Facts about Alcohol

There are many mixed messages out there about alcohol. On the one hand, moderate amounts have been linked to health benefits. On the other, it is addictive and highly toxic — especially when you drink too much.

The truth is that the health effects of alcohol vary between individuals and depend on the amount and type of alcohol consumed.

WHAT IS ALCOHOL?

The main psychoactive ingredient in alcoholic beverages is ethanol. Generally referred to as “alcohol,” ethanol is the substance that makes you drunk.

It’s produced by yeasts that digest sugar in certain carb-rich foods, such as:

  • Grapes— used to make wine.
  • Grains— used to make beer.

Alcohol is one of the most popular psychoactive substances in the world. It can have powerful effects on your mood and mental state. By reducing self-consciousness and shyness, alcohol may encourage people to act without inhibition. At the same time, it impairs judgment and promotes behaviour people may end up regretting. Some people drink small amounts at a time, while others tend to binge drink. Binge drinking involves drinking large amounts at a time to get drunk.

DANGERS OF ADDICTION

Some people become addicted to the effects of alcohol, a condition known as alcohol dependence or alcoholism.

An estimated 10% of the UK are believed to have been dependent on alcohol at some point in their life. Alcohol dependence is one of the main causes of alcohol abuse and disability in the UK and a strong risk factor for various diseases.

WHICH TYPE OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE IS BEST?

What you drink matters less than how much you drink.

However, some alcoholic drinks are better than others.

Red wine appears to be particularly beneficial because it is very high in healthy antioxidants. In fact, red wine is linked to more health benefits than any other alcoholic beverage. That said, consuming high amounts does not provide greater health benefits. Heavy drinking causes health problems — regardless of the type of beverage.

What is a balanced diet?

A balanced diet gives your body all the nutrients it needs to function correctly.

A balanced diet is a diet that contains a variety of foods in certain quantities and proportions so that the requirement for calories, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and alternative nutrients is adequate, noting a small provision of nutrients is held in reserve for those occasions when we go hungry!

A healthy diet is a diet that helps maintain or improve your overall health. A healthy diet provides the body with essential nutrition, fluid, macronutrients, micronutrients, and adequate food energy.

WHY A BALANCED DIET IS IMPORTANT?

A balanced diet supplies the nutrients your body needs to work effectively. Without balanced nutrition, your body is more prone to disease, infection, fatigue, and low performance.

Children who don’t get enough healthy foods may face growth and developmental problems, poor academic performance, and frequent infections. They can also develop unhealthy eating habits that may persist into adulthood.

Without exercise, children also have a higher risk of obesity and various diseases that make up metabolic syndrome, such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

A healthy diet will combine all the nutrients and foods groups mentioned above, but you need to balance them, too. A handy way to remember how much of each food group to eat is the plate method. The “Choose My Plate” initiative recommends:

  • Filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables
  • Filling just over one quarter with grains
  • Filling just under one quarter with protein foods
  • Adding dairy on the side (or a non-dairy replacement).

Keep in mind this is generic and individual needs will vary. Always consult a nutritionist / GP if you are unsure.

Benefits of HIIT Training

HIIT involves short bursts of intense exercise alternated with low-intensity recovery periods. Interestingly, it is perhaps the most time-efficient way to exercise.

Typically, a HIIT workout will range from 10 to 30 minutes in duration.

Despite how short the workout is, it can produce health benefits like twice as much moderate-intensity exercise.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

  • It improves your stamina
  • It increases your strength
  • You’ll burns lots of fat
  • Your body will burn fat after your workout
  • It keeps your heart healthy
  • It keeps you younger
  • It’s fast and therefore relieves stress
  • It can help to strengthen your bones
  • It can help regulate your blood sugar levels
  • Eases muscle stiffness

Benefits of HIT 100s Training

If you want to get a serious pump in a short period of time, this is a great way to add high volume into your workout.

Take a compound exercise, add weight to about 50% of your 10RM and we are going to aim for 100 reps straight off (you will not manage this).

1 rep = 1 second rest. For example, you get to 40 reps, you have 60 reps left so you rest for 60 seconds. Keep going until you get to 100. Once you get to 100, add weight to get to your 10RM and go for 3 sets to failure. Once complete, perform 2-3 isolation exercises between 12-15 reps of the same muscle group.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

  • Stimulate new growth in your body
  • Improves capillarisation within the muscle
  • Plateau buster
  • Promote mental toughness
  • Provides a monster pump (for 20 mins)
  • Good for motivation
  • Increases the glycogen reserves within your target muscle

Triceps

Triceps brachii comes from the Latin for “three-headed muscle of the arm”.

It is the large muscle on the back of your arms and is responsible for extension of the elbow. It is also the antagonist to the biceps brachii and brachialis muscles. The triceps help to fixate the elbow when the hand is involved in fine or intricate movements such as writing. It originates from the scapula, so therefore also becomes a stabilising muscle for the shoulder joint and aids adduction of the arm. The muscle is also capable of contracting statically.

The triceps muscles can be trained either through isolation or compound extension movements. Examples of isolation movements would include cable push downs and extensions where the arms go behind the back.
Examples of compound movements include close grip bench press and military press. A close grip on the bar really targets the triceps more than a wider grip.

You should always train your triceps through their full range of movement as they cross two joints (shoulder and elbow).

It is very rare to rupture or tear your triceps muscles.