How much alcohol is OK? Balancing risks and benefits
By Emily Banks on
For many of us, alcohol is an enjoyable backdrop to life: wine with dinner, beers with friends, a glass of bubbly to celebrate a special occasion, or nip of something heavier to unwind after a long day.
But alcohol is the fourth-largest cause of disease in Australia after excess weight, smoking and high blood pressure. So, how do you decide whether – or how much – to drink?
Unfortunately, the answer is far from simple and falls into the murky realm of “it depends”. Let’s consider what the science says about the positive and negative effects of alcohol.
Injury
Drinking alcohol increases your risk of accidents and injury. Only tobacco outranks alcohol as the leading preventable cause of drug-related death and hospitalisation in Australia....
Why am I always tired
By Claire Obeid on
An easy example – I aim to practise yoga five mornings out of the seven. Initially I thought that a daily practise would work to rejuvenate my body and mind. It took a while, but eventually I realised that in fact practising five morning straight actually sapped me of energy. Now I break it up throughout the week, which reignites my body and therefore I avoid feeling strung out and anxious.
So, do consider all the stressors in your life, especially if you are...
Health Check: how do I know if I drink too much?
By Bosco Rowland on
While alcohol is a legal and common way many societies stimulate social interaction, when consumed at high levels over long periods it can undermine physical health and cause cancers and other diseases. Most people know excessive drinking isn’t good for our health, but how do we know when we’re drinking too much?
Alcohol consumption is associated with long- and short-term consequences. Long-term health consequences include: alcohol-related diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver; stroke; high blood pressure; heart disease; and more than 60 cancers, including of the mouth, lips, throat, oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, bowel and breast.
Short-term health consequences include fatalities, physical injury or road accidents due to...
A brief history of alcohol consumption in Australia
By Rob Moodie on
Although most Australians would probably say we’ve always been a heavy-drinking nation, the consumption of alcohol has followed a roller coaster curve since European invasion. 
Alcohol consumption in Australia began at an annual high point of 13.6 litres of pure alcohol per head in the 1830s. It declined to 5.8 litres a year during the economic downturn in the 1890s, then to a nadir of 2.5 litres during the Great Depression.
After World War II, there was a long rise in per capita consumption to another high point of 13.1 litres in 1974-75. It then dropped again and rose slowly to the 2008-09 levels of ten litres.
There’s little doubt that alcohol is an important part of Australian culture. According to the author of The Rum State,...
Motivation to Exercise
By James Anderson on
This whole “exercise thing” can be so annoying. From finding the time to finding the motivation, exercise – can be a real bitch. We both know it’s good for us, so why is it so difficult to stay on top of? Well, I think there are 3 main problems.
Problem #1 - It’s painful.
We’re genetically wired to try and achieve pleasure whilst avoiding pain. We create a “pleasure hierarchy” for ourselves, putting the most important things first and everything else, well, who cares. After all, which would give you more pleasure? Staying in your warm bed on a cold winters morning or doing burpees at 6am? So how do we overcome this?
Solution - Set goals.
Create an inspiring vision that allows you to rise above “the workout” and able to see the...
How to be supportive when a friend is giving up booze
By ABC Life / By Flip Prior on
Since I hung up the wine glass almost a year ago, I've been perplexed at how weirdly defensive or combative people can be when they're told someone they know isn't drinking.
Personally, I've been lucky this year: I have supportive friends who, once they recovered from their initial surprise, accepted my decision without blinking and now shout me sparkling waters instead of wine — probably relieved I'm a much cheaper date.
While I've submitted politely to many questions about why and for how long, not once this year have I been made to feel I'm boring or uncool because I no longer drink.
Unfortunately, that's not the case for everyone.
I asked women in a private online group, set up to offer peer support to alcohol quitters in Australia,...
Raspberry Lime & Mint Mocktail
By The Mindful Mocktail on
Ingredients (serves 1)
- 8 raspberries
- 1 lime, quartered
- 8-10 mint leaves
- 1 tsp sweetener of choice (opt)
- Sparkling water
Method
- Place raspberries, lime, mint and sweetener (if using) into a glass.
- Muddle together for about 1 minute to release the juice from the lime and raspberries, and the flavour from the mint. If you don’t have a muddler, use the back of a wooden spoon or similar.
- Top with sparkling water and stir gently.
- Add ice and garnish.
For more recipes like this, follow @themindfulmocktail on Instagram
A Beginner's Guide to Fitness
By Kirsty Welsh on
I’ve worked in the health industry for long enough to know the biggest goal when an individual joins a gym is, ‘I want to get fit!’
What does this even mean?
If you want to ‘get fit’ you need to start with a good definition of what fitness means to you, otherwise where do you even begin? It can be overwhelming!
Here’s a little bit of help to get you going. Physical fitness can be defined as the ability of the body to perform with energy and alertness. (Yes please, where do I sign up!)
Fitness to me is not just physical; although we normally focus on the physical, I prefer to look at fitness as a blend of mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health. The beauty of physical activity is that movement allows us to think...
How to Set Goals
By Melissa Ingram on
Many of us set ourselves tasks and goals to achieve what we feel will make a difference to our lives. Sometimes we find it difficult to achieve these goals as the journey becomes too long, too hard or it simply gets overshadowed by other ‘higher priority’ tasks and therefore these goals are pushed to the side.
Start by asking yourself some simple questions that can help you take control of your life and achieve your goals:
- What are you trying to achieve?
- What are your habits and what do you want to change?
- What have you achieved in life?
- Do you live in the moment?
What are trying to achieve and what is your ultimate goal? Is it to live cleanly, train for a 10km fun run, sleep better, lose weight, drink more water, change careers, start a...