Here for the Boos! (Booze)

Okay sooo it's that time of year where it's quite near impossible to avoid the temptations for a spooky cocktail. Halloween is such a fun time of year for cocktails and just flavor profiles in general IMO. And the aesthetics aren't too shabby either! I often find myself down a Pinterest rabbit hole of Halloween-themed party ideas for gatherings and social outings I'll probably never have, but still fun to look and experiment none-the-less.

That being said, there's one thing that seems to be recurring lately for some of my nutrition coaching clients and felt the need to address it with all of you as well.

While alcohol is delicious and fun, we really need to hone in on the term "moderation". The holidays are getting closer and many of us find ourselves getting a little more slack on the alcohol consumption to overcompensate for the stress and anxiety we feel in the colder months. Whether it be to tolerate that crazy aunt who just can't keep her opinions to herself over Thanksgiving dinner or overcoming emotions associated with things Seasonal Depressive Disorder (depression from lack of sunlight to put it very simply), we must acknowledge the role alcohol plays in our systems and the consequences to our health.

First, alcohol is by nature, a depressant. I know that may seem silly because it is called "Liquid Courage" for a reason and I'd be lying if I said I didn't slick back a few drinks in my day in uncomfortable social situations to loosen up a bit. However, being a depressant means that alcohol slows down the function of the central nervous system and actually blocks messages trying to be sent to the brain. This alters your mood, perception, balance, emotion, basic movements, vision and hearing. It also affects your hunger. One cocktail too many turns into an overconsumption of 500-1000 extra calories you didnt plan for. Do this every week/end, multiple times and over time you see how this can drastically add up and prevent you from reaching your goals without even taking into account any additional poor diet or life choices.

The poison is in the dose in terms of short term effects. We all know what happens when we've hit that point in a night or day drinking after brunch and don't slow down. These effects compound the longer you continue to drink until your body finally just shuts down because it can't handle anymore alcohol.

Long term alcohol can effect your sleep, your immune system, and halt your results in your athletic performance training as these are all closely related.

Most alcoholic beverages contain copious amounts of sugar which not only affect your insulin and blood sugar levels, they prevent some of your other hormones from regulating themselves as necessary to perform daily system functions. Sugar and alcohol are also inflammatory, meaning they slow down your body's ability to repair itself which happens mostly during your deep sleep cycles. If you've ever found yourself wide awake at 3am after one too many glasses of wine and can't seem to fall back to sleep, you can thank the alcohol for that. This happens because alcohol is also a diuretic. Your body works hard to metabolize the alcohol and thus your pituitary gland releases a hormone that causes your body to retain more water. The body creates large volumes of urine to help your body process and remove the toxins (alcohol) from your body. This likely means you'll be waking up to pee more often, resulting in a restless sleep cycle while these hormone regulators are also disrupted.

When your body retains more water you'll feel sluggish, puffy, and fatigued. No one wants to show up to a hard training session looking and feeling that way. If you've been consuming larger amounts of alcohol for longer periods of time, you may THINK your body has begun to adapt but don't be fooled: your body always keeps the score. You're likely to get sick more often due to the inflammation caused by alcohol and it's affects on the liver which is your body's biggest filtration system.

While I am in no way here to judge you, I also ask that if you find yourself consuming more than 2-4 alcoholic beverages a week, take a look at why you think you've established those habits to determine the underlying cause. Challenge yourself to go 2 weeks without any and see how you feel. If it's purely social, understand that it's okay to just order a ginger ale. No one will judge you, and honestly, NO ONE WILL KNOW unless you tell them. If you find yourself having a hard time going without for a few weeks, you may need to look into some professional guidance. Again, 0 judgement here. I'm an advocate for awareness in all areas of life. We can't improve what we don't acknowledge. Coming from someone charged with a DWI in my early 20's, I know how easy it can be to fall into poor patterns and habits. I just hope it doesn't take a life altering circumstance for you to make some changes like it did for me many years ago!

There are plenty of yummy alternatives to fall (or any) cocktails with healthier ingredients. Or you can forgo it altogether with alcohol free mocktails that taste so good you won't even miss the alcohol. It's understanding the difference between a NEED and a WANT so you can choose better for your health. If you enjoy the occasional cocktail, plan for it! Yes you can fit the occasional drink into your meal plan/lifest so you can feel in control of your eating and not be completely derailed when the social get-togethers occur.

Check out this recipe below that's a Fall Favorite of mine adapted from Savor the Flavor's website: