Alcohol vs. CrossFit

Fran makes you a better athlete, alcohol does not.

Let me tell you CFSB family, this post wasn’t easy to write. After reviewing food logs and talking with quite a few of you, it was clear that this was major feedback point #2 (#1 was vegetables). I read many affiliates’ alcohol-related posts and comments to get a feel for what others have written about. Here goes!

Real quick though: sign up for the CFSB Nutrition 101 class on the white board in the gym. It’s this Sat. 2/13 10:30-1:30 and includes a paleo brunch. Learn more on the Events Page, or read about the last one.

For those of you new to CrossFit, the clown is Pukie the Clown depicted vomiting after a workout that appears on CF blogs and even in some CF gyms. I used this picture because as I understand it, it’s meant to represent the no-guts, no-glory aspect of CrossFit. I thought it appropriate to post to remind people of the type of negative intensity (rather than positive via CrossFit) you put your body through by drinking excessively. Plus, the kind of guts it takes to admit and take action if there’s a cognitive dissonance in your mind between your behaviors and your value of fitness.

Most of you know some of the ways alcohol affects your health and have probably read or seen countless other ‘boo alcohol’ articles. For many people, there’s a definite disconnect between you knowing how detrimental alcohol can be to yourhealth and behaving accordingly. I certainly did not come out of the womb beating the paleo/crossfit drum with my knowledge and lifestyle in synch — who does?

Well, I’m sure you could think of a couple people, but really, that synchronization of knowledge, values, and behavior takes most people some time, and even with maturity, we remain creatures of paradox in all kinds of ways. There was a time when I understood the health facts about alcohol (and crappy nutrition, lack of exercise), but I felt for a while resigned that its role in my life was too big a part of my work obligations and social activities to imagine it realistically being any other way. Said another way (with hindsight): I understood the health facts about alcohol, bad nutrition/other lifestyle habits, but adopted and prioritized the values (which did not include health/fitness) of the groups with which I took membership. As you grow older, values hopefully shift to prioritize health and hopefully with minimal damage done.

It’s tough to write in general terms (to a group of crossfitters who are mostly my senior at that) about culturally sensitive topics and not come off preachy. We all share some common values (and if you prodded me, plenty of not sober/un-paleo tales if you catch my drift) that makes this a little easier I think. Namely, valuing our health and fitness.

If we take a look at the facts, and agree on their implications, the topic unfolds into a question of how much you really value your fitness, or even more basically, your wellness.

The CrossFit Spectrum of Health

The list of facts below summarizes effects of non-excessive alcohol use. Excessive is defined by most health sources as more than 1 drink per day. However, for women, this level of use has been associated with increased risk for breast and other cancers, as well as for those with other negative nutritional and lifestyle factors. And while 1 drink per day may not be ‘excessive’, for the subset of population that is trying to improve fitness beyond just wellness or avoiding disease, these facts should hopefully be even more meaningful.

Alcohol & Performance

• Consuming alcohol after a workout can cancel out any physiological gains you may have received from the activity.
• Alcohol use drastically reduces protein synthesis resulting in a decrease in muscle growth, and even short-term alcohol use can impede muscle growth.
• Even a small amount of alcohol severely disrupts sleep resulting in suppressed vital hormones (particularly HGH by as much as 70% — a hormone integral to sustained muscle building and repair) and decreased oxygen availability resulting in decreased endurance.
• Alcohol is toxic to testosterone levels essential to muscle development and recovery. Alcohol disrupts the fluid balance in muscle cells, resulting in reduced ability to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), your muscles’ main source of energy, as well as dehydration and slowing of repair processes.
• The body metabolizes alcohol sugars into fatty acids and promotes the storage of other carbohydrate as fat.
• The metabolization of alcohol by the body is an oxidation reaction with the enzyme dehydrogenase. This creates an elevation of NADH (remember the Kreb’s Cycle?) which reduces the production of ATP, resulting in a lack of energy. Women have much less dehydrogenase which is what accounts for the effect of higher intoxication for the same amount of alcohol consumed by a male of the same size.
• Alcohol use inhibits absorption or can use up important nutrients. You should be very concerned about these after reading last week’s post. To name a few: Thiamin is integral to metabolizing carbohydrate, proteins and fat, hemoglobin creation; B12 is essential to maintain healthy red blood and nerve cells (and lots of other functions); Folic acid is part of a coenzyme involved in the formation of new cells; zinc is essential to your energy metabolic processes.

Alcohol & Health Risk Factors

Over time, excessive alcohol use can lead to the development of chronic diseases, neurological impairments and social problems. These include but are not limited to:

Your body treats alcohol as poison.

• Neurological problems, including dementia, stroke and neuropathy.
• Cardiovascular problems, including myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, atrial fibrillation and hypertension.
• Psychiatric problems, including depression, anxiety, and suicide.
• Social problems, including unemployment, lost productivity, and family problems.
• Cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, colon, and breast.
• In general, the risk of cancer increases with increasing amounts of alcohol.
• Liver diseases, including: alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis (which is among the 15 leading causes of all deaths in the United States), other gastrointestinal problems, including pancreatitis and gastritis.

Other Affiliates’ Blog Posts on Alcohol

CrossFitters’ preferred drink for minimizing the damage if you must drink (though very marginally) is tequila which comes from the agave plant (pictured on the CFSB landing page). Somewhat related: I got that agave sweetner image from a great article you should also read on Sugar by CrossFit Invictus.

CF Invictus: Alcohol & Recovery
CF One World: “Alcohol Is All Bad”
CF Zone: “Alcohol vs Muslce”

Other Sources:

Harvard School of Public Health
CDC FAQ

Recipe for this week: The hummus paleo alternative — Baba Ganoush. I like this recipe.

WOD 2/10/2010

A. Thruster 2-2-2-2

B. 10 Rounds
10 Kettlebell/Dumbell Thruster (1 pood/1/2 pood)
10 Pull-Up

C. Optional:
Jerk 4-4-4
Hang Power Clean 3-3
Romanian Deadlift 2-2-2
Box Step-up 3×10 (each leg)