Alcohol - my experiences and the effects on healthy living.

Alchohol, at one time or another has been most people's best friend and worst enemy and often these roles can be played within 12hrs of each other. I certainly, have many stories to prove this theory right in my case, but overall I felt that the occassional tipple, or the weekend get-together (with alcohol) was getting the best of me.

After weighing up the benefits and detriments I came to the conclusion that even though I did enjoy a beer (and not at a rate of a local bar fly or a typical NRL player) 1-2 times a week, I could do with out it and it really wouldn't kill me. The internal argument went something like:

I can give it up because:

• I was still trying to lose weight and it wasn't helping (It wasn't just the extra energy consumed from the alcohol, but the way it made me crave bad food for days after)
• My life isn't that bad that I need to partially escape from it twice a week
• Saving money is never a bad thing for someone who is looking to get a mortgage and pay off a Uni debt in the upcoming years.

I can't give it up because:

• *Sounds of crickets chirping in the backyard*

So, I made a decision after my new years getaway, that for the benefit of my physical health, alcohol wasn't going to have the same involvement in my life that it previously had and I couldn't be happier with the results. I've lost around 10kg, (almost 30kg in total since a couple of years ago) I feel like I've gained a whole lot more control over my life, and am loving the compliments on the slimmed down body from friends and acquaintances. I can't exactly put all 10kg down to reducing my beer intake, although I think it's been a big part of it.

I've had a few drinks since, very occassionally, and usually never at a binge level (except for a party on the weekend and my Uni graduation) but I'm definitely happy with the changes I've made over the last 5-6 months.
 
Another good thing is that my girlfriend, Elle, has also decided to drink less and along with some other healthy changes she's made, she's lost almost 5kg in the last few months.

And if my experience retold isn't enough to make you think twice before ordering the schooner or dropping into the bottle-o on the way home, here are my top 5 facts about alcohol that will hopefully lead to healthier changes for you in the future.

1. Excess drinking can cause diseases which lead to things such as Liver Failure, Brain Damage and Kidney Damage
2. As well as being addictive, alcohol consumption also clearly increases the risk of some cancers (including lip, tongue, throat, oesophagus, liver, and breast cancer
3. Six out of every Ten drowning incidents are caused by Alcohol
4. Alcohol is ranked second to tobacco as the most preventable cause of health-related problems and death. Alcohol costs our Australian community about $7.5 billion every year!
5. A standard drink is defined as one that contains 10 grams of pure alcohol.
10 grams of pure alcohol = 70 Calories = 280 kilojoules

Which means, energy consumed in alcohol in:

• 6 stubbies of  regular strength beer = 550 Calories (2300kJ)
• 6 glasses of wine (150ml) = 630 Calories (2650kJ)
• 6 standard spririts = 420 Calories (1764kJ)

To put this into perspective, an average, healthy adult requires around 1800 Calories per day.

And by the way, these numbers don't even take into account the energy from Protein, Fat and Carbohydrate that are found in beverages!

Lastly, I've always told everyone I'm a trendsetter and I read something last night that either proves me right about setting trends or proves me wrong about saying that I didn't drink that much early on in this post.

Take a look: Beer drinking at an all time low.

Thanks for reading and I hope you got something out of this blog.

For more on health and exercise, check out my other blogs on Exercise Your Potential - Blogspot.

The fun theory!

The fun theory is something I experienced first hand around 6 months ago while in training for a program that helps overweight and obese children and their families become 'fitter, healthier and happier'. As exercise delivery is 50% of the program, myself and the other 9 health professionals (at an average age of 25) were taught and had to participate in a variety of different games and options to make exercise more fun for kids, obviously for adherence reasons.

We walked in that day- a bunch of sedate, mature, graduates trying to complete the necessary assessments to either break into the industry or make some money while we furthered our career in the field.

The scenes walking out that day could only be compared to home time after a 6 year olds mcdonalds party - the kids exhausted from running around, but still on a sugar high, begging their parents to stay for one more go on the slippery dip!

Never in my life had I had such a workout while having so much fun. And that's when I started thinking - how can we have an obesity epidemic when exercise can be this much fun?

I was brought back to a sober reality when I considered how many people aged 12 and over I had seen having fun at all lately, let alone while exercising.

I think we were all better for having taken part in that training and I'm glad to say I now promote the Fun Theory in almost every exercise I prescribe, especially in 'Fitness Boost' -one of the most enjoyable and easiest to partake in and adhere to exercise experiences you'll ever have!

Anyway, here's the vid that inspired this blog:




If you're interested in getting started in Exercise with EYP, contact Kyle on 0466 524 187 or via email: exerciseyourpotential@iinet.net.au

No Pain, No Gain - A discussion on the benefits/risks of Personal Trainers in the Fitness Industry

Hi All,

I came across this great video through an email from ESSA (Exercise and Sport Science Australia) last week.

No Pain, No Gain Episode - Insight (SBS)

I've haven't gotten the chance to catch 'Insight' on SBS before but this episode gave a fair and balanced argument on the benefits/risks associated with exercise and Personal Trainers.

It would have been excellent to include some thoughts from an AEP (Accredited Exercise Physiologist) but it still gives great 'insight' (try to hold back the laughs) for anyone thinking about investing their time and money into exercise with a PT.

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