When working towards a healthier diet, cutting vices like alcohol is often one of the first steps. We've all heard of a "beer belly", and none of us want one.

Whilst excessive binge drinking is obviously extremely harmful to both yourself, those around you, and society as a whole, the occasional drink isn't as clear cut. In fact, drinking a little alcohol in moderation has many health benefits. In general, the weight gain associated with those who regularly consume alcohol is actually caused by associated factors, not the alcohol itself. For example, an increased likelihood to consume takeaways, pub food, and other high calorie foods. Additionally, the weight gain from alcohol isn't confirmed yet, despite many large studies on the subject.

So, don't worry about the occasional beer at the weekend, it's probably doing you good!

With the seemingly endless todo lists most of us have, getting enough sleep can end up being pushed all the way to the bottom. Whilst staying up late and working provides a bit more time, it's rarely worth it in the long run. The potential risks of reduced sleep are numerous, including:

• Impaired judgement.
• Increased weight gain.
• Higher risk of depression.
• Worse skin.
• Decrease in memory capability.
• Reduced cognitive processes. 
• Increase risk of heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and more.
• Reduced sex drive.

As should be clear from the above list, staying up late simply isn't worth it in terms of long term health, both physically and mentally. In fact, a Whitehall II study found that decreasing hours slept per night from seven to five (or less) almost doubled the overall risk of death. 

Of course, we all need different amounts of sleep, and are more productive at different times of the day. For example, I tend to go to bed early and wake up early, as I am more productive before work than after. My partner sleeps longer, so goes to bed at the same time and wakes up later. Finding the optimal amount required is easy, just spend a week or two going to bed early, and seeing when your body wakes you up in the morning. This will let you discover how long your body actually wants to sleep for, and the results may be surprising!

I personally found the affect of increased sleep on my mental state to be the most startling. My happiness improved, as did my productivity and motivation. The cause behind this is not waking up to a loud, abrasive alarm, and instead waking up when my body was ready. Whilst it's easy to claim to be too busy to live without an alarm, the increased motivation and work capability will more than make up for any lost time.

Happy sleeping!

We all make mistakes. Unfortunately most of us don't have infallible willpower, so we occasionally slip on our diet or exercise goals. Whilst these mistakes aren't the end of the world, avoiding their impact is still an achievable goal.

One of the most destructive mindsets is the idea of a "cheat day", a day where your usual positive lifestyle improvements can be ignored. These days consist of pizza, alcohol, sitting around all day, and generally ignoring any diet or exercise commitments. The dangerous part of these days is the "I've already had 3 slices of pizza, 1 more won't make any difference" mentality.

That 4th slice is just as unhealthy as the 1st slice on a normal day! It's important to keep this in mind, so that mistakes can be treated more as "cheat incidents" instead of developing into "cheat days".

For example, today I had a small packet of sweets. This then snowballed into thinking I should have pizza for dinner, maybe some ice cream, etc. Realising that this was the cheat day mindset in full effect let me get rid of these urges, and continue with my planned healthy meal.

Good luck sticking to your plans!

When getting started with cycling, there can be a lot of conflicting information available, and it's easy to feel overwhelmed.

However, one tip every resource agrees upon is the importance of keeping bike tyres fully pumped up. Doing so keeps the risk of punctures as low as possible, as well as providing as easy and efficient ride.

Road bike tyres should be between 80-130 psi (pounds per square inch), mountain bike tyres between 30-50 psi, and hybrid bike tyres between 50 and 70 psi. Finding the specific value that is right for you depends on your weight, with heavier bodies requiring higher psi.

A small hand pump is useful for temporary puncture repairs on the go, but getting a road bike up to 100 psi requires a larger floor pump. Checking tyre pressure before every ride will help minimise the risk of a puncture, and make the ride as eventless as possible.