Many people’s health and fitness goal is to lose weight and like I have iterated in the past, many of these people are hesitant to sacrifice or change up a few things to achieve to those goals. The most common one of these would be alcoholic beverages and social drinks. Soon followed by the inevitable question: Do I have to stop drinking? Or, what is the best drink to have when I am out? The honest truth is that there isn’t really a “good” alcoholic drink to have.
Alcohol has been shown to:
- Increase estrogen levels – The elevation of estrogen levels in your body tells it to store body fat, usually around the hips, butt, and legs.
- Reduces muscle recovery – Maintenance of muscle is essential to keeping your basal metabolic rate up (how many calories you burn just to maintain bodily function) and is the basis of being “tone.” So we don’t want to inhibit any of our hard work in the weight room.
- Lowers our inhibitions – While this might be just what you need to tear it up on the dance floor, this usually leads to poor food decisions while we are out and about. We fill our stomachs with alcohol and then when we inevitably get hungry we look to fill our stomachs quick, which is usually fast food, sugars, or the nearest junk food we can find. Pizza anyone? And since we have been drinking, we don’t think of the consequences at the time.
- There are many more reasons, but these are the keys to success and the explanation of why alcohol can set us back in our quest for health and a fit body.
Now that does not mean that you can never enjoy a beverage or two ever again, but if you have a goal of; toning, losing body fat, or gaining muscle, you are going to have to curb the drinks for now. Instead, focus your energy towards fueling with good wholesome nutrition and macro nutrients to reach your goal quicker. Once you have reached your goal and have optimally increased your metabolism, feel free to indulge on the occasion again.
However, if your goal is a true priority to you then NOW is the time to get serious and committed. After all, what is the point of all that work just to let it go for a fun night and a train-wreck, guilt filled, hangover the next day. One drink leads to two, which leads to a bad nutrition night and an all together ruined hangover recovery day. Thus can set you back a week or more of good. One step forward and 3 steps back.
At this point you have to ask yourself, is it worth it?
Um, yum! If you need to change up your breakfast you need to make this recipe. Nothing like going back to your yonder years with the comfort of PB&J! Crazy simple ingredients and even simpler to make and you get lots of leftovers so it makes the perfect meal prep recipe. Enough talking, get to it!
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 2 cups cashew milk or other nut milk
- 1 cups water
- 1 tblsp honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- Peanut butter (recommended - justins)
- Strawberry Blueberry Jam
- Spray your crockpot with cooking spray.
- Add all ingredients into crockpot except for the peanut butter and jam and mix well. Let cook on low for 7 hours. Add serving to a bowl and top with desired amount of peanut butter and jam.
Strawberry Blueberry Jam Recipe