Increased blood flow – The heat of the sauna causes an increase in the rate that the heart has to work in order to pump oxygen around the body. A side effect of this is that nutrients are moved around the body more efficiently. It also helps blood reach and relieve contracted muscles.

Detox – The heat of the sauna opens the pores, whilst the increase in sweat helps to discharge toxins from the body.

Stimulates immune system – People often make use of saunas when they are ill with the reason being that the state that the body enters whilst in the sauna stimulates the immune system. This increases the level of disease fighting white blood cells entering the blood thus enhancing the fight on intrusive bodies.

Softens muscle so aids massage – A sauna can make muscles suppler which makes them easier to manipulate and manage. It is a good idea to have a sauna before a massage.

Relaxing – The relaxing impact that the sauna has on the muscles relives tension and helps you to relax. This creates an increased feeling of well being and can also be a useful way to induce a sleepy state.

Guest post by from the team at German wellness and spa who are involved with sauna, spa and wellness.

Sometimes we can end up putting on weight without even thinking about it. Here are just 5 everyday activities that can result in weight gain…

1. Drinking too much alcohol – sounds like an obvious one because we all know how bad alcohol is for you when you are trying to lose weight, but knowing a sensible limit is the key because you still want to have a good time.
2. Watching TV – many of us spend hours on end during the winter evenings chilling out in front of the box but this is an extremely unhealthy lifestyle choice and if you have children, you are setting a bad example. Get yourself active even if it is just a few nights a week, you will notice the difference.
3. Getting stressed – when you are most stressed is when you will put on the most weight, that’s been medically proven. You feel down so you perk yourself up with comfort foods that add to your waistline. Not to mention that stress is usually a result of being busier
4. Large portion sizes - you need to know what constitutes a healthy portion size based on your gender, current weight and other factors like your height. Consult a GP if you are unsure. Overeating even on seemingly healthy foods is a surefire way to gain weight.
5. Wasteful exercise sessions – it is easy to get into your comfort zone at the gym but this is a recipe for disaster because if your routine is too gentle then you are going to see less results which will eventually lead to you giving up the gym and putting on all that weight again.

His 4 hour body is absolutely sensational – as he puts it, “I’ve been on a decade long quest to hack the human body“, well if the results he describes in the book are anything to go by he has created what is bound to be one of the most popular books of 2011 but without a doubt our favourite book of 2010!

What’s inside?

• How to lose 5-10 pounds fast by eating weird food combinations
• How he went from only being able to run 5k to being able to run 50k
• How you can sleep 2 hours a day and still feel energised
• How to gain 34 pounds of pure muscle in just 4 weeks
• The weird way he managed to increase his fat loss by 300%

Don’t be thinking, well Tim is obviously a bit of a freak so I won’t possibly be able to get the same results. His book includes data and results from the several hundred men and women that have been trialling his techniques over the past two years.

I am personally on a muscle-gain programme at present but I also lead a pretty hectic lifestyle so investing the time reading this book seemed like a no-brainer to me. I was right because Tim put forward the notion that 80 seconds of intensive exercise on each muscle group is all that is needed. His results speak for themselves and you know what..? I am saving no end of time whilst seeing results that are far beyond what I used to get – that’s just through improving my focus.

The results sound over-inflated but they are very real so you’d be crazy to miss out on this. Grab the book from amazon (paperback coming in Feb 2011 but hardback out now!) The 4-Hour Body: The Secrets and Science of Rapid Body Transformation

Watch the video trailer – even this is awesome!

The participants were asked to ride the exercise bikes at a steady pace 30 minutes, while listening to six songs of varying tempos on headphones played at whatever volume they liked. They each rode three trial runs: once with the songs played normally, once played 10% faster and once played 10% slower.

The results: The performance of the subjects — and their attitude — stayed in line with the tempo of the music. When the tempo dropped, so did their pace, their heart rate, their distance covered and even the degree to which they said they liked the music. When the tempo increased, all those things picked up.

It was found that faster music is actually a stimulant in exercise because although the participants reported they were aware of the extra effort they were putting in they said they liked the music more and whilst it didn’t kill the pain, it took the edge of the extra effort.

Research in the past has always concluded that listening to music whilst working out can be distracting but this seems to prove that the body will naturally match your rhythm to the music you are listening to.

This research might seem like a bit of an odd-one but if you are someone that often struggles to pull themselves into the gym then finding an upbeat soundtrack to your  workout could be the answer particularly if you want to shed some pounds in time for the festive party season!

Anyway, we wanted to answer the question that many of our readers seem to be wondering and that’s if the cold weather makes it harder to lose weight. On the face of it, it does.

According to medical research, it is suggested that the colder weather reduces calories burned although this would seem somewhat contradictory to studies of survival which take place in areas of extreme cold which suggest that your body needs more calories in order to survive the cold. At present, the science is pretty sketchy as the actual effects of the cold weather on weight loss.

One thing that is clear however is the fact that protein breakdown is heightened in the cold weather so anyone looking to convert fat into muscle mass had better warm up before lifting weights or doing toning exercises.

I think it is pretty clear that the cold weather makes people eat more and do less. They spend time inside eating comfort foods and watching movies (avoiding walking to the gym or perhaps even avoiding the gym altogether) and making themselves feel warm inside with a massively unhealthy but comforting dish.

The best way to keep your weight loss programme on track is to watch what you eat and try to stay as active as possible. Enjoy the snow; even if you can’t get your car out, if you can, walk to work. Play in the snow with your children (pulling a sledge is a superb way to burn calories and tone arms and shoulders, not to mention have a good time!).

Christmas is a busy time of year, we understand that. Sometimes other more interesting things like shopping for gifts takes precedence over things like aerobics classes and gym sessions. On our usual mission to make things easier here at WeightLossTopic.com, we decided to put together a few ways you can keep fit whilst doing the shopping.

Shopping can burn some serious calories so as if you didn’t have enough of an excuse to go shopping, now you really do. If done properly, you can burn as many calories as a medium intensity workout in the gym what with all that walking and bag carrying.

1. Carry your own bags and spread them evenly – distribute the weight over both hands to tone up your arms and shoulders nicely. Stop for rest to avoid over working your muscles particularly if you are a hardcore shopper.
2. Do some lunges – these can be a really effective way of toning up your legs. If you have some nice heavy bags you can do a few lunges whilst you continue with your shopping. OK, so you might get a few strange looks but then again you might start a new craze and worst case scenario you will be the one smug at your toned bum and thighs.
3. Walk fast in between shops – don’t meander, if you want to burn some calories then you need to do a quick march between shops. This is a really effective way of working out your legs and shedding the pounds.
4. Walk into town (if you can) – the best way to really make your Christmas shopping work as part of your weight loss plan is to take a stroll into town. Obviously if you live too far out then this can be impossible but if you take the bus or train then get off a few stops early and walk the rest of the way. If you are driving then consider parking at one of the car parks a little further out of town, they tend to be cheaper and they can add a few extra calorie busting metres to your workout.
5. Select your coffee break snacks carefully – we all know how tempting it is to hit the cafe and grab yourself a lovely big mocha and a nice big slab of cake to treat yourself after a hard morning shopping but remember that in around 5 minutes you can undo all the hard work of the day. So select your snack carefully, try the fresh fruit options or perhaps just a coffee (without all the trimmings!). It might be frustrating but if you are serious about weight loss then it is a necessary evil.

The crystals are said to work by making your brain into thinking that you have consumed more food than you actually have. It works on the same principle as chewing your food slowly and eating small but regular portions of food. Your mind believes that you simply can’t be hungry because you have already eaten more than enough food.

Sensa Tastant crystals are already on sale in the USA and have been thoroughly tested over there and we must say, the results are impressive. The study divided participants into two groups with one group taking a course of the crystals and one control group simply attempting to lose weight through a calorie controlled diet. Those participants that benefited from the crystals saw an average weight loss of over 28lbs over the course of 6 months!

The study found that the crystals helped obese individuals to lose weight but researchers claimed that the weight loss crystals were simply another appetite suppressant.

The creators of Sensa Tastant insist that the science behind the crystals is simple but that the product is far more than another appetite suppressant. They say it works on the basis that as we eat, our sensory receptors will communicate with the brain which will in turn release hormones to tell your body that it is time to stop eating.

Unfortunately the crystals are yet to go on sale here in the UK and will be another ‘secret recipe’ as the full list of ingredients are not going to be released but according to the manufacturers “the crystals are sodium, sugar, calorie and gluten free and contain no stimulants.”

It is often said that the simplest solutions are often the most effective so if the crystals are as effective as the study suggests then this could well be the next big thing in the weight loss world.

Experts say that you shouldn’t blame yourself for this yo-yo effect but rather look at the method for weight loss you are using.

We understand that it can feel extremely frustrating to watch yourself regain weight having just got down to that ideal waist size but you shouldn’t feel disappointed with yourself. The most common reason for regaining weight is because the weight loss method used simply wasn’t sustainable in the long term. Things like fad diets and the diet pills we mentioned earlier very much fall into this category.

These quick fixes send all the wrong signals to your mind and your body. Once you’ve lost the weight you set out to, it is all too easy to fall back into your old ways and begin to eat the foods you were avoiding and generally treating yourself for losing all that weight – only to wake up in a matter of weeks and realise you are back where you started.

This can sometimes trigger even more severe weight gain as the psychological impact of the weight gain takes effect – we start to believe that we are destined to be fat or that try as we might the pounds just won’t stay off so we may as well enjoy all the food we want.

Steady weight loss strategy

The NHS recommend a weight loss strategy that encourages steady but constant weight loss until an optimum weight is achieved before entering into the maintenance stage of ensuring you keep the weight off. They say that a safe rate of weight loss is around 1lb-2lb per week – anything more and in most cases this could be considered a crash diet which may well not be sustainable long term.

Dr Andrew Brewster, an expert in obesity and weight management, said “A combination of diet changes and changes to the level of physical activity is the best method [for weight loss]. The key is making small changes that you can keep for life, rather than drastic changes that you only stick to for a few weeks.”

So essentially you should be looking for small ways that can achieve sustainable results over a longer period of time ensuring that you not only lose weight but you also keep the weight off. Dr Brewster recommends making lifestyle adjustments like swapping one high calorie snack a day with something healthier, take up/get back into a sport you enjoy but for whatever reason don’t do and incorporate more movement into your day like taking a walk at lunch rather than watching those hilarious YouTube videos.

Once you have small changes in place you should begin to notice results and once these results have been achieved it is a case of keeping them up through sticking to what it was you changed about your life – remember that slipping into your old ways will result in weight gain all over again.

If you find that the small changes aren’t enough to get you down to your perfect body weight then simply look to incorporate and embed another set of small changes. These incremental lifestyle tweaks will ensure your weight loss programme doesn’t become too punishing and you can continue to make small changes to the way you live as and when you feel it necessary until you are so used to being this super-fit, super-healthy individual that neither your body nor your mind can remember any differently.

Winter is a time when weight loss becomes difficult because unlike in summer where the *occasional* heat suppresses our appetite and the nice weather entices us outside into calorie burning activities, winter is very much a sedentary time of year. It is bitter outside so we feel like snuggling up on the sofa, munching our way through something comforting and watching our favourite film.

That’s why winter can really take its toll on any weight loss programme so we decided to change all that and offer 4 fantastic recipes that will leave you feeling cozy inside without destroying all your hard work.

Low fat macaroni and cheese

This takes around 15 minutes to make and is so simple that anybody can really do it. You might be thinking pasta and all that cheese and sauce really can’t be good for my waist line but if you make a few small tweaks you can still enjoy the same comforting warmth and flavours with less calories, fat and carbs.

Take a look at this recipe which uses low fat cheese and non fat milk

Sausage and mushroom stew

This is another quick and simple dish that takes just 25 minutes to make so there’s no excuses even after a long day at the office. This recipe helps with weight loss because it opts for chicken sausages with the skin removed so any fatty juices that were contained inside will no longer make it into your body and undo your hard work.

Get the recipe here

Turkey chilli

A hearty, healthy alternative to beef chilli, it takes a little longer (around 30 minutes) depending on how quick you are in the kitchen. The recipe we suggest serves 4 so if there are just two of you (or one even) then consider making the recipe as it states and freezing the other portions to take to work as a nutritious and warming alternative to a sandwich and to save you time after work if you are in a particular rush.

See the recipe

Lentil and black-bean soup

Whilst it isn’t always advisable to eat soup if you are trying to lose weight (the psychology is more harmful than the ingredients because our body doesn’t feel full because it feels like it is just drinking something rather than consuming a hearty meal!) but in this case a chunky soup can be a healthy way to warm up after being out in the cold.

Just 127 calories a portion and it’s really cheap to make – try this low fat soup recipe

OK so we haven’t quite reached Christmas just yet but  understanding why the January dieters fail is crucial if you want to lose weight in the New Year.

What’s the reason? Most January dieter’s ambitions falter because they just weren’t realistic with their weight loss goals. They expected too much of themselves and their new plans in such a short space of time that they were simply destined to fail – and fail they do which is why so many of them quit.

To a certain extent it isn’t their fault because many are lulled into taking out gym memberships and buying weight loss supplements by the promises of ultra-fast results and their claims are usually backed up by a hunk in his trunks or a slender lady in her swimming costume. People want results and they want them fast which is exactly why marketers for gyms and weight loss products promise these kinds of results but for the average human being, this just isn’t possible.

They go into their January diet with all the wrong ideas – thinking it will be easy to hit the gym 5 times a week when they’ve never been before or that cutting their favourite ‘naughty’ food out of the picture entirely is going to be a piece of cake. These kinds of major lifestyle upheavals simply don’t wash after the initial excitement and burst of enthusiasm wear off.

Here at WeightLossTopic.com, we are big fans of lifestyle tweaks. We all have routines that we are used to and trying to make major changes in an instant is like shovelling snow whilst its still snowing – utterly pointless. If you are more realistic and understand that if you want real results over a sustained period of time then you are going to have to commit to your weight loss plan for longer. The only way you are going to be able to keep this up is if it fits with your lifestyle.

If you commute 5 days a week to your tiring job, have a partner and a daughter who goes to ballet twice a week then trying to fit 6 gym sessions a week into your schedule is only going to be sustainable for at most a few weeks (hence why most people have given up by February!).

Make yourself aware that real results take time and that even if you have only lost a few pounds after a month than this is OK because you are still making progress. If you want to make positive changes to your lifestyle which will last you a lifetime rather than short-term gains that start you down the yo-yo diet path then little tweaks to how you live your life are the key.

Going into your weight loss programme with clear outcomes and an idea when you want to achieve certain goals by is essential. There is nothing wrong with having weight loss ambitions or making big changes to your lifestyle, diet or exercise regime but you have to be prepared for the consequences. Having the motivation to hit the gym daily is no mean feat. Have a realistic plan in place and monitor your progress, remember that when you hit those key milestones, you’ve achieved a little step towards your ultimate aim so you should be proud of yourself for that.