I’ve got a good news/bad news situation for you today. Let’s rip off the bandaid and get the bad news out of the way first. Despite what we’ve been told for years, it turns out that moderate drinking isn’t doing your health and fitness any favors. Those 1-2 “happy hour” drinks that we’ve been told may be good for us? Nope. Not good. It all started when a team of Canadian researchers reviewed the results of 107 different studies about alcohol use. They tracked data from more than 4.8 million people — and they found that the old studies were flawed. A quick rundown of their findings: People who have 2 drinks each day do NOT have a reduced risk of death than those who don't drink at all, which is different than what we used to think. People who drink about 2 drinks a day do NOT have any health benefits from drinking those drinks, again debunking previous misconceptions. Worse: Women who drank 25 or more grams of alcohol per day and men who drank 45 or more grams per day had a higher risk of death from any cause. Unrelated to that study — but still related to YOU and your goals — alcohol has always been problematic when it comes to your health and fitness. It slows your workout recovery by raising cortisol, lowering testosterone, and slowing protein synthesis It can flip you into “hungry” mode and can affect your judgment about your food choices It is packed with empty calories It is linked with unhealthy belly fat It can upset your sleep, throwing your hunger hormones out of whack So right now you might be wondering what the good news is. Here it is: NOW WE KNOW. And that helps you make informed choices for your long-term health! No one is saying you CAN’T or SHOULDN’T indulge once in a while. But when you do, at least now you have the full story — and there is a lot of power in that. As I always say, it’s the little things that you do regularly that have the biggest impact on your health and your goals. Make it an amazing day! - Jake Thompson Owner/Founder, AXIS Training Studio REFERENCES: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2802963 www.healthline.com/health/fitness/drinking-after-workout www.healthline.com/health/alcohol-and-weight-loss