title: The sauna and sports.
abstract: Sauna and sports go well together. Top Finnish athletes have discovered this, taking a sauna almost twice a week. Why do they do this? In the sauna, an athlete cleanses his body, refreshes his mind, recovers more rapidly, and relaxes. Sauna bathing is not a way of adapting before competitions in a hot climate, or of losing weight rapidly, although one might expect the sauna to be ideal for these purposes. An athlete does not look to the sauna to help his performance, the sauna itself is reward enough.
authors.affiliation: General Headquarters, Finnish Defense Forces, Helsinki.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rehunen
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D013178:Sports Medicine; D029002:Steam Bath; D015431:Weight Loss