How Your Cola Habit Could Be Sabotaging Your Workout Gains

I was not happy stumbling upon this finding in the New York Post.    Researchers did a recent study about soda consumption and exercise. Apparently, scientists are warning that indulging in just two cans of soda per week could pretty much cancel out all the good work you do in the gym.  How can this be true? It seems unbelievable to me to think that something such as a craving for a can of soda could pack such a punch in terms of health consequences.

The Research

Researchers at Université Laval in Quebec City kept track into the health data of about 100,000 adults over thirty years. Unfortunately, the stats they found were pretty concerning. They basically concluded that even if you are hitting that recommended 150 minutes of exercise per week, if you are drinking a couple of cans of soda, it is like you're hitting the rewind button on all those heart-healthy benefits.

It is definitely a bummer to learn that after eating right and exercising, you can mess everything up with what you are drinking.  I  put in the sweat and effort in workout regime with the idea of trying to take care of my body.  It seems so unfair that soda is undoing all that hard work.

These sugar-sweetened beverages seem harmless and the carbonation seems to satisfy our craving.  Turns out these fizzy drinks are loaded with stuff that can mess with your heart health. Apparently, no matter how much you work out, you can't fully shake off the damage they do.  According to U.S.News, physical activity reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease associated with sugar-sweetened beverages by half, but it does not fully eliminate it,” said researcher Jean-Philippe Drouin-Chartier

So by now you are probably asking, 'what are we supposed to do?' The researchers are pretty straightforward about it by saying we should need to ditch these sugary sodas altogether.  Although I do not drink soda every week, there are times I open a 2-liter bottle of Coke and feel that I need to down before it goes flat.  But if it means protecting our hearts and keeping all that effort at the gym from going to waste, maybe it's worth cutting back on the cola cravings, at least once in a while.