Alcohol - What's the story?

We all have our own tipple, for some it may be a smooth fruity red from the rolling hills of Sicily, others a 25 year old single malt Scotch from Scotland but for me it's a nice Belgian larger.

A brief history

Firstly, alcohol is old, very old. Archaeological discoveries points evidence to believe alcohol dates back as far as 10,000BC. Where? well beer is thought to have become popular and in production ironically in a country where it is now banned, any guesses?...........Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq) in fact a lot of ancient alcoholic drinks originated in that region.

Who drinks the most?

Key facts by WHO (World Health Organisation)

Worldwide, 3.3 million deaths every year result from harmful use of alcohol,2 this represent 5.9 % of all deaths.

The harmful use of alcohol is a cause in more than 200 disease and injury conditions.

Overall 5.1 % of the global burden of disease and injury is attributable to alcohol, as measured in disability adjusted life years (DALYs).3

Alcohol consumption causes death and disability relatively early in life. In the age group 20 – 39 years it is estimated that 25 % of the total deaths are alcohol-attributable.

There is a causal relationship between harmful use of alcohol and a range of mental and behavioural disorders, other conditions as well as injuries.

The latest causal relationships have been established between harmful drinking and incidence of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis as well as the course of HIV/AIDS.

Is alcohol ruining your fitness gainzz?

Fat Loss

Short answer yes, now for the long answer. Alcohol like most things we eat and drink contain calories, some people like to think that drinking vodka is OK because it has no calories, WRONG. Alcohol has around 7 calories per gram and that's just the alcohol content. So if you're drinking beer, wine or cocktails you're consuming way more calories than you think.

Studies show that alcohol directly stimulates the brain, more specifically the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is responsible for controlling such things as temperature, sleep rhythm, and you guessed it HUNGER! Be honest how often have you been on a night out had a great time and had plentiful amount of alcohol in the process. At the end of the night you say "OK I'll go home now because I'm a responsible adult." Noooo! you want food and you don't think I'll have a nice chicken Cesar salad. No you want a dirty big mac or a greasy kebab box with garlic mayo and cheesy fries.

The another reason for this is because the body treats alcohol as a toxin and not a macro-nutrient so it gets rid asap. This results in a drop in blood sugar and blood pressure. The brain kicks in and says give me the most carbohydrate and calorie dense foods now! So with all the alcohol you've taken in and the food your about to eat you could be at least 2000-3000 calories heavier and it still gets worse!

As I mentioned before alcohol is a poison and is toxic to the body. So your body wages war on the alcohol and forces the body into overdrive to get rid and flush it out of our system.

Both fat and alcohol get metabolised by the liver. So imagine you are a fat molecule and your liver is an ATM. You are queuing up nice and politely waiting for your turn to use the ATM. Then some rude loud obnoxious people come and barge, force and push their way to the front of the queue and you get shoved to the back of the line. If you understood this ( I was never good at metaphors) It basically means that when you drink alcohol because it is toxic to the body your body prioritizes it and flushes it from your system. So your fat not only gets put on the back burner you are also adding to the "queue" because of the amount of calories you have consumed. So in essence drinking alcohol dramatically slows down your fat burning. What happens the day after? you lay in bed all day hung over and again order more junk food!

Muscle building

Some good news for you! Most of the alcohol research on muscle-protein metabolism and synthesis in humans are tested with extremely high doses of alcohol, mirroring that of an alcoholic so unless you have an issue and are close to being an alcoholic it's not all bad, but don't get me wrong it's not great either. Alcohol has been proven to lower testosterone levels in men by 25% at the most intoxicated point. *Crude moment* this is why guys after you've been on a heavy night the next day you find yourself super horny. This is because your testosterone levels took a hit the night before and now your body is trying to produce more testosterone to bring back to a normal level. So the lower testosterone levels the lower your chances of building muscle, in fact alcohol can actually lower protein synthesis by 20% So if you are looking at building muscle keep the alcohol consumption to a minimum.

So what to do? My recommendations.

Well If you have a serious target and a strict timeline you are trying to reach then I wouldn't recommend you drinking alcohol at all

But If you don't have a strict deadline for you goals then you can go out occasionally and have a few drinks BUT be aware of how often you do this. If and when you do go out try to stick to clear spirits vodka, gin, tequila etc with a diet soda or tonic drink. Spirits have fewer calories than other drinks such as beers, cocktails and wines.

Know your limit. If you get too drunk then your inhibitions will kick in and you're more likely to binge and make more bad decisions that you will later regret Keep hydrated! even before you go out have a few litres of water, remember you don't want alcohol in the system! make sure to drink water throughout the night and when you get home, this will lessen your hangover and make you more productive throughout the next day. Exercise! let's be honest the morning after the last thing you want to do is exercise but it is the best thing you can do, it will help burns off all the excess sugars you have consumed the night before and you will feel better for it and you will be more productive and eat healthier throughout the day. Hangover cure? some people tend to have the remedy. Well here is my full proof plan and let me tell you I never get hangovers! 1. Drink 1 litre of water before you go out and then continually throughout the night. it keeps you hydrated and prevents those headaches in the morning.

2. choose your drinks carefully. Drinks that are darker in colour such as red wine and whiskey have high levels of congeners - extra toxic chemicals the body has to get rid of, fewer the better.

3. Aspirin before bed with more water

4.breakfast! a nice 2 egg omelette eggs contain an amino acid the helps breakdown alcohol

fruit juice has fructose which is good for energy and getting rid of toxins

a banana as they contain potassium which is good for brain and muscle function

5. Exercise! it doesn't need to be hardcore but it definitely helps! Thanks for your time and you're welcome