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Let’s face it: If you are above the drinking age, then most of you will drink alcohol. Some may drink occasionally at social gatherings, others may drink a bit more regularly, and if you are at uni you are probably drinking a bit more…

 

As we all probably know, alcohol is generally not good for us. Yes, there is the occasional ‘a glass of wine a day is good for you’ arguments, but let’s not lie to ourselves – alcohol can ruin lives, both physically, emotionally and mentally.

 

That (really depressing point) being said, alcohol is a large part of our social lives (mine included), and it will not kill us if we drink responsibly. Giving up drinking is simply not an option for the majority of you unless it involves on missing out on a load of fun.

 

When it comes to achieving your fitness goals is alcohol really that bad? Let me show you what effect it can have and how to balance alcohol to still enjoy fitness and life.

 

NOTE: This is not a health guide. I am no doctor, and will definitely not pretend to be one… we all know that it would be probably healthiest to stop drinking alcohol, and in no way am I about to say how it can actually benefit you. If you want to see detailed health effects of alcohol please visit a Government/NHS/Drink Aware! website.

 

Problem 1: Calories

 

Alcohol is filled with calories. A 175ml glass of wine contains around 160 calories, a pint of beer containers up to 250 calories per pint, whilst typical shots of liquors containing around 100 calories (and do not forget the extra calories of the coke/lemonade if having a mixer – typically pushing it to 150 cals). As you can see after a few drinks you can easily be clocking in over 500 calories, which could be over 25% of your total daily intake.

 

Alcohol also leads to bad food decisions. Whenever I drink I get seriously hungry, and not for healthy chicken salads… I want shockingly horrifying kebabs and McDonalds.

 

How to balance this with fitness: Calories are the biggest factor in weight loss/weight gain, and drinking calories is one of the worst ways to consume them as you do not feel full after them.

 

The best way to balance this is to plan in advance – if you know you are going out drinking plan ahead; track your calories for the day and include a space for drinks and any food you will expect yourself to consume; you should consider this method. This will allow you to ensure that you reach your calorie and protein goal whilst being able to have fun. It will also help with setting a limit if you are someone who tends to have one drink too many…

 

Problem 2: Gym Performance and Commitment

 

This is more of an issue for more regular drinkers; if you are going out and drinking regularly you may:

 

1) not allocate yourself enough time to go to the gym

2) not perform optimally in the gym

 

As I have preached before, consistency = progress and accomplishment, and drinking may get in the way of that.

 

If you are drinking too much, then alcohol could also inhibit your performance in the gym, especially if you are a morning gym goer. If you are not able to get a good workout in then you may be seriously missing out on some serious progress; this will only make you less motivated as you will not be seeing results.

 

How to balance this with fitness: To ensure that your fitness goals remain a priority I would suggest you make an effort to reduce your quantity of drinking and frequency of it too. You do not have to remove drinking out of your life completely, just try and not get absolutely plastered…

 

If you are at university and there is a particular night where you all go out and hit the town, plan your gym routine around this by taking your rest day the day after; this will be a lot better than planning and failing to do a workout.

 

Like I have said before, this guide is to help balance alcohol and fitness to be able to still improve your body whilst still being able to enjoy your life. Of course, I advise that you drink less to increase both your short-term and long-term health, but you do not have to cut it out completely to still see great fitness results.

 

-Mike

 

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