Is It Bad To Workout After Drinking – Most street races offer free beer or other beverages for adults at the finish line, but post-workout alcohol isn’t the best option.
How bad is it really? It clarifies all the behaviors and attitudes that you consider unhealthy.
Is It Bad To Workout After Drinking
After a sweaty, hard workout, you can look forward to being rewarded with a night on the town or a glass of wine (or two) on the couch. But while your half thinks
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, the other half feel guilty about drinking beer after a workout — even if you’re not sure
Your bottom half is on track: Experts agree that having a few colds after a workout is generally not a good habit, as it can delay your recovery and make the injury worse. But there’s good news too: there are plenty of guidelines you can follow, to be honest.
Here we’ll break down the effects of alcohol on your body post-workout, along with some expert advice on how to drink without ruining your overall performance.
The biggest concern with drinking alcohol after a workout is dehydration. Like caffeine, alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it encourages your body to release more fluids (aka going to the bathroom more often). This isn’t ideal if you’re trying to hydrate after a workout.
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“When we exercise, especially in extreme conditions or hot weather, we lose a lot of water through sweat, we’re depleted of electrolytes, and it can reduce blood volume as the body tries to cool down,” said Roger Adams, PhD. , a Houston-based nutritionist and founder of Eat Right Fitness. It’s important to restore this water level after exercise, but drinking alcohol can delay this process.
Also, “When your body is dehydrated, alcohol can severely impair your brain function, impairing judgment and contributing to negative behavior,” says Lev Kalika, DC, chiropractor and owner of New York Dynamic Neuromuscular Rehabilitation & Physical Therapy Therapy in New York City. .
Your health is more vulnerable if you don’t fuel up with a post-workout meal or snack, Kalika says. “This will lead to severe dehydration and electrolyte depletion, which can lead to serious health problems and even death.”
“Exercise causes metabolic changes in your blood that are consistent during exercise but imbalanced during recovery,” says Lesley Bell, a professional trainer, exercise rehabilitation specialist, and mental health coach at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in santa monica California.
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These changes can disrupt your body’s natural healing process, Bell says, such as your blood’s ability to clot. And drinking alcohol after a workout can slow down the recovery process, so any injury sustained or aggravated during exercise — including minor injuries — may heal more slowly.
“Drinking after a workout can cause more inflammation in the tissues because it opens blood vessels, which can lead to injury,” Adams said.
Alcohol can also slow down your post-workout recovery. “This is especially true for exercises that cause a lot of muscle damage and inflammation, such as high-activity endurance training, running, or sprinting,” Adams said.
A small study published in February 2014 in the journal PLOS One looked at three groups of participants who did high-intensity exercise and aerobic exercise (i.e., HIIT exercise). After completion, one group drank protein, another group ate protein and alcohol, and the third group ate carbohydrates and alcohol.
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“Muscle recovery was more effective in the group that consumed carbohydrates and alcohol, suggesting that the lack of protein intake, such as protein intake with alcohol, causes a delay in muscle recovery,” Adams said.
Alcohol reduces cortical activity, or the parts of your brain responsible for movement, language, and decision-making, according to a March 2013 article in
“Your nervous system is already using a lot of energy to deal with the stress your body just endured at the gym. By exercising sequentially, you’re making it harder for your body to find balance at the cellular level,” Bell said. This, in turn, puts more stress on your body’s circulatory system, which can affect your health.
“It’s true that moderate alcohol consumption has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, but too much alcohol destroys neuromuscular function, especially in athletes, and can reduce energy and performance.”
What To Drink Before, During And After A Workout
If you decide to drink alcohol after a workout, there are a few things you can do to minimize the negative effects, according to the National Athletic Association.
Before drinking alcohol, make sure you’re drinking enough water to make up for the amount of water you’ve lost through sweat. This requires some planning in advance.
The Colleiate & Propertiate Association of Professional Athletes recommends drinking 16 to 20 glasses of water at least four hours before a workout, followed by 8 to 12 ounces with 12 ounces for 1 minute before. Additionally, you should drink 3 to 8 glasses of water every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise. And after that, drink 16 to 24 ounces of water or sports drink for every pound of body weight you lose during exercise.
A meal or snack containing carbohydrates and protein, eaten shortly after a workout, will help replenish the energy stored in the muscles. Snacking while drinking alcohol can also help reduce drinking, but Adams cautions against grabbing a bar snack. “Calories can add up quickly because these foods are usually high in fat and carbohydrates,” he says.
The Relationship Between Alcohol And Fitness
When it comes to drinking, fitness trainer Eric Fleishman recommends taking it slow. “Drinking alcohol by mouth will flood your system with sugar and mind-altering substances,” he says. So make a mental note to enjoy your sips.
As with anything, it’s best to keep intake (especially post-workout) at moderate levels. “It’s true that moderate alcohol consumption has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, but too much alcohol, particularly in athletes, impairs neuromuscular function and [may] decrease strength and performance,” Bell said.
Post-workout drinking is something you shouldn’t do on a regular basis, as it can slow down the recovery process, make the injury worse, and leave you dehydrated, which can be dangerous. But if you plan ahead and take the time to first fill your body with the fluids and nutrients it needs, you can minimize the negative effects of happy hour after the occasional workout.
Is this urgent If you are experiencing severe symptoms, please see our list of symptoms that require immediate medical attention or call 911. Balancing fitness and well-being is not always easy. Most of us meet up with friends for a quick drink or two after work just to remember that mid margarita we want to skip. Even if you feel full after a cocktail or two, is it really a good idea to hit the gym after drinking? We went straight to an expert to find out.
How Bad Is It Really To Drink Alcohol After Exercise?
“Drinking slows your thinking and impairs balance and hand-eye coordination,” says Dr. Debra Brooks MD, Northwell-GoHealth Urgent Care, “If you exercise after drinking alcohol, your performance will not be as productive as a diuretic. It can also lead to dehydration. Dehydration can occur because alcohol interferes with the production of the antidiuretic hormone arginine vasopressin. Exercising while dehydrated can cause dizziness, fainting, and muscle aches, as well as serious symptoms of illness.
Your kidneys work to keep the right amount of water in your body so you can stay hydrated. However, when you consume alcohol, your kidneys shift to filtering that gin and tonic. This creates a high risk of dehydration.
Even if you’re convinced that a drink isn’t the worst thing to do before hitting the gym, there are other issues to consider besides dehydration. The main problem is the loss of balance. “Depending on how your body is reacting, just one drink of alcohol can impair your brain and muscle function, leading to an increased risk of injury during exercise,” said Dr. Brooks. In a study published in
If you insist on working out after drinking, our experts emphasize that there should be some time between your cocktail and working out. “If you only drink one, an hour is enough to wait before work. After twelve, you should wait two to two and a half hours,” Brooks said. If you have two or more, you should schedule a workout for another day.
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Whether you’re recovering from a hot session or swapping the bar for burpees, it’s got hundreds of trainer-led exercises to get you sweating. Take the practice quiz here.
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