No matter what we do, it seems alcohol always pops up somewhere….be it on business trips, vacations or after work.
Many people struggle with alcohol….and once they start, some people continue to have 2-3 glasses for relaxation or to change their mental state and mood.. It’s the quick way to feel better and easier for some people to do, rather than go out for a walk or meditate. Below are 6 points which need to be considered when drinking alcohol:
1) IF YOU MUST DRINK: Make it one glass of red wine a day (shown to decrease the risk of stroke, heart disease and cancer, by elevating good cholesterol, and is rich in polyphenol antioxidants for cell health). Alternatively, a straight spirit (vodka, gin or scotch) is fine, but avoid mixers which are bursting with simple sugars, and are quickly metabolized into fat!
2) CONSIDER THIS: Every 1 gram of fat is 9 calories, 1g of protein is 4 calories, and 1g of alcohol is 7 calories. Alcohol is almost as calorific as fat, but has only ‘empty’ calories with no nutritional value, and only speeds up fat storage. A double gin & tonic is 175 calories (c.10% of a girl’s RDA calorie intake, alot for something that doesn’t fill you up!)
3) THE SCORES: Single G&T: 75 calories. Glass of champagne: 91 calories. C an of Stella Artois: 247 calories. Shot of straight vodka: 55 calories . Glass of Baileys: 133 calories
4) ALCOHOL’S EFFECT ON MY TRAINING? It can stop you reaching your goals by dampening performance, recovery and focus. Although it’s absorbed quickly, it metabolizes slowly and can still affect the system up to 48 hours after consumption. It decreases strength, dehydrates (damaging to the kidney), exhausts the body (impairs liver function, as it metabolizes alcohol at the expense of glycogen), disturbs sleep (crucial for muscle recovery), slows down reaction time, disrupts the body’s balance and coordination, impedes cardio exercise (raises blood pressure so the heart works harder to pump blood through the body) etc…
5) THE AFTER EFFECT: A typical night out likely involves 3 drinks and some bad food at the end. That could easily amount to 1250-1500 calories in itself, which is 60% of your daily calorie allowance on top of what you’ve already had that day! No wonder next day you’ll feel bloated and tired – so perhaps try to avoid the hangover fry-up, as you won’t need the calories!!!
6) ALCOHOL EFFECTS YOUR CHOICES: When we drink, the brain begins to make poor choices in many different ways. Choices around food are particularly affected and this can lead to a loss of food discipline. Therefore be mindful of what you have in the fridge at home when drinking, or when you go out make a rule to consume only healthy food and stick to it.
Ricky Parcell
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