sauna + cycling?

[1oki]

Any opinions on the health effects in the use of a sauna [dry heat] in
conjunction with cycling?

Yes, dehydration should be taken into account, but assuming that one
does maintain proper hydration is a post or pre-ride sauna a good thing?

I've gotten into the habit of a post swim-sauna over the winter. Now that
the biking season is well and truly here, having a quick post-ride swim and
sauna is appealing. It seems to soothe exerted muscles.

Note: I'm not considering the moral or legal aspects of saunas.

:)

--
'Do as you damn well please
Or you could end up
being a pot-bellied boring hairless fart'
- billy connelly

[maxo]

On Sat, 07 May 2005 11:27:32 -0400, 1oki wrote:

> Any opinions on the health effects in the use of a sauna [dry heat] in
> conjunction with cycling?

As a Swede I am appalled by your use of dry heat! get thee to The Russian
Baths in Chicago and learn to use moisture & seaweed brushes properly.
Cover your nuts with one hand when you toss water in the oven--do
not oversaturate the air. Drink lots of good Polish mineral water while
doing this--deli across the street sells it, keep it in a bucket of cold
water. Eat herring and drink beer afterwards. Watch out for the gypsies,
and accept offers of back scrubs from anybody with a nice set of brushes

[Tom Keats]

In article >,
maxo > writes:

> Eat herring and drink beer afterwards.

mmmmm... breakfast of champions.
That even tops pie 'n coffee, or
tea and scones.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

[Peter Cole]

1oki wrote:
>
> I've gotten into the habit of a post swim-sauna over the winter. Now that
> the biking season is well and truly here, having a quick post-ride swim and
> sauna is appealing. It seems to soothe exerted muscles.

The few times I've gone into a pool after a hard ride, my legs cramped
almost immediately. Perhaps the water wasn't warm enough. I've never
cared for saunas, either. For tired muscles, massage seems to be the
most effective thing.

[maxo]

On Sat, 07 May 2005 13:29:42 -0400, Peter Cole wrote:

> massage seems to be the most
> effective thing.

I use a regular bakers rolling pin on my legs after really hard rides to
get the lactic acid out + it feels good. :)

[Antti Salonen]

1oki > wrote:

> Any opinions on the health effects in the use of a sauna [dry heat] in
> conjunction with cycling?

> Yes, dehydration should be taken into account, but assuming that one
> does maintain proper hydration is a post or pre-ride sauna a good thing?

We have a lot of saunas here in Finland and I often go to one after a
ride. I never tried one before a ride and doubt it would do much good,
and I'd be worried about dehydration. That of course depends on how hot
the sauna in question is - Here they are typically about 80 C (175 F).

After the ride I think they are refreshing, but I doubt there's any
significant physiological benefit. I think most sauna goers find them
refreshing even without a preceding bicycle ride.

-as

[1oki]

"maxo" > wrote in message
. ..
> On Sat, 07 May 2005 11:27:32 -0400, 1oki wrote:
>
>> Any opinions on the health effects in the use of a sauna [dry heat] in
>> conjunction with cycling?
>
> As a Swede I am appalled by your use of dry heat! get thee to The Russian
> Baths in Chicago and learn to use moisture & seaweed brushes properly.

Not my decision.

:(

What is considered a reasonable length of time sauna-ing? I usually stay in
no more than 30 minutes at most - usually closer to 15.


--
'We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.'
-led zeppelin

[Neil Brooks]

"1oki" > wrote:

> What is considered a reasonable length of time sauna-ing? I usually stay in
>no more than 30 minutes at most - usually closer to 15.

I make camp.

When my wife and I go, I like about 30 minutes in the steam, followed
by 30 in the sauna. I'm sure that's too much, but that's also too
bad. I seem to tolerate it well (think: Simpson's episode including
the phrase, "Damage-amage-amage-amage....").

I try to weigh myself before and after, ensuring that I drank enough
water to replace whatever weight I lost (I take the water in with me).

I just bought a countertop H2O distiller. I'll likely start drinking
distilled for the (steam+sauna) detox process only.

[maxo]

On Sat, 07 May 2005 21:15:04 -0400, 1oki wrote:

>
> "maxo" > wrote in message
> . ..
>> On Sat, 07 May 2005 11:27:32 -0400, 1oki wrote:
>>
>>> Any opinions on the health effects in the use of a sauna [dry heat] in
>>> conjunction with cycling?
>>
>> As a Swede I am appalled by your use of dry heat! get thee to The
>> Russian Baths in Chicago and learn to use moisture & seaweed brushes
>> properly.
>
> Not my decision.
>
> :(
>
> What is considered a reasonable length of time sauna-ing? I usually stay
> in
> no more than 30 minutes at most - usually closer to 15.

It depends on you personal constitution and the sauna conditions. If you
feel uncomfortable, cool off somehow. At a real European type bathhouse,
you'll have various levels of heat and buckets of cold water to dump over
you. The Baths in Chicago have a cold water pool--in the winter jumping
into the 40 degree water's awesome--once you get your core temp up.

I usually cycle between sauna and cool off in the cold pool/shower every
15-20 min, in a very hot sauna and often dump cold buckets on my head.

The herring will restore your salt balance.

[Paul Turner]

maxo wrote:

> As a Swede I am appalled by your use of dry heat! get thee to The
> Russian
> Baths in Chicago and learn to use moisture & seaweed brushes properly.
> Cover your nuts with one hand when you toss water in the oven--do
> not oversaturate the air.

I must have ridden by that place hundreds of times without even thinking
that it might still be a Russian bath. I'll have to give it a try.

--
Paul Turner

[maxo]

On Sun, 08 May 2005 10:09:06 -0500, Paul Turner wrote:

> maxo wrote:
>
>> As a Swede I am appalled by your use of dry heat! get thee to The
>> Russian
>> Baths in Chicago and learn to use moisture & seaweed brushes properly.
>> Cover your nuts with one hand when you toss water in the oven--do not
>> oversaturate the air.
>
> I must have ridden by that place hundreds of times without even thinking
> that it might still be a Russian bath. I'll have to give it a try.

worth every penny imho--I think it's around $25, but bring extra if you
want a theraputic beating. I'm serious about the gypsies--leave jewelry
and electronics at home or secure them in the safe at the front desk.