The topic of alcohol always gets people going!
Whether you drink it, avoid it, love the taste of wine, beer, or whiskey and how to moderate it seem to be circulating in conversation. Now, if you don’t drink alcohol- no need to start! If you do drink (and are of age), and are wondering what effect it has on your overall performance, keep on reading.
DID YOU KNOW?
Alcohol has metabolic, cardiovascular, thermoregulatory, and neuromuscular actions that can effect exercise performance. The amount consumed, the environmental context and the sensitivity to alcohol of each person will determine the depth of impaired function.
Like all things in nutrition, being mindful of the quality of what you are putting into your body and having an approach of moderation, is important for performance and health. While alcohol enjoyed moderately may provide some health benefits (moderation is 1 drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men), it can have an effect on performance in the present time.
The more you consume, the longer the negative effects on the body. For example consuming five or more alcoholic servings can effect the brain and body activities for up to three to five days. Below is a summary of the effects of alcohol on the body.
GOAL: If you are going to enjoy alcohol, be sure to hydrate, limit the amount you drink and consider your practice and game schedule. Recommendations around alcohol and performance intake are to avoid alcohol for 48 hours before a game, and if consuming post-training or post-game, hydrate and re-fuel first! When having more then 1 alcoholic beverage at a time, drink a glass of water between drinks to combat the effects of dehydration and moderate the speed at which you drink.
Effects of Alcohol on your Sports Performance:
- Increases time for recovery of training hormones.
- Has a diuretic effect, causing a loss of water and vitamins (including B Vitamins and Zinc)
- Increases the release of the stress hormone cortisol.
- Decreases protein synthesis for muscle fiber repair and slows the recovery of sore muscles and injury.
- Decreases immune system function.
- Decreases performance potential of around 11.4%
- Disturbs sleeping cycles and the ability to recover during rest, inhibiting the secretion of your muscle-building hormone by 70%!
- Impairs reaction time.
- Impairs carbohydrate / energy metabolism in liver and muscles.
- Can impair or completely inhibit any physiological gains you may have gained during training and workouts.
Hydrate well ~
Be well ~Meg @REJOOVwithMeg
Leave a Reply