We’ve all heard it before – moderation is key in alcohol consumption. But if you are really serious about your fitness goals, you might be wondering just how it could impact that glass of wine or bottle of beer on your progress.
Fitness enthusiasts, social drinkers, or even professionals with alcohol-serving license alike often find themselves grappling with the question: Can I balance my love for a good drink with my desire to stay in shape?
In this article, we will learn the science behind drinking and its effects on our bodies, particularly regarding achieving those coveted fitness milestones.
Effects of Drinking When You Try to Stay Fit
Curious about the effects of drinking while you try to remain fit? Here are some things to know:
Sleep Deprivation
One of the most significant ways how drinking alcohol can hinder your fitness goals is through sleep deprivation. This may surprise some, considering many people use alcohol to fall asleep faster. However, while it’s true that alcohol might help you drift off initially, the quality of sleep you achieve throughout the night tends to suffer.
Poor sleep can lead to many issues that negatively impact your fitness progress. For example, inadequate rest often results in decreased energy levels and increased fatigue during workouts, hindering performance and making it difficult to push yourself physically.
Aches, Muscle Fatigue, And Pains
Moving on to another aspect of how drinking impacts your fitness journey, let’s discuss aches, muscle fatigue, and pains.
Alcohol consumption can significantly contribute to these discomforts experienced during or after workouts. It’s mainly because alcohol could cause dehydration and imbalance of electrolytes in our body, that are essential for better muscle function.
So if you’re serious about achieving those fitness goals and staying pain-free during your workouts, consider cutting back on alcoholic beverages or even eliminating them from your routine, or if you’re in a bar or restaurant, you may speak with servers with alcohol-serving license about limiting the alcoholic drink they serve.
Poor Metabolism
Ever tried waking up feeling sluggish, bloated, and unmotivated? That’s the reality for many people who indulge in alcoholic beverages while trying to maintain a fitness regime.
One of the main reasons about this is that alcohol could negatively impact your metabolism. It would make it a lot challenging to reach your desired fitness results. Alcohol consumption also slows the metabolic rate by reducing the ability of your body to burn calories and fat efficiently.
The liver, which plays a crucial role in metabolizing fats and carbohydrates, becomes preoccupied with breaking down alcohol instead of focusing on burning stored energy from food sources. Consequently, you may experience weight gain or struggle to lose those stubborn pounds even if you’re diligent about exercise and eating right.
Sugar Spikes
Moving on from the topic of poor metabolism, let’s discuss another crucial aspect that can hinder your fitness goals: alcohol consumption. Drinking alcoholic beverages might seem harmless to unwind and have fun, but it could sabotage your progress in more ways than one.
Most professionals with alcohol-serving license are aware of how alcohol is calorie-dense, packing seven calories per gram—a major contributor to unwanted weight gain. Moreover, these are ’empty’ calories devoid of essential nutrients; drinking them will not significantly benefit muscle growth or recovery.
When under the influence of alcohol, our inhibitions lower, increasing the chances of overeating unhealthy foods, further hampering our efforts towards attaining peak physical condition.
Heart Health
You might be surprised to learn that the occasional happy hour or celebratory toast may impact your ticker’s well-being.
Alcohol consumption, particularly in moderation, has long been argued as a possible benefit for the health of your heart. For those striving towards peak physical fitness, these negative effects should serve as food for thought when deciding whether or not to indulge in alcoholic beverages.
Unhealthy Cravings
Incorporating alcohol into one’s fitness journey can lead to the onset of unhealthy cravings. The consumption of alcoholic beverages often results in an increased appetite, leading individuals diligently working towards their fitness goals to suddenly crave high-calorie and low-nutrient foods.
These desires for unhealthy snacks or indulgent meals hinder progress by contributing additional calories and preventing the body from receiving essential nutrients necessary for optimal health.
Having an understanding about the possible consequences of alcohol consumption in one’s goal of a healthier lifestyle, it has proven that moderation is key to balance between enjoyment and long-term progress.
Less Motivation
Drinking alcohol can decrease motivation, making it more challenging for you to stick to your fitness goals. Alcohol is also considered by many as a depressant that can decrease your energy levels and dampen your enthusiasm for physical activity.
These factors make it harder to stay committed to your fitness routine and ultimately achieve your goals. Always remember that when you decide whether or not to include alcohol as part of your lifestyle while pursuing better health and improved fitness.
Conclusion
Drinking can significantly hinder your progress in achieving your fitness goals. It affects various aspects of our health, such as sleep quality, muscle recovery, metabolism, and heart health. Alcohol often leads to sugar spikes and unhealthy cravings that derail our diet plans.
You should always be mindful about the effects alcohol has on our bodies and entire well-being. Remember to keep moderation in mind when indulging, ensuring we stay motivated and focused on reaching those fitness milestones.