Who doesn’t want to have fun? You know the motto, or should I say the ultimate excuse – You Only Live Once, right? That is true; you should have fun while you can. However, people often associate fun with drinks. Most of the people today can’t even think of having fun without drinks. It’s okay if you don’t step over the line.

So now, the ultimate questions rise above everything else – Can you mix it all together? Can you have it all? Can you look good and drink like a party maniac? Can you get that quick weight loss if you like to grab a drink or two?

In today’s article, I will be talking about how Alcohol affects your body if you’re working out. What happens, how, and should you or should you not, drink alcohol after your workouts.

What Should You Drink/Eat after Your Workout?

Before we dive into the main problem, let’s see what you should eat after your workouts.

While you are working out, you are burning calories, destroying your muscles. Your muscles, to repair and grow stronger, need some help that you should provide. Proteins are always good for that. You should eat high protein snacks after your workouts, that’s a no brainer.

Milk, especially chocolate milk, is something so delicious but also, so beneficial to your body after your workout. It is tasty and has proteins in it. Is there anything better? Well, yes. Water is necessary for your muscle building journey as our bodies are 60% water. Drink it as much as you can.

Meat, of course, is full of protein, eggs, vegetables, and don’t ever, and I mean ever, forget fruits!

You need to balance all of that, and not just focus on proteins in meat, to build that natural, strong body that I’m sure you want.

NOTE: It isn’t necessary to eat right after you have finished your workout. That’s a myth. However, don’t make it last too long. Go home, take a shower, sit down, and eat your meal slowly, with pleasure.

All of this is already, kind of, well known. But did you know that you can drink beer after your workouts?

Can You Drink Beer after Your Workout?

Alcohol = plenty of unnecessary calories. That would make you say – No, beer shouldn’t be consumed after your workouts. Although it’s true, the beer I’m talking about here isn’t your usual Heineken, Duff, or whatever you are drinking.

The beer that I’m referring to here is specifically designed for your muscle recovery.

This beer is called the Lean Machine Recovery Ale. It has only 77 calories and an alcohol volume of 0.5%. But that’s not all it has. It is rich in antioxidants, nutrients, and electrolytes that you need after your workouts in order to get your energy levels back up again and recover faster.

This beer was made by a Canadian beverage company and a study about how lowering calories and changing electrolyte levels in drinks can affect the human body differently, only proves how this is a fantastic and effective idea.

How Does Alcohol, In General, Affect Your Body?

Alcohol is full of calories and sugar. That is your enemy if you are working out, especially if you want to cut some weight.

After you have consumed alcohol, it goes into your bloodstream and literally “dry out” your system. That’s why, in the morning, you crave for water, and guess what your body needs in order to build stronger muscles – that’s right, water!

So, alcohol leaves you dehydrated, but that’s not all that it does. A study has shown that alcohol slows down the process of muscle recovery.

So, the effects of alcohol aren’t that good if you are working out, however, if you choose the right drink it doesn’t necessarily have to be bad. For example, a vine is healthy and can be drunk after your workouts, but not to get drunk. One glass is more than enough.

Can You Avoid Unnecessary Calories From Drinks?

I got good news for you, yes! Although I would not advise you to do this, there is a way of gaining less weight after you drank some booze after your workout. Just don’t do this so often if you are serious about your workouts.

First of all, eat! Before you start drinking you should fill yourself up with food. Meals that are full of proteins and fiber will slow your body’s alcohol absorption. This is a pretty neat trick, but it won’t work that much if you drink like a lunatic, which leads us to point number to.

Point number two suggests you to pick your drinks. Like I already mentioned, not all drinks have the same number of calories and sugar, try avoiding those sweet, colorful drinks as they will make you hungrier than any other.

The third point is also very important. You should drink water in between drinks. This will have a positive effect on your stomach and won’t make you crave for food as much. Long story short, it will prevent you to over-imbibe.

Final Verdict

All in all, you shouldn’t drink alcohol if you are serious about cutting weight, gaining muscle and staying fit, however, a drink or (possibly) two that doesn’t have that many calories or sugar can be okay. If you need a drink at least try that new beer that is designed especially for working out.

And there we go, all you needed to know about booze and muscle.

References:

prevention.com

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Menfitness.com

mensfitness.com

shape.com

usatoday.com