Enjoying a few drinks every once in a while is not a big deal, even for athletes, but what happens when you drink too much alcohol? Here’s how alcohol can affect your workouts and sabotage your fitness goals.
Weight Gain
We all know that most drinks contain plenty of added sugar and hidden calories, so it may be best to limit your alcohol intake if you’re trying to lose weight.
Performance
The truth is that moderate drinking probably won’t have a huge impact on your athletic performance. However, drinking four or more drinks is likely to decrease energy levels and affect your performance.
Sleep
Quality sleep can boost our energy levels, as well as increase performance and endurance, so getting enough quality sleep is extremely important for athletes. Even though drinking a glass of wine can sometimes help us fall asleep, consuming too much alcohol can most certainly affect our quality of sleep.
Decrease Muscle Building
Some studies have shown that binge drinking can decrease growth hormone production. This means that drinking too much alcohol is not a good idea if you want to build muscle, because it can sabotage muscle growth.