With the holiday season upon us, it is hard to escape the constant booze offerings. (Being socially awkward and having no friends myself, I do not have to worry about such matters, of course.) So should you or should you not drink alcohol?
Since you are all mature adults, I will simply give you the science behind it and you can make a decision from there.
1. Alcohol has calories, 7 per gram to be exact. Ethanol is often not listed as a carbohydrate on beverages but that does not make it calorie free. And once you add sugar to the actual beverage? There is no turning back. Pina colada takes the prize, one of those beauties can set you back 800 calories. Cheers!
2. It gets even worse. Ethanol, due to its toxicity, takes first priority in the body, meaning no other fuel is being burned for the time it takes to remove the alcohol from the digestive system. That also means no fat loss can occur for up to 12 hours, so if you drink several times a week, that could pose a slight problem.
3. Ethanol, being a sugar, will cause insulin spikes during the night and therefore will make your sleep not too restful.
4. Alcohol consumption lowers testosterone and growth hormone production for several hours, meaning less muscle is built and less fat is lost.
5. Alcohol often leads to poor food choices. After all, most bars do not offer much in the way of grilled chicken but a lot more of the very deep-fried and breaded kind.
6. Alcohol leads to dehydration and impairs concentration and focus for up to 24 hours, which means your next workout might not be so great.
So now that I have ruined everyone’s holiday season, are there any uplifting ideas that I can offer you?
Maybe.
1. Stick to clear drinks or wine. Beer in moderation. Stay away from mixed drinks.
2. Keep a glass of water in your dominant hand to avoid dehydration.
3. Do not plan a heavy workout the day after an event; light pump workouts can be a godsend though.
4. NEVER NEVERNEVER save calories for alcohol. If you go over, so be it. But starving yourself and then drinking will put your body into shock and deprive it of the nutrients it needs to detox.
So go out, enjoy, and drink in moderation! 🙂
Best,
Maik Wiedenbach