Salma Hayek knows how to live life to the full. You’ll regularly find her basking in the sun in far-flung corners of the world, resplendent in a bikini on a boat in the middle of the ocean, or floating along a red carpet in all of her (typically Gucci) finery. How does she wind down while juggling this jet-set lifestyle with her powerhouse Hollywood career and being a mum and stepmother? The 56-year-old just revealed one of her biggest health tips.
“Embracing the healing power of the sauna and sweating out the stress,” she wrote on Instagram to mark World Wellness Week, while sharing some rather fabulous photographs of herself reclining, semi-nude, in a traditional pine sauna. Covered with artfully placed towels and with her eyes closed, Hayek doesn’t look remotely flustered by the 80C temperature – she is barely breaking a sweat.
The benefits of heat therapy for our health and wellbeing are well documented, with one 25-year study (of over 2,300 men) indicating that regular sauna use – between four and seven times a week – for 19 minutes at a time, lowered the risk of both Alzheimer’s and dementia, while other studies have shown positive effects on heart health and musculoskeletal disorders, such as arthritis and fibromyalgia. It is excellent for disease prevention. Not to mention the fact that, as Hayek points out, even a short stint in a sauna can quickly help to alleviate stress and tension.
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For bonus points, combine it with a plunge in cold water. But be warned: don’t expect to look like Salma… she is preternaturally hot at all times.
