Biohack: 30 Days No Alcohol

I have been a sponsored ultra-endurance athlete for several years now. Since 2009, I have completed many challenging events including: two Ultraman triathlons, mountaineering expeditions on three of the Seven Summits, a 156-mile run in the Sahara Desert (Marathon des Sables) and most recently, a 3200-mile self-supported cycle across the United States.

It has been an ambitious undertaking, no doubt. But no matter how motivated we are, we all go through highs and lows or times when you are simply burnt out. Sometimes we may just fall (or jump) off the wagon for a while. I am no different.

After finishing the 32-day cycle across the USA last summer, I fell into a fitness rut. I went through an extended period of careless eating, not training as much, and drinking greater-than-normal amounts of beer and wine (I love wine). As you can imagine, this is one of the worst ultra-triathlons to be winning! My reward? Gaining about 20lbs (9kg) and having my fitness plummet well below my normal levels.

But I am happy to be back in action and get back to a high level of fitness. I also recently partnered with fitness guru Ben Greenfield, WellnessFX and DexaFit to do a 30-day, no alcohol biohack experiment beginning today (November 19, 2014). The purpose of the experiment is to see how my body’s biomarkers, body composition, metabolism, and general well-being change after simply eliminating alcohol consumption.

Over the next several weeks, we will be bringing you posts on the progress and results, along with information about the science we are using to measure biomarkers and more. It certainly will not be an easy task and I welcome you to follow my #30DayNoAlcohol journey, but I also encourage you to check out the fantastic things Ben, WellnessFX and DexaFit are doing to help ordinary people reach their extraordinary health and fitness goals. Moreover, whether you are looking to begin a fitness journey or simply get back in shape, we hope this series of posts will inspire you to make healthy changes in your life.

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