As a nation we consume too much alcohol in this country already and sadly nearly all celebrations involve more than a few drinks. We all know how bad excessive alcohol consuption can be for your health but it can also spell doom for your gym goals and your waisteline! With 7kcals per gram, Alcohol is the second most calorie dense substance after fat which has 9kclas per gram so the numbers can add up fast....

Effect on Hormones

1 or 2 beers or glasses of wine per week never hurt anyone and wont be detrimental to your goals but its the constant weekend binging which is preventing you from reaching your health and fitness goals, not to mention emptying your pockets too. Another important issue to take heed of is how alcohol effects your hormone balance. A High intake of alcohol especially beer can make your body convert Testosterone, a hormone which is crucial for muscle growth and burning fat, into Estrogen which is a natural fat storage hormone. Naturally men have higher testosterone levels than women but regardless if your male or female, the increase of estrogen and decrease in testosterone will typically promote weight gain ad excess bodyfat in both genders.

The Cure

Hangovers are actually a form of mild alcohol poisoning, the day after your session you will find your self craving salt, sugar, fats the reason for that is, basically the body is looking to repair/cure itself by making you ingest these nutrients. But these cravings usually have us reaching for the phone and ordering take aways or getting a load of junk food and sitting on the couch all day watching garbage on TV/internet. Depending how hard the booze up was your hangover may last 1 or even 2 days which means you may even miss your miss your fisrt workout of the week or at best barely slog through a half hearted session. All this spells doom for your results and gains in gym. Basically you worked so hard all week just to hit the reset button on the weekend and in regards to your progress and goals its the same as taking one step forward then one step back, your spinning your wheels and getting nowwhere.

Calorie Counting

Check out the calories in some of these favorites..

35ml/1 Shot Vodka - 78 Kcals (excluding mixer)
35ml/1 Shot Whiskey - 78 Kcals (excluding mixer)
175ml Glass of Red Wine - 130 Kcals
500ml/Pint Of Beer - 200 Kcals

Think about this next time your on the treadmill sweating out alcohol fumes!

-APG