Athletes, Ladies, Gentlemen and alcoholics…While you are
sober, I would like to scare the crap out of you with; “The negative effects of
Alcohol on your athletic dreams.”
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| Playcall: "Lose right, dizzy down,On three, ready break !!" |
1.
“Alcohol will impair reaction time and mental acuity
for up to several days after consumption.” (acuity: Sharpness or keenness of thought, vision, or hearing.)
2.
Can cause severe hydration which increases your risk of
musculoskeletal injuries including: cramps, muscle pulls and strains.
3.
Alcohol disturbs or interrupts the sequence of paradoxical
sleep. Sleep for an athlete is directly related to many aspects of wellness.
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| Cheers !! |
4.
It increases your fat storage.
5.
It decreases muscle recovery.
6.
It decreases energy.
7.
For guys: It can cause testicular shrinkage, breast
enlargement, and decreased sperm development. For Girls: May increase risk of
breast cancer.
**See References for further detail.
That’s scary but I ain’t done yet, even though that’s
impossible because “ain’t” ain’t a word. Keep reading if you wanna know
something real.
On practice squad in the NFL we received a payment of about
3k every week we were on the team.
A fellow practice squad member of the Eagles by the name
of…(in “the rocks” epic voice) It doesn’t matter what his name is! All that mattered in this case: was that he had a shot to make
it big and he was doing great! Making great catches, running great routes.
On the first day of practice, week 3, this dude was a whole
different player. He was constantly gasping for air, dropping numerous passes,
and running poor routes. He was struggling so much physically that trainers
were often prompted to check on him.
Word coming through the boys was that he was partying hard
that weekend. He payed off all of his “settling in” bills and had just enough
to party.
He got cut the next day and didn’t even have enough money to
ship his car back home so he took the free flight and abandoned his car in Philadelphia. And that’s the End of that.
Of course I couldn’t leave ya’ll with that ending because
you alcoholics might have nightmares. So I did my research and found some
guidelines for those of you knuckle heads who are going to drink anyway. Just remember ... Be
Responsible.
1.
Avoid excessive drinking.
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2. Agree to a limit before
drinking.
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3.
Avoid drinking games.
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4. Don’t drink alcohol on an
empty stomach.
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5.
Choose low alcoholic beverages.
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6. For every serving of alcohol,
drink 8-12oz of water, juice, or non-alcoholic beverage.
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7.
Continue to drink non-alcoholic beverages well after consuming
alcohol. ~24-72oz of water if hydrated between each drink.
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8. Avoid social drinking at least
72 hours before a practice/event.
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9.
After practice/event re-hydrate properly before consuming any
alcohol. For every one pound lost consume 20-24oz of fluids with 300-400mg
sodium (i.e. V8 Juice & water, 2oz pretzels with water, Gatorade).
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10. Before drinking any alcohol
after a workout/event, consume at least 6-10g protein and 30-60g of
carbohydrates (Yogurt & fruit, bagel with 2 T natural peanut
butter)within the first 30 minutes followed by a well-balanced meal in the
next 1 ½ hours.
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11.
Avoid drinking alcohol at least 24-36 hours after experiencing
extreme soreness/aches/pains, noticeable bruising or injury.
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12. Do not drink alcohol while
taking anti-inflammatory drugs. This includes Tylenol and ibuprofen.
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13.
Keep bi-monthly records of body fat to muscle mass rations.
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14. As part of the sports physical
ask questions about alcohol abuse. Athletic Trainers, Strength Trainers,
Coaches, Physicians and Athletic Administrators can all address this issue.
(Please do not exclude high school athletes).
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If you are or aren't trying to go Pro here is one fact I can tell you about alcohol:
It will NOT help your performance!!
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| Olympic Women's Ice Hockey celebrating their Gold Medal. |
References:
http://athletics.macalester.edu/custompages/Deno_Videos/nutrition/nutrition_affects_of_alcohol.pdf
