Alcohol and Fitness Don’t Mix: How Alcohol is Sabotaging Your Health and Fitness Goals
Alcohol: it’s a treat, a social lubricant, a reward at the end of a long hard day, a…fitness goal destroyer?
Well yes, it can be—that is if your goal is to be the healthiest, happiest version of yourself. If you are interested at all in health and fitness, you need to know the truth about alcohol and fitness, as there are some profound effects on your body and health.
Ancient Alcohol
Alcohol is a hugely popular beverage in today’s society, and has always been so, since ancient times. But ever since ancient times, the dangers of consuming too much alcohol has been warned against. As one ancient sage once wrote: “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.”
And in modern times, we know that alcohol can lead not only to fistfights and drunken rages, but to car accidents, alcohol poisoning, and more. In fact, it is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States today.
But is alcohol only unhealthy in excess? Is it okay, even helpful, as long as you keep your consumption levels down?
Is Alcohol Good For You At All?
Some people argue that a little bit of alcohol is good for you. Many people, in fact, believe that a moderate amount of red wine, say one glass at dinner-time, can help reduce heart attacks. Certain researchers argue that antioxidants called polyphenols within the wine can help increase levels of healthy cholesterol.
Actually, these experts are now being proven wrong.
Alcohol has Zero Benefits
A recent global study on the effects of alcohol showed that alcohol consumption has no benefits whatsoever.
Scientists looked at data from 195 countries and territories over the course of 26 years (1990-2016) and found that not only does alcohol increase cancer rates, but it also does not have any health benefits. That means no benefits were seen for alcohol and fitness, either.
Even though moderate drinking may protect people from heart disease, the researchers added that the potential for developing other diseases, such as cancer, basically negate these “positive benefits.”
In other words, “the safest level of drinking is none.”
How Alcohol Affects Your Metabolism
Alcohol is known to inhibit your muscles because it blocks absorption of nutrients by your body. When you drink alcohol, your body puts everything on hold to metabolize it first, because your body is incapable of storing alcohol.
To put it bluntly, alcohol is a poison, and your body wants it OUT of you as soon as you put it in you. Which means that a lot of other normal body functions—like metabolizing your food—get put on the back burner.
In addition, over time, and with large amounts of alcohol, your intestines can be damaged by drinking, leading to a serious risk of malnutrition.
So, in terms of alcohol and fitness, alcohol obviously does not have a healthy effect on our physical metabolism. What about our mental decisions?
Alcohol and Fitness Goals
Alcohol is also known to reduce your inhibitions and hurt your ability to make intelligent decisions. It’s part of the reason many people drink in the first place, to “loosen up.” But did you know that losing your inhibitions can kill your fitness goals?
Living a fit lifestyle requires a certain amount of discipline—the choice to persevere during tough workouts, the refusal to eat certain foods at certain times, etc. But when you are “loosened up” by alcohol, you lose your ability to make good choices and stick to them.
You will find yourself stuffing your face with that pie you weren’t supposed to buy in the first place, or skipping your regular gym workout in favor of going on a spontaneous bar hopping adventure with friends.
You’ve already invested so much energy and time building up your health and healthy habits—don’t let something as avoidable as alcohol smash it all to smithereens!
Should You Avoid Alcohol?
In the end, the choice of whether or not to consume alcohol is YOUR choice. No one else can make it for you. But the important thing is not to drink blindly, just because “everyone else is doing it.”
Consider your goals, your priorities, your life. Do you want to be fit and healthy? Do you want to have a body and mind that function optimally? If so, consider how alcohol will affect you, and choose wisely.
Dixon Troyer is the President of Operations at 3 Elements Lifestyle, LLC., a Fitness and Weight Loss company that specializes in YOU! With more than 15 years of gym and club experience, owning, operating and managing clubs of all sizes, Dixon lectures, delivers seminars and workshops on the practical skills required to successfully help you with your health and fitness goals. Dixon also helps you build the teamwork, management, and training necessary to open your own fitness center.
Visit his website at www.3elementslifestyle.com or email at dixon@3elementslifestyle.com or call (805) 499-3030.
