Alcohol And Exercise
May 20th, 2008 | 
Author: 
On Friday afternoon after you leave work, you probably think about going out and having a few drinks with friends to relax and wind down. Even though you may think you deserve to go out and have a few drinks, there are some things that you should certainly keep in mind.
Like any other day, tomorrow is going to be a day for exercise, and since you are exercising on a
regular basis, a few drinks of alcohol won’t really hurt anything, right? Before you decide to rush out to the local bar, there are a few things below that you should think about before you make your choice about going out to drink some alcohol.
Research has proven that even small amounts of alcohol with increase muscular endurance and the output of strength, although these types of benefits are very short lived. After 20 minutes or so, the problems will begin to surface. All of the negative side effects associated with alcohol will easily outweigh any possible benefits that it can have. No matter how you look at it, alcohol is a poison that can really harm your body if you aren’t careful.
The negative side of alcohol can reduce your strength, endurance, aerobic capability, recovery
time, ability to metabolize fat, and even your muscle growth as well. Alcohol will also have an
effect on your nervous system and brain. If you use it long term, you can cause severe deterioration of your central nervous system. Even with short term use, nerve muscle interaction can be reduced which will result in a loss of strength.
Once alcohol reaches the blood cells, it can and probably will damage them. With alcohol users,
inflammation of the muscle cells is a very common thing. Over periods of time, some of these cells that have been damaged can die which will result in less functional muscle contractions. Drinking alcohol will also leave you with more soreness of your muscles after you exercise, which means that it will take you a lot longer to recuperate.
Alcohol will also have many different effects on your heart and circulatory system as well. When
you drink any type of alcohol, you may begin to see a reduction in your endurance capabilities.
Anytime you drink, your heat loss will increase, due to the alcohol simulating your blood vessels
to dilate. The loss in heat can cause your muscles to become quite cold, therefore become
slower and weaker during your muscle contractions.
Drinking alcohol can also lead to digestive and nutrition problems as well. Alcohol cause a
release of insulin that will increase the metabolism of glycogen, which spares fat and makes the loss of fat very hard. Due to alcohol interfering with the absorption of several key nutrients, you
can also become anemic and deficient with B type vitamins.
Because your liver is the organ that detoxifies alcohol, the more you drink, the harder your liver
has to work. The extra stress alcohol places on your liver can cause serious damage and even
destroy some of your liver cells.
Since alcohol is diuretic, drinking large amounts can put a lot of stress on your kidneys as well.
During diuretic action, the hormones are secreted. This can lead to heightened water retention and no one who exercises will want this to happen.
If you must drink alcohol, you should do it in moderation and never drink before you exercise, as
this will impair your balance, coordination, and also your judgement. Think about your health and
how you exercise - and you may begin to look at things from a whole new prospective.
Posted in Exercise
October 5th, 2008 9:10 am
What i am asking to alcoholism is the if you want to build health, why ruin from the other end??!!!
December 17th, 2008 9:10 pm
Question:
If alcohol dilates your blood vessels, then would a shot of some sort of alcohol help with nutrient transfer within the blood stream 30 minutes after a work out?
Another Question:
Why is water retention something someone who exercises should not want. Will this blog email me when you reply?
Now only recently have i joined a gym, and I suspected that my water retention was high, for reason I did not understand, but in the moment I thought it was something to be happy about– a sign of my endurance so to say. But I moved to the sauna and that took care of my lack of sweating. Does this imply anything special about a sauna other than the obvious?
January 3rd, 2009 2:06 pm
I agree with the cautionary words about alcohol. A lot of people also underestimate the effect of alcohol on their physique. It’s one of the biggest sources of useless calories in a diet.
January 4th, 2009 5:10 am
I dont drink and i quit smoking 4 years ago !! =) it makes me so proud of myself that i dont have any issues braging about it !! =D lol
January 14th, 2009 3:24 pm
Great article. I pretty much write the entire next day off after a night of drinking (not that I drink that often anyway).
Bill
January 29th, 2009 12:32 pm
I find the hormonal and motivational effects that come with drinking make it almost impossible to lose weight while drinking. If you are serious about getting in shape then alcohol is your worst nightmare. I read somewhere that it is nearly impossible to lose weight while drinking alcohol because of the effect if has on your hormones, raising oestrogen which promotes fat storage and lowering testosterone which keeps you lean for up to a week after a big session. Keeping in shape is hard work as it is, but alcohol will only make it a hundred times harder. Just my opinion though. : )
February 27th, 2009 11:09 pm
Very good article. A lot of people would be way healthier if they could to stop drinking and eating better.
March 8th, 2009 5:34 pm
any way…thanx god..i’m not alcohol drinker..:D
March 12th, 2009 6:10 am
I certainly agree that in excess, alcohol is bad. But this post seems to say that even one drink is bad for your health. Do you really believe that?
April 8th, 2009 1:54 pm
I will go as far as to say that if you’re serious about your exercise, you shouldn’t drink at all, it’s like taking 1 step forward and 2 steps back every time you binge, plus the potential long term harm can be quite severe.
April 19th, 2009 10:32 pm
Hi Karen,
I’ve just found your site and so far have been enjoying your articles. Thank you very much.
I have had many problems due to alcohol and am currently trying to cut down on the subtance. It’s difficult, very in fact! But I’m determined to lead a healthier life.
Best wishes!
April 21st, 2009 11:11 am
Thanks Karen
Nice post. Nobody should drink alcohol before exercising and alcohol should always be consumed in moderation. And I suggest to drink a lot of water after drinking alcohol to flush it out from your body.
May 7th, 2009 7:40 pm
I’d like to add that if you’re going to drink alcohol and at the same time try to maintain good health, consider herbs that help the liver in eliminating the toxins and poisons found in alcohol, as well as food and our polluted environment. I recommend Milk Thistle, proven to be a leading herb in repairing liver cells and reversing liver damage.
May 28th, 2009 11:39 am
Definitely alcohol is bad. I live in a Muslim country where drinking alcohol is considered to be a very bad thing almost a social taboo.
July 29th, 2009 5:36 pm
i must admit, i like to drink, a little more than an average person… thanks for these facts and tips, sure will help me in one way or another… i have tried to exercise after a nights drinking, and i usually tire easily… not good..
September 20th, 2009 4:15 pm
Yep alcohol is poison I already new that
March 16th, 2010 1:50 pm
Wow. Never thought of alcohol as a poison. But you really make some compelling arguments.
I have never tried giving it up long term, but I think it’s worth a try to see how much my performance increases.
March 23rd, 2011 7:37 am
Drinking is badly harmful with your strength and stamina. So if you want yourself to enjoy the exercise and to keep your self healthy and active so stop drinking today.