Getting fit and staying fit isn’t just on a person’s bucket list because it makes them look good, but more because they want to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Due to this burning desire to get in shape, people may have tried different kinds of diets and fitness routines. Some go for intermittent fasting and ketogenic diets, some opt for vegan diets, the Atkin’s diet, or raw food diet. Despite the differences in approach of all these diets, they share one goal – to help the person attain their fitness goal.
You may have come to terms with choosing or cutting down on your solid food intake, but perhaps you have forgotten that in order to keep track of your fitness goals, you have to be picky about the kinds of drinks you consume also.
Here are some reminders of you how your favourite drink might be secretly sabotaging your fitness goals:
You Love Juices, But Can’t Keep The Weight Off
Alcoholic beverages are not the only thing we have to consider when we want to watch our weight and keep being fit.
Juices, especially those with huge amounts of sugar and with artificial flavouring, can greatly sabotage your fitness goals. According to the University Health News Daily, artificial juices in the market contain not only high amounts of sugar, but also high amounts of corn syrup, a kind of fructose that is known to contribute highly to an elevation of triglyceride levels, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and weight gain.
If you can’t give up on fruit juices, according to Shape Magazine, you should choose 100 percent juices like cranberry juice, Aloe Vera juice, or orange juice.
Cut Down On Fancy Coffee
If you can’t give up the coffee, at least think about minimizing your intake. According to Shape Magazine, coffee blended with sugar and milk, and a huge cup of Joe can easily contain at least 800 calories, almost 50% of the maximum allowable intake of saturated fat. Fancy coffee is already very sweet with almost 160 grams of sugar to result in a sugar jolt rather than a caffeine tinkle. Add some whipped cream on top and say goodbye to that ideal waistline.
Fruit Smoothies And More Sugar
Fruit may be good for you, but if you mix fruit with sugar and some protein to come up with a 32-ounce smoothie, then what you’ll actually get is a 700-calorie drink. This is like eating a cup of strawberries, another cup of blueberries, one whole mango fruit, plus one big pineapple all in one sitting. Though these are fruits, they’re still bad because the calories you get from all these will be stored in your fat cells. This is made even worse if you don’t exercise and burn them off.
Artificial Sweeteners In Sports Drinks
If you think sports drinks are harmless, think again. According to Competitor Running, a single 8-ounce bottle of a sports drink contains sugar amounting to 14 grams and results in a 50-calorie drink.
This means that if you end your workout routine with a sports drink, you may actually push back your weight loss and fitness goals. On top of the artificial sweeteners found in these drinks, there are also unknown additives which may likewise interfere with your fitness agenda.
Alcohol, Impaired Judgment, And Intoxication
As we journey towards fitness, we find ourselves asking, “can I still enjoy a drink and stay fit?” As much as we would like to give a categorical answer to this question, the fact remains that there are various factors to consider when giving a precise answer to this question.
According to MindBodyGreen, you can actually drink alcohol and still be fit, but the intoxication that results from drinking is the bigger problem since it can impair your judgment. A classic example would be after having a few drinks; you can’t stop yourself from binging on a platter of French fries.
Another scenario in which alcohol derails your fitness goal is after a night of heavy drinking; you wake with a terrible hangover. As a result, you can’t go to the gym because you’re feeling lethargic. If you repeat this cycle every day, you know exactly where you’ll end up – forever lazy on the couch.
In a different article published by the Irish Times, they argue that alcohol can hinder your fitness goals, but they raised different reasons. They said that drinking alcohol can adversely affect the synthesis of protein, thus, decreasing the build-up of muscles while also nullifying the positive effects of a good workout. Also, they added that drinking causes water loss, which further means a loss of vital minerals like zinc, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. As a result, the balance of fluids in the body is also disrupted.
On a different note, according to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, if we talk about athletic performance, alcohol use can adversely affect recovery, aerobic capacity, hydration, and motor skills.
Another way a drinking problem is affecting your fitness goal is the fact that alcohol affects your body’s metabolic functions. If you have irregular metabolic functions, alcohol is being stored in your body as fat. Soon after alcohol is broken down into amino acids, your body will store alcohol into your muscle area while also increasing the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, in the body signaling it to keep more of the fat.
Fitness is not an easy journey. It takes more than willingness and courage to achieve and keep a fitness goal. Passion, dedication, and strong willpower can be great motivators to keep a person on track, but an informed choice about food, drinks, lifestyle, and fitness techniques can also be very handy when faced with confusing and unsure situations.
The road to fitness may be hard, but nothing is impossible with a person who is determined, ready, and well-informed.
Good luck and we hope you reach your fitness goals.
