James Swanwick still remembers the exact moment he decided to stop drinking for good, and it happened after a particular photo was taken with Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston.
The 45-year-old Australian founder of Alcohol-Free Lifestyle captured footage in 2009 where he was drinking between one and three drinks a night, and recalls having to squeeze in his stomach to avoid Aniston discovering his belly fat mine. .
‘I weigh almost 18kg more in that photo than I do today. I could barely make out,’ he told FEMAIL.
‘When I have a few drinks a night I feel tired and sluggish, I’m unmotivated, I’m cranky, I wake up in the middle of the night, I’m not performing well at work.
The 45-year-old founder of Alcohol-Free Lifestyle captured footage in 2009 where he was drinking between one and three drinks a night (pictured with Jennifer Aniston)
‘I just feel average in every area of my life. But then I stopped drinking.
‘I’ve gone from feeling slow, average and mediocre with a puffy face and a few rolls of fat around my waist, to losing 18kg, feeling fit, lean, healthy, happy and full of energy. .
‘Today, I feel like I look the way nature intended me to look. I sleep like a baby. I have great friends and family, I’ve built two businesses, and I feel great.
‘And it all started with me cutting out alcohol. It changed my life. ‘
Mr Swanwick lost 6 kg in the first 30 days after he stopped drinking and within 10 days he noticed how constantly he slept.
Within 90 days, he got my dream job of hosting a TV show in the US – SportsCenter on ESPN – and within two years he was starting a business that generated $1 million in revenue. .
James Swanwick (pictured), founder of Alcohol-Free Lifestyle, calls alcohol a ‘silent killer’ that is destroying health and relationships across Australia
HOW TO GET BETTER QUALITY SLEEP
1. Get the morning sun within ten minutes of waking up: I expose myself to morning natural sunlight by going outside for five minutes or standing by a window and letting the sunlight hit my skin. Our skin contains receptors. And when the morning sun hits our skin, it tells the body’s internal clock, the circadian rhythm, that it’s daytime. When our bodies are flooded with daytime hormones, we become alert and energetic. Because our body clock knows when we’re exposed to that morning sunlight, about 14-16 hours later, our bodies will naturally begin to flood with nighttime hormones, including including melatonin. Our bodies start to relax, we go into relaxation mode… we feel sleepy. And we end up falling asleep faster, sleeping more deeply, and waking up feeling refreshed. So early morning sunlight is extremely important to ensure we get a good night’s sleep.
2. Stop drinking coffee within eight hours of bedtime: Coffee is a stimulant that can remain in our bodies eight hours after consumption. Research shows that any stimulant that remains in our system before bed affects the quality of our sleep. While many people swear they can enjoy an after-dinner coffee and fall asleep, the quality of their sleep will be severely affected. Our bodies naturally want to go into a deep sleep and recover during the day. But with any stimulant still in the system, the body is still functioning.
3. Stop eating within three hours of sleeping: Eating in the last hour or two before bed is keeping you awake. This is because our body goes into work mode when we consume food. Digestion occurs. Our body heats up. This is the last thing we want to happen to be able to sleep well. We want our bodies to be as comfortable as possible. I tend to go to bed around 9:30pm and I get an alarm going off at 6pm saying ‘You have 30 minutes to finish your dinner’. This is a great reminder for me to prepare and eat dinner within three hours of going to bed.
4. Reduce or stop drinking: Even a seemingly innocent nightly drink is enough to affect our sleep. It can take up to 12 hours for your body to process the toxins from alcohol. That’s 12 hours your body is working at when it wants to shut down and rest. So if you drink it an hour before bed, your body will work all night to process those toxins. That’s right, late-night alcohol can make you fall asleep faster. The bad news, however, is that REM sleep is significantly disrupted by the alcohol in your system. You won’t be able to fall into a deeper sleep, and your brain and body won’t regenerate completely. You don’t feel great after waking up from an alcohol-induced sleep, do you? In fact, as shocking as this may sound, it is better to drink alcohol in the morning than at night because at least then your body will have 12 hours to process the toxins and prepare for the action. rest.
5. Block a lot of artificial light at night with a pair of blue light blocking glasses: Wearing a pair of blue light blocking glasses with orange lenses in the last hour before bed is crucial for a good night’s sleep AND it slows the mind from racing. People who wear Swanwick Sleep blue light-blocking glasses say they sleep 14% better, according to a study published by the University of Washington and Harvard University. Swanwick glasses are currently worn by professional athletes and teams including the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks and Manchester United. Artificial blue light is everywhere. And it’s not just your cell phone screen or your computer screen or TV. These are bathroom lights, kitchen lights, reading lights, microwave oven lights, alarm clock lights, fridge lights. When we stare at this light, we are essentially staring at a small sun. Light stimulates the pineal and pituitary glands, tricking our bodies and brains into thinking it’s daytime, so our bodies don’t produce as much melatonin. Wearing a pair of blue light blocking glasses in the last hour before bed can help slow down the mind, help us calm and relax, and make it easier to fall asleep. I made sure I turned off all the lights before taking off my glasses. Only then did I roll over and fall asleep.
One of Mr Swanwick’s clients reportedly generated $250,000 in revenue for his company in the first 90 days of sobriety, which he attributes to not drinking because of the sobriety and focus he takes. when you quit drinking.
Health experts believe Australians are losing millions of dollars in potential income each year to alcohol.
“You don’t have to be an alcoholic for it to ruin your life,” he said.
But Mr Swanwick says there’s little point in going on a temporary abstinence if you’re counting the days to get drunk again.
“I think it loses its purpose if you’re going to go out and celebrate with alcohol,” he said. ‘I encourage people to rest for LEAST a month, then reevaluate.’
But Mr Swanwick says there’s little point in abstinence if you’re counting the days to get drunk again
One of the best results of cutting out alcohol is that Mr Swanwick has better quality sleep, which is enhanced by the orange lenses he wears while watching TV at night.
“Only an orange lens can block enough blue light to disrupt your sleep,” he says.
‘A clear lens can certainly filter or reduce blue light. But in the current universe that we occupy, it is not possible that a transparent lens can help you sleep better because it does not block enough blue light that is harmful to our sleep.
‘I turned on my Swanwick Sleep blue light blocker 45 minutes to an hour before I wanted to sleep. I wear them while watching TV, scrolling my phone, brushing my teeth, and reading in bed.
‘I just removed them once I’ve turned off all the lights. I took off my glasses in the dark, put them on the bedside table, rolled over and fell asleep. ‘
He also includes some better sleep foods like fish, chamomile, bananas and spinach in his diet.
He also includes some better sleep foods like fish, chamomile, bananas and spinach in his diet.
Revealed: Long-term effects of regular heavy drinking
Brain: Drinking too much can affect your concentration, judgment, mood, and memory. It increases your risk of having a stroke and developing dementia.
The heart: Heavy drinking raises your blood pressure and can lead to heart damage and heart attacks.
Liver: Drinking three to four standard drinks a day increases the risk of developing liver cancer. Long-term heavy drinking also increases the risk of cirrhosis (scarring) and death.
Stomach: Drinking even one to two standard drinks a day increases the risk of stomach and bowel cancer, as well as stomach ulcers.
Fertility: Drinking a lot of alcohol regularly will reduce testosterone levels, sperm count and fertility in men. For women, drinking too much can affect menstruation.
The source: Live health
Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council recommends no more than two standard drinks per day and no more than four standard drinks on any given occasion.
They say doing so will keep your lifetime risk of dying from alcohol-related illnesses or injuries below 1 in 100.
But Dr Deb Cohen-Jones told Daily Mail Australia there is no such thing as ‘safe alcohol consumption’.
The GP from Perth, WA, says men and women who drink two glasses of wine a night are more likely to develop cancer and other chronic diseases, which can extend their lives by up to 10 years .
For help with alcohol and addiction issues, you can contact Turning Point Service, or one of the many other services availableTalk to your GP, local health service or call the helpline.
Trained telephone counselors are available in all Australian states and territories.
Source: | This article originally belonged to Dailymail.co.uk
