Alcohol and Exercise; Can They Coexist?

Alcohol and Exercise; Can They Coexist?

My husband and I ran a marathon last June. The night before the race, we all went out for a nice meal, and I had a glass of wine. My brother, who was running the half marathon, didn't drink because he was adamant that it would hurt his running performance. Surprisingly, this is a hot topic among athletes. Studies show that consuming five or more alcoholic beverages in just one night can negatively affect your brain and physical activity for up to three days. However, some athletes swear by drinking alcohol the night before events in order to feel more alert, calm nerves, and dull pain. 

How does alcohol effect the body? The effects of alcohol on a person depend on the amount consumed and the individual's tolerance. Some studies show that a small amount of red wine may have a protective effect on the cardiovascular system, but even a few drinks can nullify your hard work by erasing the effects of your workouts, reducing your endurance, and compromising your mental fortitude. It is possible for an athlete to integrate small amounts of alcohol into a healthy diet, but an athlete should be especially careful to find their limit, so that they don't jeopardize their athletic performance.

If you're an athlete that is questioning whether or not to consume alcohol, below are a few key points to be aware of: 

Muscle health is a major key in the success of an athlete. Science shows that alcohol can rob you of your hard work in the weight room because alcohol use impairs muscle growth. Long term alcohol use diminishes protein synthesis, resulting in a decrease in muscle growth. Even short term alcohol can have an immediate affect on your muscles.

Alcohol dehydrates your body. If you want to optimize your athletic performance, it is important to stay hydrated all of the time. Staying hydrated helps you to recover from sore muscles as fast as possible. When dehydrated, an athlete is at a greater risk of cramps, muscle pulls, and muscle strains. It also can cause electrolyte imbalance and dizziness. 

Alcohol can mess up your sleep patterns. Whether it causes you to pass out early, wake up in the middle of the night, or causes insomnia, there is no question that alcohol interrupts normal sleeping patterns. Getting enough rest is essential to building bigger and stronger muscles. When your regular sleep patterns are messed up, your body doesn't produce a chemical called human growth hormone (HGH), which plays an integral role in building and repairing muscles. Sleep also directly affects your energy levels. When you're exhausted, you're athletic performance is going to suffer. 

Alcohol depletes your energy. After alcohol is absorbed through your stomach and small intestine, it moves into your cells. When it moves into your cells it can disrupt the water balance in your body. An imbalance of water in your muscles and tissues can hamper the cells ability to fuel your body. Hence the cells don't make energy as efficiently as they should.

Alcohol can effect your memory. Depending on your sport, this could be a huge deal, or a non factor. If you're learning plays or strategies, this is a huge deal. alcohol impairs the functioning of the hippocampus, a part of the brain that is vital to the foundation of memories. If you can't form new memories, you can't learn and store information. Creating memories is a complex process that takes a long time. The majority of memory foundation happens when you sleep. As I stated earlier, alcohol interrupts normal sleep, which interrupts memory foundation.

Alcohol effects nutrition. Alcohol has a lot of calories (7 per gram), but your body doesn't use these calories for fuel. Instead of converting these calories into energy, the body converted alcohol calories into fatty acids. As a result, alcohol consumption increases fat storage and can adversely affect your percentage of body fat. 

Alcohol is referred to as "empty calories." Calories that don't benefit the body in any way. Alcohol does inhibit the body's ability to absorb the following nutrients: 

• B1 Vitamin (Thiamine) - used in protein and fat metabolism, as well as the formation of hemoglobin.
• B12 Vitamin - helps to maintain healthy red blood and nerve cells
• Folic Acid - part of a coenzyme that is involved in the formation of new cells. A deficiency in folic acid can result in a lower oxygen carrying capacity, which negatively impacts your endurance levels.
• Zinc - plays an important role in the process of energy metabolism. Alcohol depletes your body's zinc resources, which can result in a reduction in endurance.

Alcohol affects hand-eye coordination. Even small amounts of alcohol (0.02 - 0.05) can result in a slowed reaction time and decreased hand-eye coordination.

All of this information is pretty scary for an athlete, and most of it speaks for itself. One key thing I want to point out, is that most of these effects of alcohol are either sleep related, or are immediate response effects. By immediate response effects, I mean that you must drink alcohol and then go directly to competing in order to experience these effects. So, as an ex-athlete, I suggest staying away from alcohol before going to bed, and not to drink before a hard workout or before a competition. These situations seem to be the most critical when it comes to effects of alcohol.

Have more questions about alcohol and exercising? Send me an email at abby.shroka@gmail.com or send me a message on twitter @Abby_Shroka

Wishing you Health, Hope, & Happiness

Detox Do's and Don'ts

Basic Do's and Don'ts of Detoxing

Because there is information EVERYWHERE about detoxing right now, I thought it would be appropriate to write a blog about it too. Actually, the reason behind this blog is because a lot of the information out there about detoxing is contradicting, not accurate, and confusing. If a first timer tries a detox without knowing what they're doing, the results can be BAD. So here are the basics:  

DO: Eat pure, natural, whole, and organic foods
DON'T: Eat foods that are processed, pre-packaged, have ingredients that you can't pronounce, or don't grow out of the ground. 

WHY: The purpose of a detox is to clean out your body, so that all of your systems work better. One of the best ways to do this, is by avoiding foods that put stress on the liver and kidneys. The liver and kidney are the two organs that sift through all the processed junk that we feed ourselves. They are in charge of getting rid of the toxins and chemicals that are in foods, and the "fake" stuff that our body doesn't want or need. When you are constantly eating foods full of toxins, the liver and kidneys don't ever get a chance to "clean up." When you detox, you give the kidneys and liver a break, allowing them to refresh and rejuvenate. This also allows them to clean out the toxins that are lingering throughout your body. When a detox is done properly, your liver and kidney will function much better once the detox is done. This will improve your overall digestion by leaps and bounds. If you're going to commit to doing a detox, make sure you avoid foods that put stress on the liver and kidneys.

DO: Eat foods with a high concentration of water (fruits and veggies)
DON'T: Drink store bought juice during a detox

WHY: Anywhere from 20-50% of a person's water intake comes from food, not from drinking water. Obviously this number varies due to many different factors, but the main point is that we get a significant amount of our water from food. Because of this, dehydration is one of the biggest risk factors associated with detoxing. A great way to combat this, is by drinking smoothies and juices. When you blend fruits and veggies into a smoothie, it ensures that no water is lost. Also, it is advised to add additional amounts of water to smoothies. What you don't want to do is buy juice at the store and drink that during your detox. Store bought juice is processed to hell and back, and is full of sugars. Despite what commercials say, these sugars are not all natural sugars. Remember, if you're going to detox, avoid those processed foods that put stress on the organs. 

DO: Stay away from sugar
DON'T: Supplement sugar with artificial sweeteners

WHY: One of the most taxing things on the body is the presence of sugar. The body has to work extremely hard to process sugar, which zaps you of energy. Doing a healthy detox should leave you feeling very energized. This is mainly due to the fact that a detox regulates your blood sugar levels, which in turn, regulates all of your hormones. When your blood sugar, and your hormones are in balance, you will have lasting energy all throughout the day. What you don't want to do is use artificial sweeteners in place of regular sugar during a detox. Artificial sweeteners are artificial (imagine that). Artificial things put a lot of stress on the liver and kidneys (as I explained previously). If you want your detox to leave you feeling energized, skip the sugar and artificial sweeteners both. 

DO: Plan ahead for your detox
DON'T: Detox for more than 7 days. 

WHY: A detox is meant to clean out your body. It is not a long term diet. It is not about calorie counting or a number on the scale. If you're looking for a weight loss plan, keep looking because a detox isn't it. Never detox for more than 7 days because it can become dangerous. When you drastically  change the types of foods you're eating, you risk becoming deficient in certain vitamins and minerals that aren't present in the foods you are eating. You can also consume to much of a certain vitamin or mineral, which causes a toxicity. Because of this, never go beyond seven days worth of detoxing. 

Since you're only doing the detox for a very short period of time, make sure you plan ahead, so that you  can set yourself up for success. Make sure you have time to go to the grocery, make the smoothies, and get rid of all the temptations around your house. Since it's only seven days (or maybe less) don't let distractions of the world get in your way. A successful detox is one that is completed.

If you have any other questions regarding detoxing, please ask! Email me at abby.shroka@gmail.com or follow me on twitter @Abby_Shroka

Wishing you all Health, Hope, & Happiness
Abby

Detox Myths Debunked

It's spring time, and that means detox time for many of you. For how popular detox diets have become, there are still so many popular beliefs about detoxing that just aren't true.

Myth #1 "You can only detox in the spring"
You can detox your body any time you want to, or need to. The reason people started detoxing in the spring is because of the weather change, and how that correlates to the human body. Everyone knows that you put on extra weight in the winter. Besides the holiday weight that you gain in December, your body also holds on to more water in the cold winter months, and your fat cells store more substance in them as well. As the weather starts to warm up, your body recognizes that it doesn't need that extra water, and the fat cells don't need that extra substance, so your body will, very slowly, start to shed these things. By detoxing your body, you speed up this process. When a detox is done right, it aids the body in releasing water and extra substance from your fat cells.

Myth #2 "Detoxing is a form of fasting"
Fasting is the process of refraining from all food, and only drinking limited amounts of water. When you are detoxing, you don't limit your calorie intake. You should still be eating your three meals a day. You should feel full after you eat. It is not a form of cutting back, or limiting the amount of food you eat.

Myth #3 "What if my body doesn't respond to the detox?"
The human body naturally detoxifies itself almost everyday. When you start the detoxing process, your body will recognize what you are doing. While there is no "one size fits all" when it comes to the human body you can work to figure out what the most ideal detox is for you. Through experimenting, you will find a detox program that is successful for you. One that leaves you feeling rejuvenated and refreshed.

If you decide you want to detox this spring, make sure you don't make the mistake of believing one of these myths. If you want more information on detoxing, visit my website, email me here, or follow me on twitter @Abby_Shroka.

Wishing you all Health, Hope, & Happiness
Abby

Who's Who of Oils

Who's Who? What's What? How to Know What Oils to Buy and Which Oils to Burn

I feel like a new oil comes out all the time. When I was growing up, it was canola, vegetable, and olive oil. Now we have tons of different kinds of oils that all look the same. What are their differences and how do you know which one(s) to buy?

Avocado Oil: It's good for stir frying, sautéing, roasting, and even baking because it acts as a carrier for the flavor of other ingredients. Avocado is high in mono-unsaturated fats that help lower "bad" cholesterol and increase "good" cholesterol.

Canola Oil: It comes from rapeseed plant, which is poisonous to most mammals. It is processed extensively in order to be considered "safe." Honestly, there isn't any good I can say about this one.

Coconut Oil: In it's pure form it is a solid at room temperature. In order to get it to a liquid form at room temperature, it's chemical structure is manipulated; changed. This makes it hard to digest because it's not natural, so your body doesn't recognize it or know what to do with it.

Grapeseed Oil: It's rich in the antioxidant Vitamin E. It's best used topically as a massage oil, as an ointment, or as a carrier oil for other essential oils.

Olive Oil: It comes from the juice of olives. It is the least processed of all oils, and the easiest to digest because it is in it's natural state, which is liquid at room temperature. It's also good for stir frying, sautéing, roasting, and baking.

Sesame Oil: Present in vinaigrettes. It can't be heated or it will produce a bitter flavor. During the processing of the seeds, antioxidants form as a by-product that is present in the oil as well.

Vegetable Oil: This is a generic name for any oil that is derived from a plant. Two examples are sunflower oil and corn oil. The good news is, oil that comes from plants is generally healthy. The bad news is, there is no way to know what you're actually eating when you have vegetable oil because it is generic. This oil is also highly processed with lots of added chemicals to remove color, odor, and taste. 

Walnut Oil: It contains Omega 3's, which are great for your heart and brain. It can't be heated up, so it can't be used for cooking, but can be used as a salad dressing. It must be refrigerated.

Bottom line, all oils are NOT created equally. Why is it so important to know your facts about oils? Oil, in it's natural form, is the healthiest form of fat that you can eat. Healthy fat gives you lasting energy, is vital for brain and heart function, and is necessary for the storage and absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K. Eating "fake" oil (processed, chemically manipulated, refined, etc.) is a waste. Your body doesn't recognize it and won't use it. Long story short, BUY THE GOOD STUFF!

Have more questions about oil? Cooking questions? Baking questions? How to buy it? How to store it?  Contact me at abby.shroka@gmail.com! I know navigating the who's who of oils is confusing.

Wishing you all Health, Hope, & Happiness
Abby