Alcohol, what you need to hear

Easily one of the most common questions I get when people start training is, "oh but can I still drink?" With the exception of a few glasses of red wine per week, alcohol is just bad for you plain and simple.  So sure, you could drink once in a while as a reward or treat, I don't think you shouldn't have any fun.  But if you're serious about your goals, you just don't drink.  The truth is it slows down the goal reaching process in a few different ways.

First of all, alcohol is a poison.  Your body reacts as such.  It puts you into a catabolic state, which means your body is breaking things down and burning them up.  This sounds good right? Well its not for several reasons.   When you drink, what tends to get broken down is muscle :( this means it's bad for your metabolism, your strength, muscle size, all of it.  People that drink a lot simply can't maintain a high amount of lean muscle mass unless they are A. Under 25 years old (so it won't last long) or B. On steroids. Also, less muscle means a lower metabolism, so it will be harder to burn fat in the future as well even if you "don't care about muscle".

The second reason to go slow on the alcohol is your metabolism.  Because it is a poison, it gets priority in digestion.  Your body needs to process the alcohol immediately.  This mean any other calories in your body, like food, are not burned up.  Any calories you've eaten before or during alcohol are most likely to be stored as fat.  This is why sugary drinks are SO BAD.  Also, does the term "beer belly" sound like a coincidence?

The final reason to avoid alcohol, other than it's harder to build muscle and burn fat, is the hangover.  Hangovers mean your body is dehydrated. This means your body is in a state of need; building muscle or burning fat are the last things on the priority list.  Dehydration can be somewhat avoided by drinking water before and after consuming alcohol, but there are many factors.  If you find yourself in a hungover situation, drink plenty of water and have a big meal with plenty of protein, that should help =)

If you're ready to change the way you look at fitness, diet, and lifestyle, order the ebook Inside the Mind of a Personal Trainer here.