Typically training success can be broken down into two, primary aspects: Physical Fitness and Nutrition. While your training and nutrition plan could be spot on, you might still be doing your goals a disservice. How is your alcohol consumption affecting your training?
How alcohol affects your training
Nutrition and Fat-Burning
Alcohol is a fat burning suppressor. Alcohol reduces the body's rate of metabolism and decreases the body’s ability to burn fat. This is primarily due to the fact that our bodies respond differently than when consuming food. Our bodies treat alcohol like a toxin because alcohol contains no nutrients. Instead of burning calories, our body shifts gear to removing a toxin. This will cause you to use the restroom more frequently (dehydration). While your body is this mode, it will utilize the alcohol as fuel rather than the fat stored in your body. Essentially, metabolism is on pause while it is trying to remove the alcohol first. Any food consumed during this time will be stored as fat until your body is able to digest it again due to the insulin spike alcohol causes. Lastly, alcohol tends to impair our body from absorbing nutrients.
Be aware of how many calories you are drinking and the contents of any mixtures you are using. While liquor tends to have less calories than wine or beer, it does have a higher ethyl alcohol percentage.
Muscle Growth
Overindulging negatively affects myofibrillar protein synthesis (MPS) no matter how optimal your nutrition plan currently is. Even with a great diet, the negative effects of alcohol overpower results. Protein synthesis is a process to repair muscle proteins. When you weight train, your muscles fibers are stressed and damaged. Protein repairs these muscles and promotes growth and strength. Alcohol degrades muscle protein and breaks down more muscle than it builds. While drinking, muscle is unable to build. To help limit negative effects, plan your workout earlier in the day and distance your workouts and alcohol consumption as much as possible.
Sleep and Recovery
While feeling relaxed is an effect of drinking alcohol, it negatively affects sleep. During sleep our bodies repair and recover and without this, we are unable to perform at optimum levels. While alcohol is a depressant and causes you to become sleepy, it will not deliver the quality sleep your body needs. It interrupts our REM (rapid eye movement) sleep which will in turn cause lethargy, drowsiness, and fatigue during the day. Performance is significantly affected by these adverse effects.
Main points:
1. Limit your alcohol consumption as much as you can. No more than 1-2 drinks.
2. Leave time between workouts and alcohol consumption.
3. Choose drinks that don't contain high amounts of added sugar.
4. Excessive drinking impairs the body from absorbing proteins and nutrients preventing you from functioning at your optimal fitness potential.
5. Continue to drink water prior to, during and after consuming alcohol.
Looking for a Substitute?
Kombucha! Kombucha is a fermented, probiotic drink with unbelievable health benefits. Because it is fermented, there is trace alcohol (1-2% ABV), but are non-inebriating. Many individuals report that kombucha actually helps reduce cravings for alcohol and sodas due to the quality nutrition delivered and the relaxing effects from the trace amounts.
Seedlip is also a company that produces non-alcoholic spirits with nutritional value - A great "grown-up" option for when enjoying cocktails with friends and family. I personally recommend the Grove 42 with a cold Zevia ginger ale and lime.
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