Alcoholic drinks - beer, wine, whiskey, vodka, rum, etc. - have intoxicating qualities and come under the category of 'depressants'. Depressants, which also include various kinds of drugs, stimulate the
brain to some extent and also adversely affect the central nervous system, slowing it down and causing unpleasant side effects. One of the foremost effects of alcohol is breaking down inhibitions and this is the reason for its enormous popularity on the social scene. Women are generally more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol than men, even when exactly the same amount is consumed by both.
1. Slower Recovery
Hard workouts drain the glycogen stores (carbs stored in the liver and muscles) and leave your muscle tissue in need of repair. Pouring alcohol into your system as soon as you finish stalls the recovery process, leaving your stores still 50 percent lower than normal even eight hours later, according to one study.
2. Packed-On Fat
When booze is on board, your body, besides having to deal with the surplus of calories, prioritizes metabolizing the alcohol over burning fat and carbs. Alcohol also breaks down amino acids and stores them as fat. For some reason this process is most pronounced in the thighs and glutes. Excessive alcohol consumption really chews up muscle in those areas. It also increases levels of cortisol (a stress hormone), which further encourages fat storage, particularly in your midsection.
3. Disrupted Sleep
Boozing also blows your muscle recovery and performance by sapping your sleep. Men and women, researchers found that alcohol decreased sleep duration and increased wakefulness (particularly in the second half of the night), especially in women, whose sleep time was decreased by more than 30 minutes over the night. Disrupting the sleep cycle can reduce your human growth hormone output—which builds muscle—by as much as 70 percent.
4. Depleted Water and Nutrients
Alcohol irritates the stomach lining, which can reduce your capacity to absorb nutrients (the reason you have an upset stomach after a few too many). For every gram of ethanol you suck down, you pump out 10 milliliters of urine (that's about 9.5 ounces for two beers). As little as 2 percent dehydration hurts endurance performance. And by the way, you can't rehydrate with a dehydrating drink (e.g., beer).
1. Slower Recovery
Hard workouts drain the glycogen stores (carbs stored in the liver and muscles) and leave your muscle tissue in need of repair. Pouring alcohol into your system as soon as you finish stalls the recovery process, leaving your stores still 50 percent lower than normal even eight hours later, according to one study.
2. Packed-On Fat
When booze is on board, your body, besides having to deal with the surplus of calories, prioritizes metabolizing the alcohol over burning fat and carbs. Alcohol also breaks down amino acids and stores them as fat. For some reason this process is most pronounced in the thighs and glutes. Excessive alcohol consumption really chews up muscle in those areas. It also increases levels of cortisol (a stress hormone), which further encourages fat storage, particularly in your midsection.
3. Disrupted Sleep
Boozing also blows your muscle recovery and performance by sapping your sleep. Men and women, researchers found that alcohol decreased sleep duration and increased wakefulness (particularly in the second half of the night), especially in women, whose sleep time was decreased by more than 30 minutes over the night. Disrupting the sleep cycle can reduce your human growth hormone output—which builds muscle—by as much as 70 percent.
4. Depleted Water and Nutrients
Alcohol irritates the stomach lining, which can reduce your capacity to absorb nutrients (the reason you have an upset stomach after a few too many). For every gram of ethanol you suck down, you pump out 10 milliliters of urine (that's about 9.5 ounces for two beers). As little as 2 percent dehydration hurts endurance performance. And by the way, you can't rehydrate with a dehydrating drink (e.g., beer).
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