The Effects of Alcohol
Given summer is on it’s merry way I thought I would do a mini blog series about alcohol. With the silly season approaching it is easy to go overboard on the alcohol.This mini series is going to discuss the effects of alcohol, common myths, some tips for being alcohol savvy, non alcoholic alternatives and lastly I am going to finish the mini series with some healthier cocktail recipes.
Today I am going to give you a bit of a run down of the effects of alcohol for your heath, weight and exercise performance. Don’t worry I’m not going to urge you to be sober for the rest of your life 😉
// Alcohol and Exercising
If you’ve ever had a hangover (and let’s be honest there are very few of us who haven’t), then you will know that the next day you definitely do not feel like getting out of bed to exercise, unless that exercise is to the nearest burger joint.
Alcohol makes us feel groggy and slows us down, even just a couple of drinks can have a huge effect on your performance the following day. If you’ve gone particularly hard then it may even take a few days for your body to fully recover and you don’t even really know it.
Working out after a big night increases the risk of injury given that your body is not functioning at 100%, it can also hinder muscle growth (not ideal!) as long term alcohol use can diminish protein synthesis which is a fancy way of saying that the protein cells in your body don’t regenerate as quickly as they generally would have prior to alcohol.
Another effect of alcohol on exercising is that alcohol use generally disrupts sleeping patterns, alcohol robs your body of the chemical human growth hormone which plays an important role in building stronger and bigger muscles. Getting sufficient rest is one of the keys of building muscle, you need to get a good regular sleep as often as possible!
// Alcohol and Weight Gain
I hate to break it to you but you’re probably not going to get 6 pack abs if you’re drinking each weekend. Whilst there are some exceptions (which generally involve over exercising), this is generally the rule.
Alcoholic beverages are traditionally high in calories and boast a lot of sugar. An excess of sugar is converted in our bodies as fat and is often held around our mid-section, making those love handles extra tough to get rid of.
Because your body isn’t designed to store alcohol, it tries to get rid of it as quickly as possible. This can get in the way of the other processes your body should be doing, including absorbing nutrients and burning fat. Alcohol effectively gets in the way of burning calories.
One of the best things I ever did for my health (and noticeably my core) was to quit the weekend drinking sessions. While I’m not a teetotaller all of the time I do only drink on special occasions or if I am really feeling like one.
I got fed up with the societal pressure to drink every weekend so I just stopped completely, and you know what? The event invitations didn’t stop coming, nor did I feel like an outsider. In fact I had some great nights out with my friends and felt fresh as a daisy the next day! I also didn’t have to pay exorbitant taxi prices as I could sober drive both my friends and myself home.
How often do you generally drink??