SCIENCE: SOAKING IN HOT TUB = RUNNING

A team of researchers at Coventry University, a public research university in Coventry, England, claim people who sat in a hot tub for half an hour experienced a major cardiovascular and mental health boost which gave the same benefits as jogging. Don’t believe it? The researchers studied 20 people aged 26 to 60. They measured heart rate, blood pressure, blood flow, anxiety, salivary cortisol, mood, and thermal perception. Participants sat in a hot tub for a half hour on three separate days. Following the soak, blood flow to the legs increased by 345 per cent on average – which is about the same as after a 30-minute jog. Heart rates also shot up by an average of 31 beats per minute, which works out roughly equivalent to a brisk walk. Blood pressure dropped significantly, which also happens when running. Participants also demonstrated a 10 per cent reduction in anxiety levels – similar to a long walk. Therefore, soaking in a hot tub give you the same benefits as jogging. (* Well… unless you want to lose weight. ‘Cause unlike jogging, sitting in a hot tub BURNS NO CALORIES!!!) Science!
* They also found that soaking in a hot tub gives you the same bacterial exposure as licking a gas pump handle.
* Heart rates shot up even more when the participants removed their bathing suits.
* Anxiety rates dropped even more when the participants were given margaritas.
* Let me guess – they got a new hot tub at Coventry University.
* The research was published in the November issue of Jacuzzi Dealers Monthly.
* They studied 20 people. What makes me think there were exactly 20 people on the research team?