Brains & Biceps

Brains & Biceps

A Weekly Column By Laura Kline, BSN-RN and future NPC Figure Competitor

Drinking & Dieting

As many of you know, or anyone who has read my interview on Jason’s blog, I used to drink and party.. A LOT! From about the age of 14 until 17 I drank alcohol, I smoked a lot of pot and I did other things I will not mention that I am not so proud of! After I graduated high school and went to college I started drinking again occasionally and anytime I had a summer or winter break I would take it upon myself to party my little butt off! Certainly not everyday but enough to keep me at plateaus during my constant dieting/training. I could not ever lose those extra five or ten pounds and alcohol is what I partly blame it on! There was one point that I gave up alcohol when I was around 19 or 20 years old and my body did wonders, but of course I started up again seeing as how it was the thing ‘to do.’

For the last year and a half I have probably drank about 20 times total and have only gotten a little ‘trashed’ four times that I can clearly remember. Each of those times I was reminded why I kept alcohol out of my life, the first day afterwards I was hung over and then the following few days my body decided it would be weak and I would always end up sick! Not to mention the major guilt trip that I had for consuming so many excessive calories. Trying to burn off alcohol is quite the ass kicker. It takes longer to break down alcohol than to break down any other nutrient in the body so therefore it is more likely to be converted to fat which NOBODY wants! Certainly if drinking is done in moderation and not enjoyed in a overly excessive manner then it should not cause a problem in one’s life.

Since getting prepared for my first figure competition I have removed all alcohol from my life. This isn’t really a problem for me because I enjoy living a sober life. It does seem to bother some people around me however. At work people constantly talk about going home and drinking on a regular basis which just blows my mind. Anytime I did it in the past year and a half it was always on an occasion. It is difficult to actually meet anyone that does not drink as their social outlet. The last few men that I have been approached by will strike up a conversation and it quickly turns into a “where do you drink” situation. When I tell them I don’t really drink they are surprised, and question me. When I tell them it is for my training they either back off or start to tell me that it is possible to drink and train at the same time. But what they don’t understand is that they are wrong first off and that I actually do not want to drink! As if there is nothing else in this world to do other than to get tipsy! Come on fellas! Sure the city I live in (Dallas, TX) is not very conducive to a fit lifestyle but certainly there are more creative and enjoyable things to do rather than throw one back.

So my conclusion to this article is to tell everyone not to be afraid to remove alcohol from your lives or to just limit it. Not only will it save you calories but it will probably save you from making unwise decisions which could result in life changing consequences. If your friends can not handle the change then maybe you should reexamine who you are hanging out with. My father is extremely supportive of me not drinking seeing as how he hasn’t really drank since he was my age. It just wasn’t his thing, he liked to pursue his ambitions in life just like me; fitness at one point, but mostly his music & art. He is still up to the same hobbies and he gets better at them everyday, without alcohol. If you hope to make more advances in your health try cutting back on the alcohol a little bit, you’ll be happy you did (and so will I!!)!

“Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become.”