The Effect of Alcohol on Exercise

Alcohol and Exercise

Alright I assume that everyone has seen the 64 calories beer commercial by now. You know the one with the man who looks at his watch then runs off to change into his gym gear and meet up with his wife and then they go for a run all the while both of them looking like they have been working out for years. He is muscular and she is fit. Then they have them in their regular out on the town clothes entering a bar and getting a beer that has 64 calories in it.

This commercial shows you what you want to see. They give it to you on a silver platter. Basically it states that you can have a great physique and still go boozing.

So here is the question that everyone is always asking me. How much can they drink and not have it affect their weight loss or muscle building goals?

I heard that the extra carbs in beer make me stronger. I have heard this one way too many time. But I stick with the light beers.

I love all of these I call blind excuses. You know what it takes for weight loss and muscle growth to occur but you choose to ignore it or turn a blind eye to it.

So let's get down to it. What does alcohol do to your muscle gains and fat loss goals? Basically there was one study that showed that alcohol actually increased endurance and strength output. It only worked for about 20 or so minutes and then everything came crashing down.

Simply alcohol is a poison and it will start to affect your endurance, muscular strength, recovery capabilities, aerobic capacity, ability to metabolize fat and muscle growth. Alcohol as you know can also affect your nervous system and brain. Yes people, that’s, the fuzzy feeling you get.

When alcohol gets into the muscle cells, it will cause damage. Inflammation of the muscle cells is common among alcohol users. Over the long term, some of these damaged cells can die resulting in less functional muscle contractions. Alcohol will also leave you with more muscle soreness after exercise making recuperation periods longer.

Alcohol has many affects on your heart and circulatory system. You might see a reduction in your endurance level when you drink. Your heat loss increases, and because alcohol stimulates your blood vessels to dilate. This heat loss can cause your muscles to get cold which will make you slower and you will become weaker during contractions.

Alcohol causes a release of insulin that will increase the metabolism of glycogen, thereby making fat loss even harder to achieve. Alcohol does not have any nutritional value, but it does have seven calories per gram so drinking too much can lead to weight gain which is a no brainer. Hence, the, beer gut on you’re man, ladies.

So if you go out with your buddies and drink then do so in moderation and never consume alcohol right before exercise as you will impair your balance, coordination and judgment. If you've taken the time to make the effort to improve your physical conditioning and your overall health, why would you take all those steps backwards and impede you improvements by drinking too much alcohol?

Take it easy next time and slow down. Not so many.

Until Next Time

WSC

Limits of LiabilityAll information and tools in this blog are intended as an aid to help healthy adults lose weight and not intended as medical advice. The information presented here is not for pregnant or breast-feeding women or for any person under the age of 18. If you suffer or think you may suffer from any medical condition you should consult your doctor before starting any weight loss exercise regime. Any weight loss exercise programs or diet should be started slowly and we advise you to always consult your doctor or physician beforehand.