Alcohol consumption, Netflix subscriptions and online shopping have all skyrocketed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is understandably so due to social and physical distancing restrictions that have been implemented. Welcome to the ‘new normal’.
But while the gyms and fitness centres are closed, some bars and liquor shops are open and scores of sporting fans preoccupied with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the NBA playoffs can be seen imbibing all across the country. This is a recipe for poor health and fitness and the spreading of the deadly virus.
The occasional social ‘drink’ is okay but it’s easy to drink a little too much, and a little too often.
So what is enough and what is too much to inhibit your fitness goals?
A study defines moderate drinking as no more than two drinks per day for men and one for women – yet many Guyanese exceed that amount, sometimes accidentally. Often, this is thanks to portion distortion, with heavy-handed pours and oversized glasses causing them to serve more than a standard drink, which for the record, is 1.5 oz hard alcohol (3 tbsp), 5 oz wine (⅓ cup), and 12 oz beer (1.5 c).
Women often tend to commit sins of accidental overconsumption more than men, both due to their lower alcohol tolerance/drink limit and choice of alcohol. More women tend to drink wine than men (who tend to prefer beer, according to a poll). While beer mostly comes in single serving cans and bottles, wine is served in a multi-serving unit, with discretion to pour however much you want at any one time.
Even careful pourers tend to underestimate the amount in a single pour, thanks to curved glasses, which skew perception of serving size.
Weight loss
Alcohol is calorie dense. Per gramme, it contains seven calories, more than both carbohydrate and protein (which contain 4 calories per gramme), but not as many as fat, which contains nine calories per gramme. A standard drink contains between 100 and 150 calories. And remember, most drinks (especially hand-poured) tend to contain more thanks to overpouring.
If you were to cut out a single drink each day (and not replace those calories with other food or beverages), you could lose upwards of 10 pounds (9.6, to be exact) in a single year.
Muscle growth
Studies have shown that consuming alcohol in the hours after exercise inhibits muscle growth and repair. And let’s face it, how many of us have hit up happy hour after lifting or gone home for a glass of wine after spin class?
While abstinence isn’t most people’s first pick, no one wants to waste the time they’ve invested in the gym. Sure, it’s not always possible to avoid alcohol on the days that you work out, but the more you do, the more you set yourself up for results in fitness and muscle growth.
