Go booze free for a week!

Alcohol-Free Week 2010

Starting Wednesday 17th February, Alcohol-Free Week aims to encourage you to become more aware of your drinking habits and to help you reduce the amount you drink if you are taking too much.

Experts estimate alcohol is responsible for at least 33,000 deaths in the UK each year. While rates of liver disease are falling in the rest of Europe, they are rising in the UK. A 2006 Lancet study found that liver cirrhosis death rates are already around twice as high in Scotland as they are in other European countries.

Liver disease used to affect mainly drinkers in middle age, but now sufferers are getting younger. Up to one in three adults in the UK drinks enough alcohol to be at risk of developing alcohol-related liver disease.

Alcohol and Fitness

Alcohol indulgence is a great way to put the brakes on your fitness program.  From an exercise and fitness perspective, excessive alcohol consumption can drastically increase our calorie intake, create blood sugar irregularities, and tilt our hormones to a more fat-storing, muscle-losing environment.

Caloric Content of a few popular alcoholic beverages:

-Budweiser bottle (12 oz.) = 146 calories

-Pina Colada cocktail (4.5 oz) = 245 calories

-Merlot red wine (5 oz) = 123 calories

-Pinot Grigiot white wine (5 oz) = 123 calories

As you might imagine, those extra calories add up quickly, and can put a halt on any fat loss goals in a hurry.

Not only is it easy to consume too many excess calories when drinking alcohol; alcohol also puts the body in a state not conducive for fat burning and muscle building. Alcohol intake spikes insulin levels (which can lead to fat storage), and then can quickly drop a person into a hypoglycemic state where they continue to crave sugary drinks and junk food.

So while alcohol can help get the party started, keep it to a minimum if weight loss, muscle toning and aerobic fitness is your goal.

Want to get involved?

You should! Simply give up alcohol for one day, a weekend or, if you're up to it, the whole week. This will give you a chance to test how much of a role alcohol plays in your life and how easy it is, or not, to do without.

To find out more about alcohol and its effects on health in society visit http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/