumably due to the increased blood flow to the muscles. In addition, lactate accumulation in blood and muscle during exercise is reduced after heat acclimation.

It improves thermoregulatory control, which operates by activating the sympathetic nervous system and increasing the blood flow to the skin and, thus the sweat rate. This dissipates some of the core body heat. After acclimation, sweating occurs at a lower core temperature and the sweat rate is maintained for a longer period.

waaaayyyyy more in her video. Check it out. I had to listen to it several times to catch all the details.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHOlM-wlNjM&feature=youtu.be