As usual, the plan for tomorrow is to exercise. After all, even someone who exercises on a regular basis can have a drink of alcohol every once in awhile. When deciding to go out drinking, there are a few things you should consider first before rushing off.

Research has found that small alcohol intake does have some muscle benefits, such as increased endurance and output of strength. These are very short-lived though. Alcohol can do a lot of damage after 20 minutes or so. Sharing drinks, taking shots from one bottle, playing drinking games, and other high-risk activities will all cause serious harm that easily outweigh any benefits it has. Remember that alcohol is a poisonous substance.

The negative effects of alcohol can include weaker muscles, reduced athletic performance, slower recovery time, abnormal fat metabolism, and even difficulty thinking. Long-term use of this drug can cause serious damage to your central nervous system and even with short-term usage, its effects on nerve-muscle interaction may cause a loss of strength.

Alcohol reaches the blood cells and once it does it can damage them. With alcoholics, inflammation of the muscle cells is a very common thing. Over time, some of these cells that have been damaged can die which will result in fewer muscle fibers, meaning more weakness and loss of movement. Drinking alcohol has a number of side effects, one of which is that it can leave you feeling a lot more sore after exercise. This means it will take you longer to recover from your workout.

Alcohol also has many effects on your heart and circulation. Drinking any type of alcohol may begin to gradually impact your endurance over time.

Continued drinking can cause an increase in heat loss, as alcohol alters your blood vessels to dilate. Drinking alcohol can increase your risk of hypothermia and digestive problems. Alcohol can cause insulin to be released which will stimulate a faster metabolism. This means that any fat stored might be spared and it will be much more difficult to lose weight. Drinking too much alcohol can mean you’re not getting enough key nutrients, such as B-vitamins. This can increase your likelihood of becoming anaemic and deficient in certain nutrients.

Alcohol can be damaging to your liver, essentially making it work harder to do its job. Chiefly because your liver has to detoxify alcohol and, as result, is working a lot harder. The more you drink, the greater the stress on your liver which may lead to serious damage. In some cases this may lead to destruction of some of your liver cells.

Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can put extra stress on your kidneys as well. When in diuretic action, hormones are secreted that can lead to an increase in water intake and dehydration. This would be counterproductive to anyone exercising.

If you do drink alcohol, make sure to do it in moderation and never before exercise. Alcohol affects your balance, coordination and judgement. When drinking, think about your health and how you exercise – fitness is important to all of us!