The Holidays and off time are just around the corner. You may have more time to train, but drinking more alcohol than you normally would can play tricks on you!

In fact, alcohol competes with glycogen. Glycogen is the reserve of carbohydrates in our liver and muscles and this reserve is gradually depleted during a run.

However, if you consume alcohol after a run, your liver will not be able to completely replenish its glycogen reserves, since it will be busy eliminating the alcohol.

It has the capacity to eliminate 10g of alcohol/hour, which is the equivalent of 250ml of beer (not even a bottle!) and 100ml of wine (a very small glass!). This means that alcohol consumption can easily limit our energy recovery after a workout.

In addition, alcohol has a diuretic effect. By inhibiting the secretion of antidiuretic hormone (ADH), alcohol increases the volume of urine and thus contributes to dehydration. And it’s not true that alcohol warms you up, unless you drink mulled wine ☺

What to do?

First, eat a good post-workout snack before celebrating with a beer, wine or any form of alcohol. This will help your body begin the recovery process before the alcohol interferes with that process. There are also many mocktails and non-alcoholic options on the market, so have fun!

This snack should contain:

• Carbohydrates to replenish energy stores: fresh or dried fruit, muffin, granola bar, etc.
• Liquids to rehydrate: Water will always be your best friend, but other liquids such as milk and soy beverages also count.
• Protein for recovery and satiety: Nuts, cheese, Greek yogurt, soy beverage or cow’s milk, etc.

In fact, a whole blog will be dedicated to post-workout nutrition in January! Keep watching the MBDM platform!

Psstttt…Visit our online store, we are offering 10% off the purchase of our sports nutrition guides with the promo code: MBDM10. These fit nicely in Christmas stockings!