In the modern world, keeping fit is considered perhaps the most important commitment outside of work and family. Evidence overwhelmingly shows that a lack of physical fitness puts a person at risk of a range of health conditions, many of which can shorten their lifespan by years or even decades. As such, more and more people are eating healthy, exercising regularly, and making sure to ‘get their steps in’ every day.
Many people, however, don’t consider alcohol as a risk factor in physical fitness. Of course, there are plenty of drinks like mixers and cocktails that contain a lot of sugar, but they’re drinking beverages with no such additives. Do they really need to worry about it affecting their weight?
Unfortunately, drinking alcohol can lead to weight gain and keep you from your fitness goals. Here’s how.
1. Alcohol and Empty Calories
It’s easy to make the mistake that a sugar-free alcoholic drink is low on calories but that’s not the case. While these beverages may have significantly fewer calories than a sugary mixer or cocktail, they generally contain a far higher concentration than non-alcoholic drinks. A mere shot of vodka, for example, has approximately 97 calories. For comparison, a regular glass of soda contains about 100 calories despite containing 5 times as much volume.
The calories in alcohol are also considered ‘empty’, in that the drink does not contain nutrients necessary for your physical wellbeing.
2. A Slower Metabolism
In many ways, the speed of a person’s metabolism is luck of the draw, passed down genetically. However, working on your fitness speeds up your metabolism, leading to more effective processing of food and drink. This is one of the reasons why working on your fitness leads to weight loss.
No matter how fast your metabolism is or how much exercise you do, alcohol throws a spanner in the works. The body prioritizes processing alcohol over metabolizing fats and carbohydrates. With the liver detoxifying the alcohol, it does not have the capacity to burn fat, leading to fat storage, especially around the abdomen. This is the root of the common phenomenon often called ‘beer belly’.
Over time, the effects of alcohol on your metabolism become more sustained and your metabolism becomes slower even when there is no alcohol in your system.
3. Unhealthy Behaviors Caused by Alcohol
In addition to the direct effect alcohol has on weight gain, there are also indirect consequences of the behaviors caused by alcohol. These include:
- Reduced inhibition and impaired decision-making: Alcohol increases your appetite, and even if you usually show great willpower when you’re hungry, you’re more likely to make poor dietary choices when under the influence. Your inhibitions are reduced and decision-making is impaired by alcohol consumption and it becomes difficult to prevent yourself from consuming foods and drinks that drive weight gain.
- Low-quality sleep: A good night’s rest is an important factor in maintaining a healthy metabolism. Contrary to popular belief, alcohol makes it harder to get good quality sleep. Even if you pass out after drinking to excess, your sleep is light and you wake up multiple times throughout the night.
- Getting less exercise: When you drink regularly, your body becomes more sluggish and exercise becomes more difficult. Finding the motivation to exercise when you feel this way is tough, especially when hung over.
4. Hormonal Changes
Frequent alcohol consumption impacts your hormones which are also instrumental in regulating weight gain. The hormones most affected by alcohol include:
- Cortisol Increase: Alcohol increases the ‘stress hormone’ cortisol which, among other things, leads to higher fat storage. In particular, visceral (abdominal) fat, which causes a number of health risks, increases.
- Testosterone Reduction: The frequent consumption of alcohol reduces testosterone, crucial for muscle growth, strength, metabolism regulation, and overall fitness. Although testosterone is generally higher in men and as such often associated with masculinity, it is an important component of health regardless of gender. Reduced testosterone will therefore have an impact on every person.
- Insulin Sensitivity: Insulin is responsible for regulating blood sugar levels. Reduced sensitivity to insulin leads to problems maintaining healthy blood sugar, putting you at risk of metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and additional weight gain.
5. Drinking and Poor Physical Performance
As we’ve mentioned, your body becomes more sluggish when you use alcohol regularly, leading to low motivation for maintaining a fitness regimen. However, it’s not just getting to the gym that is the problem. Your performance when exercising is poorer as well.
This is due to a number of factors, including:
- Reduced aerobic capacity and fatigue: necessitating the lower intensity of your workout.
- Muscle growth interference: by impairing protein synthesis, the essential process of building muscle.
- Dehydration: making it more difficult to maintain high levels of physical activity and lowering stamina and endurance.
This not only leads to weight gain but also prevents you from achieving other fitness goals which keep you healthy.
Conclusion
Alcohol leads to weight gain and poor fitness if used frequently. This is just one of the reasons to stop using alcohol if you are becoming or have become addicted. Even if you are not currently struggling with addiction issues, it is crucial to moderate your alcohol usage. Cut down on how often you drink and how much you consume when you do.
Alcohol addiction is a serious disease that affects both physical and mental health. If you’re struggling with addiction, choosing to get help is the first step towards a happier and healthier life.
