Bikini body to beach bum in two weeks?

Revealing statistics on how modern attitudes to health and wellbeing can be compromised by a break in the sun have just been released. They show that:

• A quarter of young people take drastic dietary measures in the run-up to their holiday
• One in five women get stressed on holiday, believing it's because the family's not used to being together
• People under 34 are most likely to drink more alcohol to deal with holiday stress or post-holiday blues

'It's interesting to see that, at a time when more people are thinking in terms of their general health, fitness and wellbeing, we still see the annual holiday as almost a different world, where things that normally apply - even on a basic level - are suspended,' said Mike Hall, chief executive of Standard Life Healthcare, which commissioned the research.

And getting away from work stress is one thing (though many of those questioned say they spent time thinking or worrying about work), but family and holiday-related stress can take over!

'The key is moderation,' said Mr Hall. 'And planning. A holiday has to be a break - but you can still make it a healthy one without feeling you're missing out.'

You can download a free factsheet from Standard Life Healthcare to give you some handy facts and tips on your holiday health. Plus there are useful links to websites with critical information for people travelling overseas or taking holidays at home. For more information, and to download the factsheet, go to www.standardlifehealthcare.co.uk.