Fitness and alcohol, do they go together?

1. Well, everyone knows that building muscle takes work, just like dieting. And that is why you probably also eat healthy and you regularly train vigorously. But every now and then a night out completely â € “that doesn't really matter, does it?

1. Many people still assume that the effect of alcohol on their body is minor. Do you belong to that group, then we have some bad news for you. Alcohol and fitness are really bad together! In this blog you can read why and get tips on how to handle alcohol properly.

What does alcohol do to your body?

1. Chances are you are exercising because you want to work on your fitness, because you want to lose weight or because you want to grow muscle mass. In all cases alcohol has a negative influence. Alcohol causes various processes in the body to be disrupted, including your fat burning and muscle building.

2. There is a good chance that you are exercising because you want to work on your fitness, because you want to lose weight or because you want to grow muscle mass. In all cases alcohol has a negative influence. Alcohol causes various processes in the body to be disrupted, including your fat burning and muscle building.

1. Alcohol is seen by your body as a poison, and once you ingest it, your body goes to work to get it out as quickly as possible. Other body processes are thereby stopped or disrupted, making weight loss a lot more difficult! There are a number of reasons for this:

Slower fat burning

1. First of all, alcohol causes your fat burning to decrease or even stop it completely. And you don't even have to drink a lot of alcohol for that. A small amount of alcohol can already reduce your fat burning by 70%. It is not without reason that the term beer belly comes from somewhere.

2. First of all, alcohol causes your fat burning to decrease or even stop it completely. And you don't even have to drink a lot of alcohol for that. A small amount of alcohol can already reduce your fat burning by 70%. The term beer belly does not come from somewhere for nothing.

Too many calories

1. In addition, there are many more calories in alcohol than you might think! Alcohol in its pure form contains 7 kcal per gram. In comparison, for fat there are 9, and proteins and carbohydrates both contain 4 kcal per gram.

1. With a regular glass of beer you already consume over 80 calories! For wine, for example, it depends on the sweetness of the drink: a glass of dry white wine contains around 70 calories, while with sweet white wine you can easily reach around 100. These are all empty calories; alcohol does not provide any useful nutrients for the body.

2. With a regular glass of beer you already get over 80 calories! For wine, for example, it depends on the sweetness of the drink: a glass of dry white wine contains around 70 calories, while with sweet white wine you can easily reach around 100. These are all empty calories; alcohol does not provide any useful nutrients for the body.

1. Furthermore, it is important to keep in mind that many drinks also contain other calorie sources. Liquors with a lot of cream, for example, are hefty calorie bombs due to all the added fats, and the same applies to cocktails or mixed drinks with added fruit juices, syrups or even energy drinks.

2. Furthermore, it is important to keep in mind that many drinks also contain other calorie sources. Liquors with a lot of cream, for example, are big calorie bombs because of all the added fats, and the same applies to cocktails or mixed drinks with fruit juices, syrups or even energy drinks added.

1. For example, with a glass of coffee liqueur you are already on the 120 calories, and some breezers are even well over 200. Certain cocktails even go up to 400 calories - the amount of calories n that you expect in a small meal!

2. For example, with a glass of coffee liqueur you are already on the 120 calories, and some breezers are even well over 200. Certain cocktails even reach 400 calories - the amount of calories n that you expect in a small meal!

1. Imagine you are trying to lose weight and you eat 500 calories below your energy requirement from Monday to Friday. This equates to a deficit of 5 x 500 = 2500 calories. On Saturday evening you drink 10 bottles of beer à 120 kcal each. This equates to 1200 extra calories. After walking you eat another 1200 kcal kapsalon, depending on the size. Bamâ € ¦. there goes your calorie deficit. Quite a waste of your effort that week!

2. Imagine you are trying to lose weight and you eat 500 calories below your energy requirement from Monday to Friday. This equates to a deficit of 5 x 500 = 2500 calories. On Saturday evening you drink 10 bottles of beer à 120 kcal each. This equates to 1200 extra calories. After walking you eat another 1200 kcal kapsalon, depending on the size. Bamâ € ¦. there goes your calorie deficit. Quite a shame of your effort that week!

1. For the fanatic drinkers, this is also a modest evening. And we haven't even mentioned other snacks (chips, bitterballen) that you eat while drinking with friends.

1. Or, if you weren't losing weight to begin with, you will easily get in a few thousand calories if you drink hard. Multiply this by fifty, and you will see why drinking (a lot of) weekly drinking can lead to a lot of extra kilos after a year.

More hungry

1. As the evening progresses during a party, you will naturally get hungry. A portion of bitterballen, a handful of peanuts or even an entire hairdresser's salon always sounds good at the end of the evening, don't you think?

1. Of course we don't have to tell you that those are unnecessary calories that can ruin your diet plans. But why do we always get so hungry when we drink?

2. We don't have to tell you that those are unnecessary calories that can ruin your diet plans. But why do we always get so hungry when we drink?

1. Alcohol also reduces the amount of leptin, the hormone that makes you feel full. Conversely, it increases the production of ghrelin, which actually makes you feel hungry. In short, you probably end that night out at the snack bar. And the next day too, you will suffer from binge eating even more…

More stress hormone

1. One of the other consequences of drinking alcohol is that your cortisol levels skyrocket. Cortisol is a substance that is normally produced by your body when you have too much stress. It temporarily ensures that you can handle the stress, but too much cortisol breaks down your muscles.

1. If you drink alcohol, your body also produces more cortisol. This has the effect that your muscle tissue is broken down, but it also ensures that your muscles recover less quickly after a good fitness session. A great waste of your training!

1. But it's not just cortisol that stops your muscle recovery. The alcohol also slows down the phosphorylation process in your body. During this process, phosphorus groups attach to the muscles, giving them more energy and growing. This will decrease as soon as you drink alcohol and your muscles will have more trouble repairing and growing.

Less testosterone

1. Testosterone is a well-known hormone that is very important for muscle building. It promotes muscle protein synthesis, making it easier for your muscles to grow, increase your strength and improve your fitness. Indispensable if you want to grow muscles by exercising. But as soon as you drink alcohol, this production is reduced.

1. Research has shown that your testosterone production decreases by no less than 7% as soon as you drink about three to four glasses of alcohol. Age also plays an important role in this. The older you are, the faster and more your testosterone levels drop when you drink alcohol. It then becomes more difficult for your body to grow muscles.

Worse sports recovery

1. You might think it's no problem having a beer after exercise. Or to go out the night before your workout. Unfortunately: there are indeed direct consequences for your sports session!

1. By exercising, your body produces lactic acid, which can later cause muscle pain. As soon as you drink alcohol after exercise, your liver chooses to break down the alcohol first instead of the lactic acid. And your liver can be busy with that for a while. For one glass of alcohol, the liver takes about an hour to an hour and a half.

1. Alcohol also dries out, so that you can quickly run into a moisture and mineral deficiency. And that while your body needs moisture so badly to let your muscles grow and repair. Due to these two factors, alcohol decreases your results after exercise and makes muscle pain worse.

More fatigue

1. And even the day after a party or night out, the adverse effects of the alcohol continue to work! You sleep less well when you've been drinking, and you also feel tired due to the reaction of your liver to all those harmful substances. Those are two effects that combine to make you prone to making unwise and unhealthy decisions all day long.

1. If you're unlucky and have had too much alcohol, you may even have a hangover. Hangovers occur when you drink too much in a short time and your liver can no longer break it down quickly enough. This results in too much acetaldehyde, an intermediate product of this process. If you have too much of this in your body, the symptoms you know of a hangover will develop.

1. With a hangover chances are that you will not exercise and that you will eat more unhealthy junk. Your weight and athletic progress will not benefit from that either!

And if I drink in moderation?

1. Are you not going out or to a party, but are you just having a glass of wine or a beer with dinner? Then of course you will not experience all these disadvantages as strongly as described. Nevertheless, your body also responds to one glass of alcohol by stopping fat burning, producing extra cortisol and lowering testosterone production. Moreover, they are empty calories, even with just one glass!

How do I drink more healthily?

1. Does that mean that every glass of wine you take from now on will have a devastating effect on your health? Well no, not that either. Just make sure you don't drink regularly, but rather on special occasions like parties.

1. Preferably choose drinks with little sugar or cream added. Stick to a few small glasses too, and switch to water for the rest of the evening. This way you will also have less problems with a hangover afterwards!

1. Don't want to drink water all evening? No worries! There are also plenty of tasty, non-alcoholic drinks. Consider for example â € ˜mocktailsâ € ™: non-alcoholic cocktails. You will find some tasty recipes below.

1. Note that mocktails still contain unhealthy ingredients and a lot of sugars. They are therefore especially suitable for parties and other special occasions, not for every evening. If for some reason you'd rather not drink alcohol, try the following non-alcoholic cocktails:

Non-alcoholic cocktail recipes

1. The pina colada is loved by almost everyone, and for good reason. The soft, sweet taste and creamy structure form a tropical combination that is hard to imagine without a good party. Fortunately, you can also enjoy the same experience without the rum that it normally contains!

1. To do this, mix 1.6 dl pineapple juice with 0.5 dl coconut syrup or 4 tsp coconut milk and a generous dash of whipped cream to taste. Put 4 ice cubes in a nice glass, pour the pineapple-coconut mixture over it and garnish with a quarter slice of pineapple, a cocktail stick and a straw.

1. The mojito is also such a friend to everyone, with the fresh taste of lime, mint and rum. It is of course difficult to pour that Bacardi into an alcohol-free cocktail, but fortunately the other ingredients have so much flavor that you will hardly miss it. In a wide long drink glass, mix 1 sprig of mint leaves, 3 slices of lime, 1 tsp vanilla sugar and 25 grams of granulated sugar.

1. Press everything firmly about ten times with a pestle, until well mixed. Fill the glass up to two thirds with crushed ice. The rest you top up with tonic, and possibly with a dash of pear syrup for an extra sweet taste.

1. The cosmopolitan is the ultimate â € ˜trendyâ € ™ cocktail for every occasion! In this non-alcoholic variant, we omit the orange liqueur and use orange syrup instead for a delicious fruity flavor.

1. Put 70 ml cranberry juice, 10 ml fresh lime juice, 15 ml orange syrup and 10 ml mineral water together in a cocktail shaker. Mix well and pour the mocktail into a chic glass. Serve preferably with a slice of lime for a â € realâ € ™ cosmopolitan!

1. Another tropical beach cocktail that shouldn't be missing on any holiday is sex on the beach. In its non-alcoholic version, this drink is also jokingly referred to as a â € virgin on the beachâ € ™.

1. It is very easy to make: mix equal parts of grapefruit juice, orange juice and cranberry juice together in desired quantities. Serve that mix in a tall glass with lots of ice, straws and umbrellas, and drink!

Healthiest alcoholic drinks

1. Would you really like to drink alcohol, but as healthy as possible? To know how to go out responsibly, you don't just have to look at the calories. The alcohol percentage is also important! After all, different types of alcohol have different alcohol percentages.

1. However, the good news is that you don't have to worry about this as long as you drink the drink in a standard glass. The pure alcohol that you consume per drink is about the same. The size of the standard glass is adapted to the percentage of alcohol, so that you always drink about 12 cc of pure alcohol.

1. If you look purely at the calories, the best option is to combine a strong drink such as rum, gin or whiskey with spa red or a diet soft drink. This way you keep the calories within bounds. Finally, there is pure spirits, an option if you want a lot of alcohol with relatively few calories.

1. Ultimately, of course, it also depends on what you like best. If you choose to drink alcohol anyway, drink something that you like! After all, it's about having fun. The aforementioned health drawbacks are a shame if you don't even end up with a good evening…

How do I avoid excessive drinking?

1. Would you like something to drink, but really not too much? Then the following tips will help you avoid binge drinking or excessive drinking.

1. Dehydration is one of the most dangerous consequences of alcohol. By always having a glass of water in between, you avoid that deadly hangover of the next morning. Moreover, that water ensures that your stomach remains fuller. Many people will automatically start drinking less without any effort.

1. Drinks are expensive, and you notice that after such an evening. Woke up a little too often with a gaping crater in your bank account? You can prevent this by making a budget in advance. Bring exactly as much cash as you want to spend, and leave your debit card at home.

1. It may be wise to let your buddies know about your plans. Explain to them that your drinking is starting to bother you and that you need their help to work on it. That reduces the peer pressure to keep drinking, or the number of rounds that you will still be pushed into your hands.

1. Have you tried to quit binge drinking before, and you can't? Then it may be the best choice to ignore the drink completely for a while. That can be tough, but you will come out a lot healthier and brighter! Also read this blog with ten benefits of quitting drinking. Once you have gotten rid of your alcohol cravings, you can carefully take some again from time to time.