Buzz

How are you feeling today? Are your muscles sore from yesterday's workout? What are you doing to get through your soreness? One thing that I want you to remember is that you are working hard towards your health and fitness goals and recovery is important, if not more important, then the workouts you are doing. The weekend is coming up and there are many options to indulge in. I want to share some information that I read about alcohol and what it does to our bodies. Did you know? A. When you take your first sip, 30 seconds later that alcohol goes to your brain and slows down the chemicals and pathways that your brain cells use to send messages. Your reflexes, balance, and long term memory are altered. B. Too much alcohol can shrink your brain. This effects your ability to think, learn, control movements, and body temperature. C. You get drowsy but do not sleep well. You do not get good REM sleep. You are more likely to have nightmares, vivid dreams, and bathroom trips. D. Too much alcohol can lead to hormone imbalance which can effect men/women. Men have trouble getting erections, low sperm count, shrinking testicles, and breast growth. In women, their menstrual cycles are off and this effects fertility. E. Excessive alcohol changes your calcium levels. Bones get thinner and fragile which is leads to osteoporosis. Alcohol also limits blood flow to your muscles and blocks proteins that build them up. You will have lower muscle mass and less strength. F. Your liver is the organ that processes alcohol and handles the toxins. The organ is becomes fatty and fibrous tissue build up. This limits blood flow, and the liver cells do not get the nutrients they need to survive. The liver cells die, scar tissue builds up, and it stops functioning as well. This is cirrhosis of the liver. G. Excessive alcohol can lead to pancreas damage and diabetes because toxins from alcohol stay inside the pancreas. It becomes inflamed which damages it and insulin is not produced efficiently. This can lead to diabetes. In addition, you are also more likely to get pancreatic cancer. H. Too much drinking leads to painful sores called ulcers. It throws off the normal speed that food moves through your small intestines and colon. You may have diarrhea, and heartburn. I. You end up dehydrated because your brain begins to make more urine to get the alcohol out of your system. This puts extra work on your kidneys. Reference: Medically Reviewed by Carol DerSarkissian, How Alcohol Affects Your Body, WebMD

Well, well, well, I guess I am your buzz kill today, right? I am sharing this information with you so that you are more aware of the effects that you are bringing to your body if you are consuming alcohol. There are many reasons listed above that helped me walk away from alcohol. I used to enjoy a few drinks a week so I am not exempt. My gains have increased tremendously since I stopped all alcohol consumption. You have plenty of decisions to make and are pursuing your goals. Make sure you are setting yourself up for success. What you put in your body matters and it is up to you to make the proper decisions. Do what you think is right and be prepared for the outcome. You have 1 body so make sure you are doing what is best for it. Have a FANTASTIC Thursday!