Alcohol vs. Fitness
What’s more synonymous with college than alcohol? Now, we can turn a blind eye to this subject like we often do, or we can look it in the face and take it for what it is. Alcohol and college go hand in hand, nothing anyone can say or do will stop that, it’s just how it is. Now, that doesn’t go without saying, that alcohol is only legal for people OVER 21, even if your “ID” says you’re 21, go ahead and re-think that one, because the fine for an underage or illegal consumption is a lot higher than your bench max. BUT with all this drinking, what does it do to your body?
Many people think, that you can simply wake up in the morning and “sweat it out” but that’s simply incorrect, the amount of calories, dehydration, and appetite suppressant (not to mention the late night Topper Stix) this simply can’t be fixed by a morning of biking or jogging on the treadmill for 30 minutes. So I decided to look a little more into what are the effects of alcohol on the body with fitness in mind.
I decided to do some research and the quickest down to the point research I found was by Women’s Health Magazine, don’t worry individuals who identify themselves as males, this applies to you too. The top four points I discovered (which I shortened to save length, check out the article to see the entire point: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/drinking-and-exercise) were:
- Slower Recovery
Hard workouts drain the glycogen stores (carbs stored in the liver and muscles) and leave your muscle tissue in need of repair. “Pouring alcohol into your system as soon as you finish stalls the recovery process”
- Packed-On Fat
When booze is on board, your body, besides having to deal with the surplus of calories, prioritizes metabolizing the alcohol over burning fat and carbs. Alcohol also breaks down amino acids and stores them as fat.
- Disrupted Sleep
Boozing also blows your muscle recovery and performance by sapping your sleep. In a study of 93 men and women, researchers found that alcohol decreased sleep duration and increased wakefulness.
- Depleted Water and Nutrients
Alcohol irritates the stomach lining, which can reduce your capacity to absorb nutrients (the reason you have an upset stomach after a few too many), says Brian R. Christie, Ph.D.—not to mention that alcohol makes you. And by the way, you can’t rehydrate with a dehydrating drink (e.g., beer).
“Success is a journey but we treat it like a place and it doesn’t make sense if you don’t you enjoy the ride.”
-Riley Pink