Dear dailymuscle,

I'm 21 years old and trying to quit doing the unhealthy things I do to my body and here's my problem. I started smoking and drinking a couple of months ago (vodka), and last night was one of the nights I went overboard and drank way too much. I hate the terrible, worthless feeling I get the next day as I don't feel like training at the gym today due to this feeling. I just feel like staying in bed all day..

I know this is a stupid question but would smoking and drinking affect my gym training (I know it affects cardio cause it screws up your lungs)?

~the thirsty trainer

Dear thirsty trainer,

Thanks for writing in.

Drinking and smoking while trying to achieve practically any fitness goal are the exact opposites and dont mix. Drinking can compromise your goals especially if fatloss is one of them. I've read that the liver can take days to get rid of the alcohol in ones body and so one of its main jobs of filtering fat comes to a standstill and it packs it away for processing later (which never comes of course).

Still not convinced? Okay try this - have a can of beer (or any other alcoholic beverage) just before your workout and let me know if you have a productive workout.

It's a matter of priorities, especially at your young age of which path you want to choose. Many people think that they can counteract their smoking and drinking habits by doing enough exercise, not realising that they are only fooling themselves of the harm they are doing to themselves.

There is research out there that says alcohol in moderation has benefits, but I would not recommend anyone that doesn't drink to start solely for these benefits. Hey, Schwarzenegger smokes cigars too, however, I believe that they are the exceptions. I'd rather stay away from it if I were you.

You know what the right decision is - otherwise you wouldnt be asking about it here ;)

Good luck!