Do alcohol and exercise match?

19/02/2010 by admin.

My attention was drawn recently to the large quantities of bottles at the recycling centre from alcohol consumption.  So what impact does alcohol have on the exercise you are undertaking?

Consuming alcohol the evening prior to exercise can hinder performance and cause dehydration which results in a loss of minerals and electrolytes.  If we lose 2% of our body weight in fluid, this can result in a 20% drop in performance.Just a small amount of alcohol will impair our motor skills (ie actions which require co-ordination between the brain and body).  This results in poor balance, reaction time, hand-eye coordination, steadiness of our limbs, visual tracking and alertness.

Alcohol can heighten fatigue when exercising by increasing lactic acid production.  This will limit performance and therefore reduce the gains from exercise.

Our body struggles to regulate temperature effectively when under the influence of alcohol.  Therefore in cold climates it can lead to an increased risk of hypothermia and in hot environments, it can increase sweating and result in dehydration.  In its most serious form, dehydration is life threatening. 

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