A Happier Hour

It’s a fact that an hour of exercise is good for your health and that excessive alcohol consumption is one of the most serious health risks in the world, but can drinking alcohol tank your fitness goals? Alcohol affects every body differently. Body size, body compositions and genetics play a role. 

Moderate drinking isn’t likely to affect daily performance at the gym, however, moving beyond moderate alcohol use is directly linked to a continued rate of injuries in sports and appears to have damaging effects on exercise performance capacity. Drinking alcohol can impact the following body functions:

Metabolism. Drinking alcohol gets in the way of the liver converting fat into energy; that fat gets stored into cells instead. 

Sleep. Too much alcohol may cause your body to spend less time in deep sleep. Persistent lack of quality sleep impacts hormones that are necessary for muscle growth. 

Muscle growth. Drinking more than a moderate amount can sabotage the muscle’s ability to recover and adapt to exercises, resulting in decreased muscle growth.

Performance. When the liver is busy breaking down alcohol, it’s less efficient at producing glucose to fuel a workout. 

Hydration. Alcohol affects how kidneys reabsorb fluid. Not replenishing  those fluids will lead to dehydration.

 

“If something stands between you and your success, move it. Never be denied.”   Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson