FITNESS & ALCOHOL

Monday, January 13, 2014

New Year resolution check. Hate to break it to you but if you stopped reading the
newspaper the day after discovering alcohol's nasty effects on your body, I suggest
you reconsider your decision this time. Better to deal than be in denial.

Hey beautiful people!

I came across this great article on Women's Health Magazine and think it's of paramount 

importance that we are aware of what we're making our body susceptible to. 

Below are 4 reasons, taken verbatim from the article, as to why alcohol & health 

don't compliment each other:

1. 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," says Tavis Piattoly, R.D. 

High levels of alcohol displace the carbs, leaving your stores still 50 percent 

lower than normal even eight hours later, according to one study. Sip or snack on a 

combo of muscle-repairing protein and carbs (think low-fat chocolate milk or 

peanut butter on whole-wheat crackers) before tipping back.

2. 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. "For some reason 

this process is most pronounced in the thighs and glutes," says Piattoly. "Excessive 

alcohol consumption really chews up muscle in those areas." It also increases 

levels of cortisol (a stress hormone), which further encourages fat storage, particularly 

in your midsection.

3. 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 (particularly in the second half of the night), 

especially in women, whose sleep time was decreased by more than 30 minutes over 

the night. "Disrupting the sleep cycle can reduce your human growth hormone 

output—which builds muscle—by as much as 70 percent," says Piattoly.

4. 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 pee. For 

every gram of ethanol you suck down, you pump out 10 milliliters of urine (that's 

about 9.5 ounces for two beers). As little as 2 percent dehydration hurts endurance 

performance. And by the way, you can't rehydrate with a dehydrating drink (e.g., beer).


Thanks for reading!

stay healthy | stay smiling

Maninder

*Image & partial content from Women's Health Magazine