Does Alcohol Affect Your Fitness Goals?

You’re in college, it’s at every party, all your friends take part in it regularly… ALCOHOL. 

Especially at a college like USC, alcohol surrounds the social scene.  Have you ever thought about how many calories are in a shot of whisky? Or how much a night of drinking takes away from your killer workout that afternoon?  I guess because alcohol is so much a part of the party scene at USC, no one thinks twice about it. On late nights going out, I noticed that my body felt weaker and more sluggish the next day so I decided to find out for myself how much alcohol keeps me from reaching my fitness goals.  I am not here to tell you not to partake in consuming alcohol, but to know its affects on the body so you can make more informed decisions at parties in the future.

A misconception many people have is that by cutting out certain foods in their diets, it will make up for the 6-7 drinks they have during the course of a wild party night.  FALSE.  Alcohol is high in calories not to mention the other sodas and syrups put in your drinks.  That one Jack Daniel’s and Coke you order at the 901 Bar and Grill has over 200 calories per drink.  These empty calories slow down your body’s metabolism and get stored as pure fat.

Most importantly, alcohol leads to dehydration.  Dehydration is the primary reason for why your body feels like crap after a night on the town.  Your stamina, strength and focus for your the next couple days will be negatively affected because your body has been sucked of all the water it’s used to receiving.

If you are like me though, and don’t want to cut alcohol out completely, there are ways to minimize the negative effects of a night of partying.  Here are some helpful easy tips –

1.       Before you go out for the night, make sure you are sufficiently hydrated.  Also, when you get back home, drink a bottle of water or two before bed.  This will help your body rehydrate as you sleep.

2.       Take a couple of Multivitamins either before you go out, or before bed with water.  This will help replenish your body with the vitamins lost when alcohol is consumed.

3.       Stick to alcohol that is on the clearer side.  Darker alcohols like whisky and rum have a lot more calories than vodka.  This applies to beer too.  A Bud Light is far better for you than a Guinness.

4.       Make sure to have a full stomach of food before or while you are drinking (this doesn’t include a Victory Dog on the way to a home football game).  This not only does this help your body process the alcohol in a healthier way, it also keeps you from the temptation of eating late-night fast food!

Here is one of the articles I checked out:

 http://www.livestrong.com/article/345415-the-effects-of-alcohol-on-fitness/

Hello World Post

It’s a football game day on the USC campus.  You told yourself you are going to start eating healthier, but all your friends want to get cheeseburgers and beer before the game.  You want to say no, but you don’t know any other alternative.  Does this situation sound familiar?  As college students, we are constantly faced with these situations keeping us from getting the figure that will give us the confidence we want day to day.  At times, it seems impossible to balance a healthy living with an active college lifestyle.  This is far from the truth!

I pride myself on living an active lifestyle and staying fit.  More people than ever are overweight and can’t seem to find a way and stay healthy, especially in college.  As college students, we encounter so many obstacles that keep us from having the physique that we feel good about.  College is a time where you are given freedom to decide how you want to carry out your life.  No one is there to tell you how to spend your free time.  You are in control.  With college, there comes obstacles. These obstacles are everywhere -  cafeteria food, late nights studying, low college budget, and partying.  It is easy to use these things as an excuse.  

I want my blog to focus on the importance of staying in shape and enjoying college.  Now a second semester senior, I want to share useful tips I have gathered to help me stay fit and healthy despite the chaos college can throw at you.  In my posts, I will share workout and dieting tips, easy changes to your daily routine, goal setting, and time management.  I will also share personal stories about my journey from freshman year and how I learned what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to staying in shape.

Would you be curious to know how many calories are in your drink at a Thursday night party?  Which snacks give you the most energy and nutrition? How you can reach your goals in the gym?  Stick around and you will find out! --- Fitness is so important to me and I hope that through my blog posts, it will help and motivate others to stay fit too.  No matter who you are, everyone has the ability to achieve the physique they want, while still having fun and enjoying college.  

Blog names:  College Fitness; You vs. College;  Staying Fit in College