Alcohol and working out - be careful!

[chef]

I have recently on a few occasions gone to the gym after having a glass of wine or beer on a Friday night....not the best thing to do but it is what it is.

I know to be very careful mixing the two and I am. I don't do a lot of weight but keep my reps higher with less. I have had so little time to work out but Fridays seem to be the day we unwind, have a drink or two and relax. That is one of the best times to sneak away, so while my husband vegs in front of the TV or computer - I go to the gym. I started thinking about this and wondering, "should I do this at all?".

I found this article (primarily targeted for body builders) while surfing the web and I know Bill Glasheen would say: work out then have your alcohol...but that is hard to do when you have a hubbie that wants to eat and then relax.

Anyway, see info below from building-muscle101.com:

"Have You Ever Worked Out After Having A Few Drinks? Have You Wondered How The Alcohol Affects Your Training Routine?"

Many serious bodybuilders completely abstain from alcoholic beverages in an effort to get themselves into peak condition.

However, with so many social events involving alcohol, you may wonder how the alcohol is influencing your weight lifting.

Let’s examine the affect that alcohol has on the quality of your workouts and how it affects your training routine.

Alcohol contains seven calories per gram, which are primarily sugars and very little protein. Don’t be fooled by the low carbs beers because they still contain 100 calories. Coolers are high in sugar and anywhere from 125 to 200 calories. So, the first concern of alcohol and weight lifting is the additional empty calories you are consuming.

If you consume more than a couple of drinks at a time, you are overloading your body with a poisonous ingredient that is toxic to your entire system. Why do you think you vomit when you’ve drank too much? Your body is trying to eliminate the toxins any way it can.

When you drink in excess, you are doing several things to your body, which in the end impacts your ability to train and build muscle. Here are 13 negative affects of drinking alcohol.

Alcohol…
• Attacks your stores of B vitamins;
• Exhausts your antioxidants making them unable to fight off other toxins or illnesses;
• Reduces your strength;
• Interferes with muscle growth;
• Reduces your endurance;
• Strains your immune system;
• Causes your kidneys and liver to overwork;
• Impacts your brain and central nervous system;
• Decreases your aerobic capacity;
• Increases fatigue;
• Causes dehydration;
• Decreases your recovery capabilities;
• Diminishes your ability to metabolize fat, making you a fat storer instead of a fat burner

Alcohol’s negative impact on your body is because it is absorbed rapidly, yet metabolized very slowly. Alcohol just doesn’t leave your system very quickly. In fact, studies have shown that athletes that consume as little as two or three drinks 48 hours before his or her performance, will experience
decreased strength, impaired reaction time, and weakened hand to eye coordination.

If you are serious about building muscle, then alcohol and weight lifting really don’t mix. When you drink alcohol, your body experiences hormonal changes that affect your ability to build muscle. What happens is that your body reduces the amount of testosterone in your blood. In addition, there is an increased conversion of testosterone to estrogen, which increases your fat deposits and fluid retention. Definitely not what you want when you’re in muscle building mode!

Apart from the testosterone effects, alcohol reduces the minerals in your body that are necessary for your muscle growth. Drink too much alcohol and you will deplete your stores of magnesium, potassium and calcium. All minerals important for strengthening your muscles and bones.

During your workouts, you may not be able to lift as much weight because your body is using its resources to recover from the effects of your alcohol. You endurance is also impacted because your stores of B vitamins are depleted and the B vitamins help provide your body with energy.

Most of these effects listed are for the person who drinks often, more than two to four drinks per week. An occasional alcoholic beverage will not produce these problems, just be truthful to yourself about the amount you are really drinking.

Several research studies have recommended that athletes not consume alcohol during training and competition periods because of the negative effects on the body1. For truly optimal performance of your body, and to give it the best chance possible, alcohol and weight lifting do not mix.

If you are serious about your muscle building, avoid alcohol consumption as much as possible. If you can, you will find you’ll build your muscle mass far more quickly!

...something to think about!!!

Regards,
Vicki

[chef]

[f.Channell]

I quit the gym after they removed the ashtrays from the treadmills.


Just kidding, don't smoke.

F.

[chef]

Just don't drink too much around your trouble-maker friends....or you may find yourself like:






Regards,
Vicki

[chef]

PS...This came with the last picture:

Vicki

The Five Levels of Drinking


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LEVEL 1: It's 11pm on a weeknight, you've had a few beers.

Just as you get up to leave because you have to work the next day, one of your friends buys another round -- one of your *unemployed* friends. Here, at level one, you think to yourself, "Oh come on, this is silly, as long as I get seven hours of sleep, I'll be fine."

LEVEL 2: It's midnight. You've had a few more beers.

You've just spent 20 minutes arguing against the use of artificial turf. You get up to leave again, but at level two, a little devil appears on your shoulder. And now you're thinking, "Hey! I'm out with my friends! What am I working for anyway? These are the good times! Besides, as long as I get five hours of sleep, I'm cool."

LEVEL 3: 1am. You've abandoned beer for tequila.

You've just spent 20 minutes arguing FOR the use of artificial turf. And now you're thinking, "Our waitress is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen!"

At level three, you love the world. On the way to the bathroom, you buy a drink for the stranger at the end of the bar just because you like his face. You get drinking fantasies (like, "Hey fellas, if we bought our own bar, we could live together forever. We could do it. Tommy, you could cook."). But at level three, that devil is a little bit bigger... and he's buying. And you're thinking, "Oh, come on, come on now. As long as I get three hours of sleep... and a complete change of blood, I'm cool."

LEVEL 4: 2am. And the devil is bartending.

For last call, you ordered a bottle of rum (Fundador Brandy in our case) and a Coke. You ARE artificial turf!

This time, on your way to the bathroom, you punch the stranger at the end of the bar just because you don't like his face! You and your friends decide to leave, right after you get thrown out, and one of you knows an afterhours bar.

Here, at level four, you actually think to yourself, "Well... as long as I'm only going to get a few hours sleep anyway, I may as well stay up all night! Yeah! That'd be good for me. I don't mind going to that board meeting looking like Keith Richards. Yeah, I'll turn that around, make it work for me. And besides, as long as I get 31 hours sleep tomorrow, I'm cool."

LEVEL 5: 5am.

After unsuccessfully trying to get your money back at the tattoo parlor ("But I don't even know anybody named Simon!"), you and your friends wind up across the state line in a bar with guys who have been in prison as recently as... that morning. It's the kind of place where even the devil is saying, "Uh, I gotta turn in. I gotta be in Hell by nine."

At this point, you're all drinking some kind of thick blue liquor, like something from a Klingon wedding. A waitress with fresh stitches comes over, and you think to yourself, "Someday I'm gonna marry that girl!" One of your friends stands up and screams, "WE'RE DRIVIN' TO VEGAS, BABY!!!!!" (or Puerto Galera... Ha Ha) -- and passes out.

[f.Channell]

For level 6 see the biographies of:
Jim Morrison
Jimi Hendrix
Janis Joplin

For level 20 read the bio of Keith Richards

I've actually decorated a few friends over the years.
20 years ago.
My friends brother passed out on a couch in a hotel room after a reception.
We decorated him with Ketchup, tortellini and other various foodstuffs.
We picked up the couch with him in it and sent it to the lobby in the elevator.
Poor guy was in his boxers.
Today he'd be on youtube.

A few minutes later hotel security had a few questions.

Misspent youth.

F.

[Bill Glasheen]

And folks wonder why I never completely cut loose with "friends."



Worst I ever had done to me was at Exeter. It was the end of a marking period and we were going home the next day. I had pulled WAY too many late and all-nighters, and had fallen asleep with the gang in the TV room. Nothing was going to wake me up, and I was snoring quite loudly.



All I got was water balloons being popped on my body. Thankfully a friend rescued me, and saw me off to bed. A "real" friend.

No pictures, no YouTube. Heck... I only knew what they did after others told me.

- Bill

[Glenn]

I have recently on a few occasions gone to the gym after having a glass of wine or beer on a Friday night....not the best thing to do but it is what it is.

I know to be very careful mixing the two and I am.

Yes, you should be careful mixing wine and beer

[f.Channell]

HMMMMM.

No good Summercamp stories yet?

Oh well. What happens in Bourne stays in Bourne.

F.

[TSDguy]

I'm such an absurdly light sleeper that not many have ever dared to get near me, even when I'm drunk. If you're not in bed with me when I go to sleep, if you come near me, I WILL elbow you in the face.

It's great for defending yourself whilst unconscious on spring break (one time I got a full fledged roundhouse off across a guy's face while I was unconscious). Not so great for when the wife tries to kiss you goodbye in the morning.

[Bill Glasheen]

What happens in Bourne stays in Bourne.

Word.

- Bill

[chef]

Oh the stories we could tell about Bourne!!!

I remember kata at 3 am....nuts!

Regards,
Vicki