If you have a home gym, you will already be reaping the benefits of a convenient, cost effective way to exercise without leaving your home. However, you may not have considered the extra benefits that come with installing a garden sauna alongside it. Many people are finding that incorporating a garden sauna into their health and fitness routine can transform the way they feel and help them to recover more quickly after a workout.
After the Workout: How a Garden Sauna Complements Your Home Gym
If you have a garden gym, you will already be reaping the benefits of a convenient, cost-effective way to exercise without leaving your home. However, you may not have considered the extra benefits that come with installing a garden sauna alongside it. Many people are finding that incorporating a garden sauna into their health and fitness routine can transform the way they feel and help them to recover more quickly after a workout.
Did you know that using a sauna after a workout can help you relax and release tension from the muscles, improve your blood circulation and reduce inflammation in the body? These all assist the body in recovering after a workout, and you can access all of these benefits at home with a garden sauna that can be used after you work out in your home gym.
Garden Saunas: The Benefits
Having a sauna in your garden may sound like the height of luxury, and it certainly feels luxurious as you make the most of the opportunities to relax, but it is also a practical choice that can empower you to take care of your health and wellbeing and support you in taking your fitness regime to the next level. Many people are embracing the concept of the home gym, which provides a convenient and safe way to exercise at home, and you can add a sauna to your home gym to optimise the effects.
There are many benefits to using a sauna after a workout, and these include:
- Relieving sore muscles. After a workout, when you’re feeling the muscle burn, a sauna can help to relieve sore muscles and combat the common after-workout pain known as DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness). Using the sauna can help to relax the muscles and improve the blood flow around the body, which means muscles are restored more quickly and feel noticeably less achy.
- Helping with muscle recovery. Muscles work very hard during a workout, going through a process of hypertrophy as the muscle fibres tear and repair, which ultimately increases strength and growth in the muscles. This process is sped up and supported by the use of a sauna, which helps to relax the muscles and improve blood flow, which also reduces inflammation.
- Reducing your stress levels. Stress is one of the most damaging phenomena for the body and the mind, significantly impacting physical and mental health. Taking steps to reduce your stress levels is one of the most important things you can do to protect your health and longevity in the long term, and building a routine that supports this is helpful. Regular saunas are excellent for combating stress, inducing feelings of calm and relaxation and helping to reduce anxiety and stress in the body.
- Improving cardiovascular health. Because a sauna raises the heart rate and dilates the blood vessels in the body, it has similar positive effects on the body as moderate exercise, and this is beneficial for your cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular disease remains one of the biggest health concerns in the Western world, so it is worth considering making lifestyle adjustments to reduce your risk of developing this and protect your cardiovascular health.
- Driving up your personal bests. Research suggests that athletes who make use of saunas after they exercise may notice significant improvements in their training performance over time. This may be due to increased oxygen uptake and improvements in lactate thresholds, which are associated with positive effects on training performance and endurance.
These are all great reasons to install a sauna with your home gym – and if you need one more reason, it’s just wonderful to look forward to winding down in the sauna after a stressful day!
How to Use a Sauna After a Workout
Optimising the effects of the sauna after your workout on your training performance and general wellbeing means paying attention to the most effective ways to do this. This includes:
1. Listening to your body when you are in the sauna. Whenever you use a sauna, it is important to listen to your body, and this is even more important after a workout. You should ensure that you are in good condition to work out and do not use the sauna if you feel unwell or lightheaded, or if you have gone without food for a long time. If you begin to feel unwell during your workout or while you are in the sauna, you should stop immediately and allow your body to recover.
2. Considering the length of time you spend in the sauna. It can be very dangerous to stay in the sauna for too long, and you should limit sessions to around 15-20 minutes to make the most of the process. The length of time you stay in the sauna will be influenced by the temperature it reaches and the way your body feels, and you should leave the sauna immediately if you begin to feel unwell or lightheaded at any time.
3. Staying hydrated. Saunas work by heating the body and inducing sweating, which aids in detoxifying the body. It is vital to replace lost fluids by hydrating yourself regularly when you are using the sauna, and this is even more important after a workout. Water is the best option to drink when you are training or using a sauna, and you could use a water dispenser or water filter jug in your sauna or home gym to make this easier.
4. Taking professional advice. If you have an underlying medical condition or if you have not exercised for a long time, it is important to discuss your situation with a healthcare professional before you begin a new exercise regimen or start using the sauna. If you have an existing heart or circulation condition, you may be advised against using a sauna, or you may need to take additional precautions such as limiting your time in the sauna or the number of times you use it per week.
Installing a sauna cabin in your garden doesn’t have to be complicated; you can simply pick out the model that suits you best and let us take care of the whole process for you. We have a range of options from larger cabins that can accommodate your home gym and sauna for the luxurious spa experience, or simple cabins that allow you to enjoy the sauna al fresco.
Discover Saunas and Garden Buildings from Gardenhouse 24
At Gardenhouse 24, our mission is to help you make the most of your home and garden with our impressive range of garden buildings. Our range includes stunning garden rooms, summerhouses, home gyms and sauna cabins that can give you extra living space and allow you to create the lifestyle you want. Our indoor sauna cabins may be better suited to your home and your lifestyle, and we will be very happy to discuss the options with you.
We combine the distribution and retail of premium timber products in Ireland, bringing you the very best of cost-effective, high-quality Nordic timber products for domestic and commercial use. Our talented team are responsible for designing, making and selling all of our products, and we can also offer installation as an additional service when required. Our garden buildings are versatile and practical, and are made from sustainably grown timber to give you additional peace of mind. Talk to our professional team today to find out more.
