The Hidden Effects of Alcohol on Your Fitness and Health

In moderation, a sneaky bevvy now and then can be stress-relieving, nerve-calming or a socially lubricating necessity. Plus, when we eat healthily all week and workout frequently, it’s pretty easy to justify a drink or two at the weekend. After all, how much harm can one drink do when you’re making positive health and fitness choices every other day? But, it’s important to consider what alcohol is doing to your body from a health and fitness perspective. 

The truth is, alcohol can have a pretty harsh effect on your body. In fact, new research has found that when it comes to brain health and function, there is no safe amount of alcohol consumption. Unfortunately, when it comes to overall health and fitness the results are similar. Here’s exactly what alcohol is doing to your body and how it’s impacting your output in the gym: 

Alcohol and workout performance

Alcohol is a sedative. It slows down coordination, makes us feel sluggish and impacts judgement while slowing down our reaction time (anyone who has ever experienced a hangover can probably attest to this). These negative effects of alcohol are going to impact your performance, reduce maximum output and ultimately hinder results in the gym.

Alcohol and weight loss

OK, so we’re all aware that alcohol isn’t a health drink. But alcoholic drinks often contain pretty generous amounts of sugar and other not so healthy ingredients. This is definitely going to hinder any weight loss goals, and more of a concern, negatively impact your overall health. 

Alcohol and dehydration

Working out, combined with alcohol can leave you feeling dehydrated while you’re sweating it out. To top it off, if you’ve just had a big night and are already feeling dehydrated due to alcohol, then the double dehydration could be putting your health at risk during your workout. 

Alcohol and muscle repair

Research has found that drinking alcohol after a workout reduces serotonin production, which ultimately means your muscles will take longer to repair (and feel sorer, for longer). Binge drinking also increases the hormone cortisol which limits the muscle growth you were aiming for in the gym. 

The great news is that your social life doesn’t need to suffer and the pub doesn’t need to be completely off the cards if you decide to go alcohol-free. Because of social health movements like ‘Dry July’ and ‘Hello Sunday Morning’, there is an increasing number of people choosing to opt-out of alcohol. This is creating a demand for alcohol-free bars, like Melbourne based, Brunswick Aces and alcohol-free spirits such as Seedlip. Plus, you can make the most of your Sunday morning with a weight session.