Alcohol & your sports performance

A beer after you have completed a nice run, a glass of wine after that exciting game of tennis, a bubble because you have set a personal record ... sports and alcohol are more connected than you might think at first. Here's why it's better to replace that alcoholic thirst quencher with a soft drink or other non-alcoholic treat.

Alcohol and injuries

The body is a beautiful device. Body functions and organs work together like a well-oiled machine. Alcohol messes up your entire internal system. Once it reaches your stomach, a fifth of it is immediately absorbed. The rest ends up in your blood. In other words, alcohol is everywhere. Your brain and nerve cells in particular have to suffer. The consequences of (too much) alcohol are soon noticeable. Your reaction and coordination capacity decreases, as well as your movement technique and your stamina. The chance of you falling, straining, overstretching, spraining or whatever increases.

Popping at half power

You feel like exercising, but looked (too) deep into the glass the night before. Yet you go for it. What seems? You are already exhausted, while you are not even halfway through your round/number of laps/fitness course/tennis game. How is that possible? One of the functions of the liver is to store glycogen (carbohydrates), which the body needs as an energy source. When the liver has to process alcohol, it disrupts the combustion of carbohydrates, which lowers blood sugar levels and reduces your sports performance.

such a thirst

Alcohol drains moisture from your body. Because drinking more means peeing more often. Thanks to frequent toilet visits, various vitamins and minerals, including zinc, are also withdrawn from the body. And with a dehydrated body it is not nice to exercise. The combination of fluid loss and sweating can even be dangerous. Even after exercising, it is wise to avoid alcohol. After exercise, the stomach is empty and the concentration of alcohol in your blood rises enormously. As a result, you become even more dehydrated.

Fat! that liver

The liver plays a crucial role in the breakdown process of alcohol. Once in the bloodstream, the alcohol is transported to this smart organ. At a rate of about ten grams per hour, the liver breaks down the alcohol. While you are still drinking a golden yellow rascal, the liver is busy detoxifying the alcohol. But it should actually be involved with the processing of fat, for example. This processed fat is then transported to the muscle and fat cells. Because the liver has a different priority (cleaning away your third half), the fat remains in the liver. Too much alcohol leads to a build-up of fat in the liver and blood, also known as fatty liver. Only when the alcohol has left the liver can it process the fats.

beer belly

No one becomes more attractive from drinking too much alcohol. Bloodshot eyes, dull skin, bad breath, hot flashes…and it won't make you any slimmer either. Most alcoholic drinks are calorie bombs. That is why we sometimes speak of a 'beer belly'. When you drink three glasses of beer, you have already taken in ten percent of your daily number of calories. And a glass of wine or whiskey also contains more than eighty calories. Moreover, you can suddenly get a big appetite during or after an afternoon or evening of drinking. Usually they opt for a fatty bite and not for the broccoli. In men, the extra energy is mainly stored in the abdomen. Stored fat in the abdominal cavity can more quickly lead to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and gallstones. Belly fat is dangerous fat.

Source: sport.nl