- Alcohol is a toxin. Regularly drinking more than the recommended daily limits can lead to serious health problems (e.g. liver disease, high blood pressure, reduced fertility, increased risk of heart attack, stroke and cancer).
- Alcohol is energy-dense and a high intake can lead to an increase in body weight.
- Reducing your alcohol content means you will reduce your risk of ill-health, and you could also look better, feel happier and more relaxed, sleep better, have more energy, have more time and money to spend on doing other things, and you might lose some weight. You will also be less vulnerable on nights out.
- For more information visit the Drink Aware website.
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Food, drink & lifestyle
Alcohol
The recommended weekly limit is 14 units.Try to have two alcohol free days a week. Regularly exceeding this can seriously damage your health. It will also increase your body weight, with a single pint containing 233 calories.
Hydration
Keeping hydrated can help maintain physical and mental performance. Make sure you drink enough fluid to replace your daily losses. Be aware that if you are exercising hard then you may lose more water from sweating. Choose low sugar fluids such as water and milk.
Dietary supplements
If you have well balanced diet that provides the energy you need to train, you shouldn’t need any supplements.
Dieting myths
You might need to reduce your calorie intake to control your weight. If you do, make sure you avoid the most common dieting mistakes. These include; fasting, skipping meals and using slimming pills.
Eating a balanced diet
Good nutrition is important during exercise training to provide your body with adequate energy to support physical changes and to optimise recovery.
Eating out
You can still eat out and enjoy the odd takeaway, but it’s important to choose healthy options that don’t contain lots of salt and saturated fats.
Energy density
Energy density is the amount of calories per gram of food. Choosing foods with a lower energy density means you can eat more, without gaining weight.
Energy requirements
The amount of energy you need depends on your age, size and gender, and the amount of exercise you do. You can vary your calorie intake to fuel your body when required.
Food labels
Checking the label on the back of pre-packed food will help you manage your diet, stay healthy and get the nutrients you need.
Snacking
You can still snack, but it’s important to know what you can eat without undoing all your hard work.
Stronger bones
Daily physical activity helps you stay healthy, control your weight, and get fit to join the Royal Navy.
Manage your weight
In the military, overweight personnel have an increased risk of injury and being medically downgraded as unfit for duty.
Smoking
Stopping smoking has huge benefits to your health and fitness, and it’s never too late to stop.
Vaccinations
Receiving vaccinations can slow down the joining process.
Vegetarian
There are lots of options available to you if you want to eat food that will fuel your training.