Booze and brawn don’t mix.
You may be a professional or competitive athlete or just someone who hits the gym two or three times a week to help keep your shape. Whoever you are, you might rethink taking that extra shot after your workout.
Most of us already know what effect alcohol has on our state of mind when we have too much to drink, but do we all know the affects it has on our body during workouts? Think about it, the morning after a night of heavy drinking, many of us probably wake up thirstier than a fish out of water.
Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it forces your kidneys to produce more urine which leads to dehydration. Working out after drinking alcohol (even if it is just a couple of shots) can dehydrate you even faster because you are also sweating during the workout. This, in turn, leads to reduced performance.
It can also get in the way of your body making energy. Alcohol needs to be broken down by the liver, which basically shuts down all the other important functions it needs to be doing, including producing glucose for energy, until the alcohol is broken down. This is why you feel more tired after a night of heavy drinking.
Alcohol also slows down the nervous system, causing a more relaxed feeling throughout your body. This slows down your reactions, your coordination, accuracy, balance, and just basically makes you a very poor spotter at the gym.
Furthermore, the fire water will attribute greatly to weight gain and slowing down the healing of any injury you may have, including muscle recovery.
So the next time you’re out for drinks, control the amount of alcohol you consume, or think twice about hitting the gym the next morning.
