Frank.Castle

Absolutely incredible!

New evidence in 2018, though, has made it clear that saunas use a very particular mechanism in the body to help us feel healthy. And no, it doesn't have anything to do with "sweating out impurities" (the body's internal waste disposal system deals with most so-called "toxins"); it actually has to do with blood flow. Exposure to dry heat in the controlled environment of a sauna for a limited period of time (not, say, on a baking street without access to water) appears to help our hearts function properly and exercises our blood vessels. And that, the scientists believe, is one of the big reasons behind a sauna's health benefits. Bring on the sizzling coals and pine-scented towels. 1They Can Lower Your Blood Pressure Sauna bathing may be linked to several health benefits, which include reduction in the risk of vascular diseases such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and neuro-cognitive diseases," explain the scientists behind a recent report published in Mayo Clinic proceedings. And they have a good idea about why. These scientists also published a study earlier in 2018 that used 100 test subjects who spent 30 minutes in a sauna, and examined what happened to their hearts. And the results are illuminating. Half an hour in a sauna, the research showed, lowered both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. These two numbers are what give your normal blood pressure reading: 'systolic' is the pressure on your blood vessels during a heartbeat, and 'diastolic' is the pressure between beats. 2They May Make Your Blood Vessels More Responsive Saunas, according to this research data, can help "vascular compliance", or how well your blood vessels respond to changes in pressure. That's a massive factor in the health of your heart and in how effectively your blood travels throughout your body, including to your brain. Saunas, it turned out, make your blood vessels really responsive to pressure, and also heighten your heart rate; it was pretty common, according to the scientists, to see peoples' heart rates increase as if they were doing some moderately intensive exercise 3They Relax Your Arteries The people in the sauna study also showed evidence of artery relaxation after half an hour of spa time, which is an indicator of good heart health. You do not want arterial stiffness, because it raises your risk of cardiovascular issues and diseases. The stiffer your arteries, the more likely you are to have a heart attack or suffer some kind of bypass. This sounds contradictory, as many saunas recommend staying away if you have heart disease or heart problems, but other studies have shown that even for patients with serious heart disease, saunas can be helpful. However, you should still refer to a physician before you go if you've suffered a heart attack or have a history of cardiovascular issues 4They May Be Good For Your Lifespan A few different studies have shown that there's a link between frequent sauna-taking and a lower risk of early mortality, though it's only been studied in men. A study of 2,300 Finnish men over 20 years found that, over the course of the study, 49 percent of once-weekly sauna takers passed away, compared with 38 percent of twice-weekly users and 31 percent of men who went nearly every day. Part of this, the scientists behind the study say, is that saunas are often done communally, and help you bond with other people, which has confirmed health benefits of it's own. Plus they're meant to be relaxing and meditative. But the blood pumping effects seem to be making a difference, too. 5They Help Soothe Chronic Conditions Sauna bathing has been linked to an improvement in pain and symptoms associated with musculoskeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia," the new study says. And chronic-type headaches are also included in their pain-busting properties. Why? Partially, scientists believe, it's because saunas appear to reduce inflammation levels in the blood. In several chronic pain conditions, inflammation goes haywire to cause serious pain and fatigue, and saunas appear to reduce those markers. This isn't a cure, only a temporary reprieve, but for some it may be a serious benefit. 6They Could Help Your Brain Better blood flow doesn't just help your body; it also helps your brain. The research rounded up by this latest study shows that, in older Finnish men, having many sauna sessions a week was linked to a substantially lower risk of Alzheimer's and dementia. But there's a risk in saying there's cause and effect here. "Whether sauna exposure exerts its neurocognitive protective effects or it is just an enjoyable activity that prevents or delays the development of these memory diseases is not clearly understood," explain the scientists. Hanging out with your friends and doing the crossword in a sauna may be the real hero here, not the sauna itself. 7They Seem To Protect Your Lungs Having a sauna when you've got a cold or are in the middle of cold season might seem counterintuitive, but the research suggests it's a good idea. Studies have shown that saunas can improve your lung function, even if you have asthma or chronic breathing problems, and reduce your risk of contracting a cold or pneumonia if you have them regularly in winter. This may not counteract somebody in the sauna sneezing on you, but when you're feeling shivery in your apartment when it dips below freezing, it may be a good idea to get thee to a sauna. You can't rely on a sauna to give you every health advantage you need to live a healthy life; balanced nutrition and exercise matter, too. But the evidence suggests that you should could consider adding them into your routine when things get a little colder.

The sauna at the gym was busted for 2 weeks and I honestly knew that I wasn’t recovering as fast. Like measurably worse never really looked into the science as to why just know it works lol

Killing it brother right on!! You find the heat of the jacuzzi helps recover? After every work out I hit the sauna for 15 20 mins I find it really helps my recovery time

Looking forward to it you guys thank you for sharing your experiences I’m sure it will be valuable to a lot of people

welcome @Mrs Talon good luck on your journey keep at it as anything is possible! Im going to have to get the wife to read the log as she’s getting more and more interested in var

Welcome man, good luck on your prep

My wife’s an amazing cookaswell and I grew up learning to cook from my Nona so I enjoy cooking. I hate eating out first of all because I’m a cheap bastard lol and second of all I know what’s going into my dish and I can control the macros of the dish.

I gotta give you my recipies for portobello mushrooms stuffed with grilled veggies and ground beef

Chicken thighs from Costco is a big staple in my diet and house. With kids and me and my wife both lifting we eat a lot of chicken. Thighs are not only extremely delicious but very economical. Yes breast is slightly leaner but, with water injected into them to plump them up and increase your costs what’s the point! Just my .02

Congrats brother!! Shows what dedication hard work and a little extra help from bt can do. Anyone can make these changes if they put their minds to it and STICK to the plan.

Hey guys and gals, this time of year should be very important to Canadians. Our veterans made the ultimate sacrifice to keep this country free and safe. Veterans didn’t end at ww2, we have many more recent veterans that most Canadians forget about. So this time of year please do your part buy a poppy thank a veteran and appreciate what they have done for us and other people around the world. I wish that half these stores that constantly ask for donations after your bill would join in helping raise funds for the legion. How many times have you been to Walmart, Canadian tire, Home Depot and get asked oh do you want to donate to this or that? Why can’t they do this for our veterans? So many people don’t carry cash anymore. Friends I have in the legion have told me donations have been declining. This is why they came out with the new digital poppy. To any veteran on this forum thank you for your service, and thank you to all of you that take time to donate!

When I’m actually hearing from people who couldn’t care less about politics telling me they hate his drama teaching ass, that’s when I actually think people are waking up to what a shit show he has been.

Sounds great man

One suggestion so we don’t wear out the sponsors, for xmas do all sponsors donate to one huge pack then if we do it through the year a few times maybe raffles sponsored by individual sponsors?

I’d second this good idea. Not sure how you’d go about electronic tickets or names in a hat I dunno but I’m sure someone will come up with something good

Really looking forward to this!

Unfortunately there are too many under educated people in this country that listen to whatever the idiot box (tv) tells them. Anyone notice this hasn’t hardly been in the news? How about all the other giant fuck ups he’s had has any news outlet actually spent time covering it? News spent more time on Patrick brown who drove a woman home after she asked him to than Trudeau the supposed leader of our country groping a reporter.... if it happened to be a conservative that that story came out about you’d hear about it non stop on every channel. But because he’s got slick hair and stupid fucking socks the sheeple of this country vote for him. i wasn’t the biggest Harper fan but Jesus Atleast he knew budgets don’t balance themselves. Imagine this clown was in charge when the entire world shit the bed in 08 where would we be now. i don’t trust any politician and for those that say they are all fucked... yup I agree. But, if I’m going to have a shit sandwich I’d rather a single serving rather than a triple decker shit sandwich

Amazing achievement and even better results congrats man lookin mean btw happy birthday!

Heads up guys and gals government over reach going on here. Please read!!! Asking for specifics like credit card payments and e transfers like wtf!?? This government is fucked!! this all from a government that last census lost a bunch of sensitive documents of OUR information. Left on subways.... blowing out of cars in the wind..... please vote these idiots out come next year https://globalnews.ca/news/4599953/exclusive-stats-canada-requesting-banking-information-of-500000-canadians-without-their-knowledge/

Hitting the gym at 230/3am leaves no time for a meal and to digest any of it pre work out. I’ve been trying out casein protein before bed and carbs pre and intra. The protein at night seems to have given me greater strength and endurance in the gym that early in the morning.

Construction work and kids I’m lucky for 4-5 hrs a night. I try and catch up Saturday and Sunday night 6-7 hours. If anyone knows the key to 30 hour days would be great if you could share!

Wow the dedication you put into you training is amazing and really paying off!!! Time to get my ass in gear and get my order into bt

Have a blast brother! Looking forward to the return of your log.

I’ll second that cheapest easiest way to kill appetite and give your metabolism a kick in the ass. I usually drop the aspirin though never really noticed a difference with it in or out.