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Alcohol not a good choice for athletes


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By Devon Jackson, Outside

If you exercise, chances are you also drink. I know this because according to a study from Northwestern Medicine, people tend to drink more alcohol on the days they’ve exercised. Especially beer.

It could be because we reward ourselves with a post-run brewski, or because we’ve used up all of our willpower on exercise, so we have none left to deny ourselves that drink or two. Whatever the reason, if you’re drinking thinking that it’ll help you sleep, relax your muscles, numb the pain, or increase blood flow to help you recover faster, as they say in AA, that’s just stinkin’ thinkin’.

“It’s detrimental to drink alcohol after any type of exercise or workout,” says Professor Matthew Barnes of New Zealand’s Massey University School of Sport and Medicine. “I’ve never really seen anything that says it’s useful as far as recovery.”

He’s also never seen anything that says alcohol is useful for comptetion. Barnes’ most recent study on the impact of alcohol on sports performance and recovery in men concluded that “the consumption of even low doses of alcohol prior to athletic endeavour should be discouraged due to the ergolytic effects of alcohol on endurance performance.” Ergolytic meaning performance impairing. These effects, the study’s authors wrote, “are likely to inhibit recovery and adaptation to exercise.”

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Comments (8)
  1. copper says - Posted: February 9, 2015

    Dr. George Sheehan, pretty much a running guru in and around the eighties, with a column in Runner’s World magazine, was a big proponent of post run re-hydrating with a few beers. I was a serious runner for about 30 years, and fully agreed with and followed along with Dr. Sheehan’s advice. Shortly before his death from prostate cancer, he pretty much recanted his theories on beer.

    No longer a runner, largely because of non-running related knee and other injuries, complete with surgeries, and a prostate cancer survivor, at least so far – ten years post surgery, I still find a few beers to be good evening therapy for the challenges of the day.

    I subscribe to Outside Magazine, and, although I didn’t notice this article, I find it a good way to stay in touch with what the young folks are doing, as well as a few directional hints toward what I might enjoy. But I’m not going to give up on Dr. Sheehan’s re-hydration beer theory. Despite his recant. Nor would I advise the “young folks” to do so either. Life is just too short to waste time chasing silly theories.

    Which silliness is also the reason I avoid Faux News.

  2. Dogula says - Posted: February 9, 2015

    Faux News? I thought this article was from ‘Outside’, one of the bibles of the left?
    The free-wheeling hippies of the old days have turned into moralistic prudes in their dotage! Don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t vape, eat pure. . . how very dull. Back during the middle ages people drank alcohol all day every day pretty much. Of course, they didn’t live very long, but they weren’t all stressed out all the time, either.
    Enjoy a beer if you want it. Heck with the nannies who say no to everything. None of us gets out of here alive anyway, you might as well enjoy the time you’ve got.

  3. Slapshot says - Posted: February 9, 2015

    I too was a big follower of Dr. Sheehan he was very influential in defining running as a lifestyle. I was never a beer drinker back then and even today enjoy a cold one once in a while. But moderation seems to always be a good approach.

  4. Old Long Skiis says - Posted: February 9, 2015

    I’m with Copper on this one. Beer re-hydration is good after a long physical workout. Be it yard work in the spring and summer,raking your yard and your neighbors yards, gardening or helping the neighbors clear their driveway of snow in the winter,(snow? what’s that?).
    Copper, like you, I have bad knees as well but I get around as best I can. A tall cold one is good for the body and soul after all the days work is done.
    All things in moderation tho. One Sierra Nevada IPA is enough for me, often lasts me two days. Just put er in the fridge and finish it off later.
    Cheers, OLS

  5. ljames says - Posted: February 9, 2015

    “Of course, they didn’t live very long, but they weren’t all stressed out all the time, either.”

    yeah nothing like death as the ultimate stress reliever….guess the grass always looks greener from the other side

  6. nature bats last says - Posted: February 10, 2015

    Dog, pointing fingers yet again, I dont think any one is telling you to not drink, maybe if you read the article…

  7. Dogula says - Posted: February 10, 2015

    Bats, who, exactly, was I pointing fingers at?
    Always looking for an excuse to be offended, aren’t ya?

  8. nature bats last says - Posted: February 11, 2015

    Read your comment dog, it is pointing fingers at the “liberal media bible of the left” like outside magazine is some sort of propaganda. You are just wanting to find fault with the article no matter what it says or who writes it. You must really have no life if this is where you get your jollies. IMHO