How Consuming Alcohol Affects You Post-Workout

It might be tempting to grab a frosty beer after an intense workout session, but a single cold one is seldom satisfying. The euphoric sensation of a light buzz following an endorphin rush can be uplifting, but the consequences of ingesting alcohol post-workout can be detrimental to muscle recovery.

It doesn't take a genius to realize that alcohol doesn't mix well with exercise, but the actual impact of swigging a drink post-workout as opposed to a protein shake might be more devastating than you may think. It's important to take proper precaution when deciding to slug back a couple beers after exercise.

Alcohol Acts As A Toxin

The average gym-goer has his or her own guilty pleasures. For some, it's tough to kick a regular drinking habit, especially in social settings. The idea of cutting out drinking can be just as difficult as making a dedicated effort to eat a low-carb diet. We are all creatures of habit, which means we sometimes make decisions that might be cognitively recognized as "wrong," but we execute that choice regardless.
In regards to post-workout alcohol consumption, the general consensus is that alcohol acts as a toxin, forcing the body to use added energy. This process negatively impacts recovery and can result in added soreness the next morning. In addition, workout performance also becomes affected. You're less likely to workout at high-intensity levels on the day following a night of drinking.

Post-Workout Dehydration

For men, post-workout alcohol consumption can be especially damaging to muscle recovery, specifically because it decreases the body's naturally-occurring levels of testosterone, which is crucial for building muscle mass. As seen and heard on television beer ads, "please drink responsibly."
Consider the importance of water when working out. Staying hydrated is a crucial aspect of gaining optimal benefits from an intense cardiovascular or weightlifting session. The body needs water to help supply working muscles with the fuel they require to operate efficiently. Alcohol is a diuretic, which essentially means that it sucks water from your body, forcing you to become dehydrated. The resulting effect is fatigue and loss of muscle definition due to a lack of muscular-produced energy.

Added Belly Fat & Heart Disease

The infamous "beer belly" is a product of over-consumption of alcoholic beverages because of the so-called empty calories they contain. Most drinks won't fill you up, but that doesn't mean your body isn't enduring a calorie overload.
If you're genetically prone to quick weight gains, alcohol consumption should be limited to special occasions (e.g. not just because it's the weekend). For some, sporting a belly bulge isn't a deal-breaker when it comes to working out, but it's important to realize that excess fat deposits in the abdominal region can lead to severe health defects, such as diabetes and heart disease.
Men are at higher risk for these consequences than women because males naturally store fat in their bellies. Although a couple post-workout beers with your friends won't cause your gut to bulge overnight, a regular drinking habit can severely alter your body's composition, potentially causing health problems.

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TOPFIT Daily Activities --- Rest Day
After four fairly high volume and intensity days in a row, I decided it was time for a rest day today.  I might even take it easy tomorrow too.

~Feelin' Alive!~

Artificial Sweeteners Aren't the Answer to Obesity: Here’s Why

They’re supposed to be the sweet alternative to high-calorie, diabetes-causing sugar. But the latest science shows that artificial sweeteners may actually set us up for obesity and diabetes
Aspartame, saccharin, sucralose—sugar alternatives go by many names, but share an almost irresistible promise: all the sweetness of sugar without the calories, weight gain and increased risk of diabetes that comes with uncontrolled amounts of sugar in the blood.
In the intestines, gut microbes are hard at work, pulling out some nutrients from food that are helpful in stopping tumor growth, for example, and squirreling away others to store as energy for later use. But while artificial sweeteners aren’t absorbed by our own cells, they may be absorbed by our bacteria—and when that happens, things appear to go haywire.

read the full article here

TOPFIT Daily Activities --- Heavy Bag and Jacksonville Forest Park
I took a break for a day filled with chores, errands and paperwork for a 30 minute heavy bag workout.  I finished the day off with 2 hr hike (and some running) with a friend in the hills outside of Jacksonville.

~Feelin' Alive!~

54% of U.S. adults have abdominal obesity, the most dangerous kind

The number of American men and women with big-bellied, apple-shaped figures — the most dangerous kind of obesity — has climbed at a startling rate over the past decade, according to a government study.

People whose fat has settled mostly around their waistlines instead of in their hips, thighs, buttocks or all over are known to run a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes and other obesity-related ailments.

Fifty-four percent of U.S. adults have abdominal obesity, up from 46 percent in 1999-2000, researchers reported in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. Abdominal obesity is defined as a waistline of more than 35 inches in women and more than 40 inches in men.

During the 12-year period studied, the average waist size in the U.S. expanded to 38 inches for women, a gain of 2 inches. It grew to 40 inches for men, a 1-inch increase.

"The increase is a concern. There's no question about that," said Dr. William Dietz, an obesity expert formerly with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, now at George Washington University.

The expansion in waistlines came even as the overall level of obesity — as defined not by waist size but by body mass index, of BMI, a weight-to-height ratio — held fairly steady.

"What it suggests is that even though the obesity rate may be stable, fat distribution may be changing, which would mean that we shouldn't be complacent about the plateau," said Dietz, who was not involved in the study.

Dr. Earl Ford, a CDC researcher and the study's lead author, said the seemingly contradictory trends are puzzling. He said it could be that Americans are exercising less and getting flabby. But because fat weighs less than muscle, they are not necessarily getting heavier.

The study cites other possible reasons for the increase in belly fat, including sleep deprivation and certain medicines. Also, researchers said the increase might be related to pesticides, the plastics additive BPA and other chemicals that mimic hormones that can affect weight. But the connection is speculative and unproven.

Belly fat not only makes people look apple-shaped but often means fat has built up deep inside the body, around the liver and other abdominal organs.

Compared with fat that lies closer to the surface, this "visceral" fat secretes lower levels of beneficial hormones and higher levels of inflammatory substances linked to obesity-related ailments, Dr. Lisa Neff, an obesity specialist at Northwestern University. She was not involved in the study.

"In people of the same weight, the person who carries weight around the middle is going to have higher risks" of obesity-related ailments, Neff said.

By 2011-12, the last year studied, 44 percent of men suffered from abdominal obesity, up from 37 percent. The trend was more pronounced among women: By 2011-12, about two-thirds of all women were affected, up from just over half in 1999-2000.

The researchers analyzed data from CDC health surveys and in-person exams. Adults' average age during those years was 45.

Previously released data from the same surveys indicate that about 35 percent of U.S. adults are obese, a level that hasn't budged much in recent years. Those surveys define obesity as a BMI of at least 30. For example, someone who is 5-foot-4 — the average U.S. woman's height — would be obese at 175 pounds.

Ford said that for both kinds of obesity, the bottom-line message for patients is probably the same: diet and exercise.

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TOPFIT Daily Activities --- Upper Table Rock Run and a Pullup/Pushup Workout
I braved the smoky air again today for a good run on Upper Table Rock.  Later, after catching up on yard work, I spent about 30 mins doing supersets of pullups and pushups.

~Feelin' Alive!~

400 Calorie Meals for Fall

Summer is winding down and soon we will welcome the cool, crisp air of fall. That means it's almost time for soft, forgiving sweaters that keep us warm and hide the inevitable weight gain that comes from eating the richer, more calorie-dense foods of the season.

Instead of writing off all the hard work you did to stay beach-body ready this summer, why not incorporate delicious, healthy meals into your daily diet? Try any of these low-calorie dishes and see just how great it feels to eat well while still staying healthy.

read the full article here

TOPFIT Daily Activities --- Lower Table Rock Run and a Leg Workout
This morning, before it got too warm, I had a good run on Lower Table Rock.  Later, I spent some time in my gym doing BB squats, and circuits of alternating jump lunges, SB leg curls and calf raises.

~Feelin' Alive!~

Why Sitting During Your Workout Is Silly

You see it all the time at the gym -- people sitting on the exercise bikes, the weight machines or even while performing certain free-weight exercises. Many exercises call for you to be seated, but did you know that those seated exercises could actually be less effective than the exercises involving more standing and moving?

If you study the human body, you'll see that it wasn't designed to be still for hours on end. Many of us work desk jobs, which already involve plenty of hours of sitting. If you go to the gym and spend more time sitting, you could end up causing all kinds of health problems.

What Happens When You Spend A Lot Of Time Sitting?

read the full article here

TOPFIT Daily Activities --- Jacksonville Forest Park
It was kind of warm, and there was a bit of smoke in the air, but it was still a great day to head to Forest Park for a couple of hours of running and power hiking.

~Feelin' Alive!~

TOPFIT Daily Activities Review

Although I really reduced the overall volume and intensity this past week, I still made time for:

2 heavy bag workouts
2 resistance training workouts
2 trail runs
1 hike

What did you do to stay healthy and fit this past week?

~No Challenge, No Change~

Be a Savvy Fitness Shopper

The benefits of exercise are well-researched and well-documented. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case with advertising claims for exercise equipment.

Some advertisers claim—without evidence—that their exercise products offer a quick, easy way to shape up, keep fit and lose weight. The truth is, there’s no such thing as a no-work, no-sweat way to a healthy, toned body.

Deriving the benefits of exercise requires doing the work.

Before you jump into the next home fitness fad, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) offers this advice: Exercise good judgment and carefully evaluate advertising claims for exercise products.

read the full article here

TOPFIT Daily Activities --- Rest Day
Even though I've kind of taken it easy this past week, I still felt like I needed a rest day.....sometimes you really need to listen to your body.

~Feelin' Alive!~