Is it time to try dry January?
Dry January has been kicking around for a long while now, so let’s have a look at the benefits of abstaining from alcohol for an extended period of time.
Alcohol can be considered as a source of energy, due to the unique way it’s metabolised in the body. Alcohol is both water soluble and fat soluble, meaning it can pass through all the cells and tissues in the body.
Due to this unique nature, the body must convert alcohol. It’s intitially converted into acetaldehyde – now this is toxic to the body, so definitely not good. It’s then further converted into acetate that the body can use as an energy source.
This conversion is necessary to limit the damage of the toxic substances. All of these complex processes happen in the liver and require a lot of energy and is often why alcohol is referred to as ’empty calories’.
Alcohol effects
The effects of alcohol leading to the drunk feeling stems from the acetaldehyde. Some of this can cross the blood brain barrier, leading to a disruption in neuronal activity in the prefrontal cortex. This area is involved in thinking, planning and suppression of impulsive behaviour – I think we can all relate to this at some point or another.
Alcohol also suppresses the neural networks involved in memory formation and storage, impacting these very features in our brains.
Consumption of food, particularly a well balanced meal, prior to drinking alcohol, will slow the rate of absorption into the bloodstream. Unfortunatley, however, if you eat something when you’re already drunk, it won’t reduce your drunkeness, so your 2am burger isn’t likely to change your behaviour.
Regular alcohol consumption can also disrupt the bacteria that are housed in the gut. This protective microbiome can be killed off by alcohol, leading to inflammation caused by the gut barrier failing. Increased inflammation is associated with a number of health conditions.
A temporary boost
Alcohol can temporarily boost your mood whilst it causes short term hyperactivity and increases the production of serotonin. This is short lived and as the serotonin drops along with your mood, then the desire to reach out for another drink begins.
We often reach for a drink during times of stress, yet what you perhaps don’t realise is alcohol disrupts the crucial relationship between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and the adrenals and those who are regular drinkers often have an elevated baseline of cortisol.
This can mean increased levels of anxiety and stress – the very things you’re trying to relieve.
As you can see, there’s a number of reasons why trying a period of abstinence from alcohol could make a big difference to your overall health.
Combatting the Winter Blues
We’re moving into a period of the year where we start to feel like hibernating during the Winter months, and this can really coincide with the ‘Winter blues’. This can manifest itself in a number of different ways, with feelings of low mood, tiredness and lethargy and an increased frequency of colds and coughs. We can also sometimes see a drop in mental focus and acuity. Thankfully there are interventions we can implement that can definitely help to ward off these feelings.
Stick to a sleep pattern – it’s really tempting to sleep in on dark mornings, but keeping to a consistent sleep/wake cycle is really important. Our body runs on internal clocks and systems, keeping these running timely keeps the body in harmony.
Reduce screen time in the evening – this will help to promote quality sleep. Most screens emit a blue light or a bright white light that contains blue light. It’s the color of the daytime sky. It tells the pineal gland in our brain that it is morning, time to be awake. That is one of the reasons it’s hard to sleep properly after staring at a screen (TV, computer or phone) all evening.
Daily movement and exercise – We all too often think that our movement and exercise is to solely help our physical being when in reality for many of us exercise provides a greater benefit to our mental health, with studies showing that exercise can have a positive influence on mood.
Complete small tasks – having some easy to accomplish tasks throughout the day is a postive way for acheiving quick wins. Sometimes monumental tasks at work or home can seem daunting and overwhelming, adding to the sense of underachievement and low mood.
Get outside – making the most of whatever Winter sun there is can help lift your mood, especially at midday or on brighter days. So, why not take a few minutes of your lunch break to walk outside? This is not only good for your mental health, but physical health, so it’s a win-win. If inside, try to sit by a window and open your blinds or curtains to allow natural sunlight in. And if you’re working from home, try to position your desk near a window.
Vitamin D – important for maintaining healthy bones and teeth, vitamin D is created by the body from direct sunlight on the skin when we’re outside. It can also be found in a small number of unfortified and fortified foods. Low levels of vitamin D have been found in people with SAD, so it might be worth adding a vitamin D supplement to your diet, particularly during October and March as, according to the NHS, it’s almost impossible to get enough vitamin D from sunlight alone during these months. Government advice is that everyone should consider taking a 10 microgram daily vitamin D supplement during autumn and winter.
Communicate and be around people – it’s good to talk. Communicating with others and talking about how you feel is vitally important and should be encouraged – you’ll be surprised how many people are feeling the same way. Join a group exercise class to meet like minded people, not only does it help you physically, but you’ll get the social benefit too.
Exercise physiology
has come a long way over the past 15 years and is finally catching up with real life in some aspects. Typically, research has been carried out or based on male subjects between 19 and 55, which unfortunately skews training methods for 50% of the population.
Thankfully, the balance is being redressed and we’re now understanding the role hormones play throughout the course of the menstrual cycle in relation to exercise and physiology. This helps both female individuals understand their bodies in greater detail with regards to exercise, and professional coaches and trainers base their programming for their clients and athletes on individual needs.
Follicular phase
The cycle can, in simple terms be thought of as two phases. Phase 1 is the follicular phase and the second phase is the luteal phase.
Typically, a cycle will follow a 28-day pattern, therefore we’re referring to two 14-day periods of time where the hormone levels will go through significant changes.
During the follicular phase, the levels of oestogen and progesterone are lowered and the androgens, testosterone, and free testosterone are at their highest.
This allows the body to access stored energy in the form of carbohydrates and also make use of increased androgens to increase muscular strength 1. This first phase is a key time to incorporate high-intensity exercise and focus on resistance training. Typically, this is where we’d see PB’s in the weights room.
The body has just lost blood, therefore there is an increased demand for iron. This is important to understand from a nutritional aspect as the body will be craving iron 2.
Animal sources of iron such as red meat, poultry, and quality sources of fish should be added to the diet for nonvegetarians. Plant-based iron sources should also be included, such as whole grains, beans, peas, chickpeas, lentils, and soybeans.
Due to the blood loss and uterine lining shedding there are a few days of increased inflammation in the early part of the follicular phase 3, so increasing anti-inflammatory foods around this first half is key. Adding in oily fish such as salmon, herring, sardines, and mackerel provides essential omega-3 fatty acids that help to decrease inflammation. Reducing inflammation will help with exercise recovery and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Body temperature is slightly lower in the follicular phase of the cycle which can help cope with intense exercise efforts. It’s also the time to think about including exercises such as hot yoga when the body is able to cope with increased temperatures.
Luteal phase
The luteal phase in the second half of the cycle sees a shift where the body, physiologically is preparing for either pregnancy or your next period subject to conception. This results in elevated levels of oestrogen and progesterone, which reduces the anabolic capacity of muscles 4. Therefore it’s advisable to change the focus from higher intensity work and heavy lifting to lower aerobic and muscular endurance exercise. This can also be a good time to include lower-intensity classes such as Pilates and Yoga, where the impact is also lower on joints.
Heart rate can also be increased during the luteal phase 5., so understanding that sessions may push you into different heart rate zones is important. Dialing back on these sessions and maintaining the correct zones is important for overall cardiovascular health and minimising injury risk or overtraining.
This elevated hormone profile requires an increased energy and fluid demand so fuelling and water intake becomes important. Ensuring nutrient intake is optimal will provide sufficient energy for exercise during this phase. The risk of dehydration is higher due to this elevated demand for fluids from the elevated hormones, which means the athlete needs to be mindful of fluid intake. With elevated temperatures there is also likely to be increased fluid loss from sweat, increasing the demand for fluid intake.
This reduction in anabolism means recovery is particularly important, with rest periods and rest days aiding recovery and limiting the risk of injury. Ensuring protein intake is optimal will aid this phase and reduce DOMS. It’s normal to feel hungrier in the second half of the cycle with an increased energy demand, however, it’s still important to choose sensible foods ensuring there’s a balance between carbohydrate intake from complex sources, lean protein, and essential, healthy fats.
Conclusion
These two different phases are important to health and performance and adapting your training around this is a sensible way of managing your body. It’s also important to be aware from a psychological standpoint as many amateur and professional athletes strive to improve. We’re often our own worst critics if we don’t hit ‘the numbers’ every session. Understanding that physiologically you’re body will cope with different types of exercise during different phases of the month helps you to adapt your focus and not be so overly critical.
1. Sung E, Han A, Hinrichs T, Vorgerd M, Manchado C, Platen P. Effects of follicular versus luteal phase-based strength training in young women. Springerplus. 2014 Nov 11;3:668. doi: 10.1186/2193-1801-3-668. PMID: 25485203; PMCID: PMC4236309.
2.Wohlgemuth KJ, Arieta LR, Brewer GJ, Hoselton AL, Gould LM, Smith-Ryan AE. Sex differences and considerations for female specific nutritional strategies: a narrative review. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021 Apr 1;18(1):27. doi: 10.1186/s12970-021-00422-8. PMID: 33794937; PMCID: PMC8015182.
3.Gursoy AY, Caglar GS, Kiseli M, Pabuccu E, Candar T, Demirtas S. CRP at early follicular phase of menstrual cycle can cause misinterpretation for cardiovascular risk assessment. Interv Med Appl Sci. 2015 Dec;7(4):143-6. doi: 10.1556/1646.7.2015.4.2. PMID: 26767119; PMCID: PMC4701164.
4. Kalkhoff, R.K. (1982). Metabolic effects of progesterone. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, [online] 142(6 Pt 2), pp.735–738. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/s0002-9378(16)32480-2.
5.McKinley PS, King AR, Shapiro PA, Slavov I, Fang Y, Chen IS, Jamner LD, Sloan RP. The impact of menstrual cycle phase on cardiac autonomic regulation. Psychophysiology. 2009 Jul;46(4):904-11. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2009.00811.x. Epub 2009 Apr 6. PMID: 19386049; PMCID: PMC4451597.