I ACTUALLY decided to “have a night” for my birthday on Saturday night. This meant a night out with some friends eating and a bit of drinking.
My drinks for the night consisted of wine, a cocktail, another cocktail, and a glass of wine to finish off the night. These 4-5 drinks were over a 6-hour period, so nothing crazy.
But what is crazy…
My heart rate overnight was about 15 beats per minute higher! It was in a high-stress state – a major, major difference from any other sleep stress that week.
My body was working hard.
Alcohol impacts your body in way more ways than we may think:
- Your decision making
- Your sleep
- Your recovery from exercise the next day
- How you regulate your blood sugar levels
- Even your appetite
If we look at Alcohol from a fuel and macronutrient level, it has 7 kcal per gram but 0 nutritional value to you whatsoever. And… your body burns the calories in alcohol first before it starts to burn fat or anything else.
So if you are looking to exercise hard, perform well, or change your body composition, alcohol can be a killer. This is just your reminder to use alcohol in a balanced way and not everyday usage. 🙂
