How Does Alcohol Affect the Body?

Thank God it's Friday! That's what you generally say when the weekend is only a day away. So it is Friday night, and you are probably thinking of going to the bar to have a few drinks with your friends, and relax. Though you have every right to go out and unwind, there are certain things you need to know about alcohol and exercising.

So, you are heading to the bar on Friday night and you are probably planning on exercising on Saturday. Before you rush out to meet your friends at the lounge and guzzle your alcoholic drinks, here is what you need to understand.

Studies have shown that even small amounts of alcohol may cause a boost in endurance and strength; however, these benefits do not last at all. In fact, the side effects associated with drinking alcohol, easily surpass its benefits. Regardless of how you approach it, alcohol is a poison that can truly hurt your organism, if you abuse of it.

How Does Alcohol Affect the Body?
In the long run, alcohol can decrease your endurance, strength, aerobic capabilities, muscle recovery time, ability for your body to burn fat, and even your muscle growth. Alcohol can also cause a severe deterioration of your nervous system in the long run.

As soon as alcohol enters your blood system, it has the potential to damage your blood cells. People who abuse alcohol often are subject to the inflammation of their muscle cells. As time goes on, these damaged muscle cells can perish, resulting in less functional muscle movements. If you drink alcohol, your muscles will be more in pain than usual, post your high intensity workout. This means that you will take much longer than usual to recuperate.

Alcohol's effects are not just limited to your muscles, and nervous system. Drinking alcohol also affects your heart and general blood circulatory system. More specifically, if you drink alcohol often, you will begin to notice a slowdown in your endurance capabilities. Every time you drink alcohol, your blood vessels get dilated, causing your body to lose heat. This loss of body heat, in turn causes your muscles to become cold. Cold muscles are slower to move, and have difficulty contracting. Your high intensity workout routines will become inefficient, when you have alcohol in your bloodstream.

Drinking alcohol also negatively impacts your digestive system. Basically, alcohol causes your body to release insulin, which makes fat loss extremely difficult. So if you consume alcohol very often, you should know why you have difficulty losing weight. Also, your liver works a lot harder when you drink alcohol. This causes your liver cells to become seriously damaged in the long run.

Your kidney is not spared either, when you drink alcohol. Because alcohol is diuretic, a large amount of alcohol puts undue stress on your kidney. During the diuretic function, hormones are secreted, which will cause you to retain water. If you are looking to lose weight, you want to avoid water retention.

Conclusion
If you should drink alcohol, make sure you consume it in absolute moderation. Never drink before you work out, as alcohol will impact your muscle functionality and impair your balance.