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Effects of Alcohol on Performance
Eric Belliveau • July 18, 2018

We have all been there, after an even or competition and all you want is an ice cold adult beverage! Whether you are a college athlete celebrating a big win with your team or a weekend warrior who just completed a fitness event with your buddies, alcohol consumption is common. In the moment, everything is great and you are having the time of your life. BUT you can hinder your body’s ability to recover properly especially if things get out of hand.

College athletes (No Parents No Rules, right?), chronic alcohol use can lead to nutritional deficiencies, depressed immune system which can prolong healing of injuries causing you to have a longer return to play process. This is the last thing you want during your sport season. According to a post by ECU Sports Nutrition the injury rate for drinkers is 54.8% and for non-drinkers 23.5%. To recover properly from exercise and competition your body needs to restore glycogen, muscle protein and fluid balance. Alcohol can hinder this process due to increasing urine output. Yes, beer does contain carbohydrates but it does not contain enough along with any electrolytes to recover. The greater the number of beverages consumed increases this process and further dehydrates your body. Another effect on your body is disrupted sleep. From my experience in working with college athletes they don’t sleep enough regardless. Alcohol has been shown to disrupt restorative sleep cycles therefore decreasing the quality of sleep one gets. This then negatively affects the body’s ability to produce hormones that are associated with muscle growth and recovery.

But what most do not know is that research has shown that a hangover can cause about an 11% decrease in aerobic capacity.

Here’s a few quick facts to keep in the back of your mind: consuming five for more beverages in one night can affect your brain, body and athletic performance for up to three days. Two consecutive nights of drinking can affect your brain, body and athletic performance for up to 5 days. So, if you are celebrating a big win Friday and Saturday and then have another game on Tuesday or Wednesday your performance could be hindered by your choice of fluids! Some of the long-term effects that alcohol can have are weight gain and a decrease in vitamin and mineral absorption due to excretion.

I am in no way shape or form condoning the consumption of alcohol, but simply being smart about it can do your body less harm especially if you are an in-season athlete. For example, some collegiate teams will have a “dry season” to obtain a more consistent and higher level of performance. The “dry season” in my opinion is to reduce the occurrence of the athletes getting into trouble but also to keep them from being hungover during competition to elevate performance. According to the NSCA the effects of a hangover can cause several physical symptoms. These symptoms include feeling fatigued which is not out of the ordinary. But what most do not know is that research has shown that a hangover can cause about an 11% decrease in aerobic capacity. The effects on anaerobic performance still requires further research. Upperclassmen, this could be another aspect that you need to mentor your younger teammates. This is most likely the first time they have experienced this type of freedom and you need to keep them in check. You are only as good as your weakest link when it comes to a team performance.

Now get out there, crush your training so you can crush your competition and just be conscious about the beverages you crush!

The Meat Hangover

By Eric Belliveau • October 7, 2020
When it comes to taking meat out of your diet, some people have the idea that they will only see positive changes immediately following this choice. While those positive changes are definitely part of the deal, so is an adjustment period for your body.

We're Trying

By Eric Belliveau • September 23, 2020
We were all thrown on this crazy ride together. Emotions were running high but so were patience, empathy, inclusion, and respect. Most of us could rally behind the #WeAreInThisTogether manta. We wanted to do right by each other - donate to charities, lend a hand, check-in on one another. Do our part. As the days turn to weeks and the weeks into months these dispositions decayed rapidly. I know that this Quarantine order has been going on for a long time. I know that a great number of us do not agree on the why. I know an even greater number of us are “over it”. I am painfully aware of the difference of opinions surrounding the pandemic. It is impossible to NOT be aware of this. This leads us all to frustration, anger, resentment, and the feeling that you are not being heard. Very real and very human emotions! It is okay to feel this way. I am not only writing this from the perspective of a fellow struggling human. I do find myself struggling with everything I mentioned above. Not just daily but multiple times a day. My ability to focus has been challenged by my worry. My ability to create time for myself and focus on self-care has been derailed for fear of other things becoming more pressing. I work on this every day. I am not only writing this from the perspective of one of the business owners who were never given a playbook for this. For weeks on end I thought WTF happened to the business and how would our model need to change and remain viable, how each business owner had to either weather a period in which we were completely shut down or allowed to operate under capacity restrictions, etc. The unknown of what the timeline would bring and whether we would be able to continue our dreams or make an extremely difficult decision of not continuing. This still haunts every one of us daily. I AM very much writing this as a service provider! I am writing this as an impassioned human who genuinely loves what I do for a living. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to have built a career surrounding something I get excited about every day. I am making a stand for all of us that make their living in the service industry. To the receptionist, hostess, waiter, cook, dry cleaner, teacher, technician, barista, utility worker, automobile service technician… It is truly impossible to be inclusive of everyone here.  No one human mentioned above asked for this ‘situation’ we are in. We are sure as hell trying to provide a level of normalcy, service, care, and happiness to the lives in which we choose to serve. With added restrictions, added expense decreased capacity and the fear of being fined or shut down for doing it incorrectly, everyday.

The Meat Hangover

By Eric Belliveau • October 7, 2020
When it comes to taking meat out of your diet, some people have the idea that they will only see positive changes immediately following this choice. While those positive changes are definitely part of the deal, so is an adjustment period for your body.

We're Trying

By Eric Belliveau • September 23, 2020
We were all thrown on this crazy ride together. Emotions were running high but so were patience, empathy, inclusion, and respect. Most of us could rally behind the #WeAreInThisTogether manta. We wanted to do right by each other - donate to charities, lend a hand, check-in on one another. Do our part. As the days turn to weeks and the weeks into months these dispositions decayed rapidly. I know that this Quarantine order has been going on for a long time. I know that a great number of us do not agree on the why. I know an even greater number of us are “over it”. I am painfully aware of the difference of opinions surrounding the pandemic. It is impossible to NOT be aware of this. This leads us all to frustration, anger, resentment, and the feeling that you are not being heard. Very real and very human emotions! It is okay to feel this way. I am not only writing this from the perspective of a fellow struggling human. I do find myself struggling with everything I mentioned above. Not just daily but multiple times a day. My ability to focus has been challenged by my worry. My ability to create time for myself and focus on self-care has been derailed for fear of other things becoming more pressing. I work on this every day. I am not only writing this from the perspective of one of the business owners who were never given a playbook for this. For weeks on end I thought WTF happened to the business and how would our model need to change and remain viable, how each business owner had to either weather a period in which we were completely shut down or allowed to operate under capacity restrictions, etc. The unknown of what the timeline would bring and whether we would be able to continue our dreams or make an extremely difficult decision of not continuing. This still haunts every one of us daily. I AM very much writing this as a service provider! I am writing this as an impassioned human who genuinely loves what I do for a living. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to have built a career surrounding something I get excited about every day. I am making a stand for all of us that make their living in the service industry. To the receptionist, hostess, waiter, cook, dry cleaner, teacher, technician, barista, utility worker, automobile service technician… It is truly impossible to be inclusive of everyone here.  No one human mentioned above asked for this ‘situation’ we are in. We are sure as hell trying to provide a level of normalcy, service, care, and happiness to the lives in which we choose to serve. With added restrictions, added expense decreased capacity and the fear of being fined or shut down for doing it incorrectly, everyday.
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