TGG002: How to Balance Booze with Fitness
FOCUS OF THE WEEK: Balancing Booze & Fitness
“All I know are these two things: I’m never drinking again, and I may die if someone doesn’t bring me some Pedialyte pronto.” We’ve all had these thoughts racing through our mind as we reach for our cracked iPhone, deleting heinous Snapchat selfies from the night before. You remember that this was supposed to be your healthy week! Chugging water, making yourself enjoy kale, going to the gym early. But alas, here you are slightly nauseous and ordering Chipotle, binging the Ted Bundy docu-series from your bed at one in the afternoon.
But...what if the story unfolded differently? What if you had a fun night out, which you remember in its entirety, and awoke feeling - dare I say it - fine? Friends, this guide will show you that there are ways to drink without sabotaging your fitness goals. Sit back, slurp some kombucha, and learn how to make healthier choices when going out.
How booze impacts your body
This newsletter is never about shaming. It’s about providing information to equip you with the knowledge you need to make decisions that are right for you. For that reason, you first need to know what exactly is happening in your body when you’re at happy hour and take those first few sips of Corona.
For the hours following drinking, your liver puts in work breaking down the booze, which eventually flows into your bloodstream and reaches just about every organ. Judgment, cognitive function, and motor skills slow. As this process repeats night after night, it can translate to scarring of the liver (cirrhosis), higher blood pressure, and increased risk for certain cancers, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.
Then there’s those other effects of alcohol... you know which ones. Never getting over your ex because you drunk dial her every time you’re a couple shots deep, feeling gross from going to town on an entire box of Domino’s at 3 am, leaving yourself with no more than $2.37 in your bank account because buying a round for everyone seemed like an excellent idea. And of course, skipping a workout because you’re too hungover to move.
How does booze impact your exercise? I’ll leave it to Jeffrey Siegel to help explain. When your muscles are exposed to stress (“stress” meaning strength training), your muscle fibers experience little muscle tears, but like, good tears. Molecules called cytokines swoop in, acting as mini repair workers who fix up the tears and make those areas stronger than they were before. As the cycle of damage followed by repair happens again and again, you experience “gains” (your muscles get stronger). For this repair to happen, you need the proper hormones, nutrition & rest.
Here’s the thing - drinking shifts your body’s attention away from muscle recovery, instead focusing on metabolizing the booze you’re consuming. Making matters worse, drinking greatly disrupts your sleep (aka prime recovery time), further hampering muscle growth.
Bottom line: no matter how hard you bust your butt at the gym, hitting the bar afterwards means hitting the breaks on recovery and muscle growth.
Enough of this fearmongering! Give me some advice!
Here are my top 10 tips on balancing drinking with a healthy lifestyle
Plan. Pick which day(s) of the week you’re going out. That way, you can also plan out sober activities, like which nights to study for an exam or go to the movies with friends. Planning allows me to stay in control of my time and body. As an example, on Sundays I like to sign up for a couple morning workout classes later in the week and make plans with friends to grab dinner.
Water. This one is too easy to skip. I drink from my Swell all day long, so filling it up and placing it on my nightstand before going out takes zero effort. You’ll wake up at 4 am and chug that bad boy like you’ve spent the last three years in the Sahara.
Speaking of water - ever want to slow down on drinking, but don’t feel like explaining yourself? Order a water and toss a lime in it. Voila! “Vodka” soda!
Maybe if my roommate would just refill our Brita from time to time...
3. Keep track. Take mental note of how many drinks you’ve had. One way to keep the count low is to order what you actually want to drink. By splurging on the piña colada you’ve been craving, you’re more likely to sip slowly in enjoyment and less likely to overdo it on something less satisfying.
4. Don’t drink while eating. Sounds weird, but hear me out: how often do we use water or alcohol to guzzle down the food we’re eating, rather than consume mindfully? I’ve begun to stop drinking altogether during a meal, resuming once I’m done. Hitting pause on booze while I eat helps me slow down and avoid overindulging.
5. Eat before going out. According to Alexis Halpern, MD, food acts like a buffer, slowing the speed at which alcohol enters the bloodstream and decreasing the likelihood of getting sick or super hungover. For dinner I opt for a mix of carbs and protein that’s easy to whip up while I’m getting ready, such as an almond butter & banana sandwich on whole wheat.
Speaking of food, I encourage you to outsmart your drunk eating. If you know you’ll be craving food by the time you head home, ensure there are healthy leftovers in the fridge or leave a snack like Beanitos out on the counter. You’ll save yourself $$ and regrets.
6. Order smart. If you’ll be having numerous drinks, it’s good to know which are better - light beer, dry champagne, vodka soda, gin and tonic - and which are worse - heavy beer, piña coladas, margaritas, long islands, and any drinks clearly loaded with sugar.
So you’re saying slushies aren’t healthy!!?
7. Be super healthy when you’re alone. This is a great principle that can become habit. By eating really well by yourself, you have a little wiggle room to indulge from time to time at social gatherings. For me, I like a daily salad so that I can let loose a bit when in the company of loved ones. Big added bonus: by being healthy alone, you’re likelier to pick healthy options when out to eat with groups.
Hummus plate appetizer, anyone?
8. Light fasting. Feel gross after a big evening of eating and drinking? Try sipping on water or electrolyte-replenishing drinks in the AM and holding off on food until lunchtime. If you have time, listen to a woman who truly does not age discuss the wonders of fasting.
9. Keep working out. I say this with love: suck it up. *Do not put yourself in harm’s way by exercising while still drunk or too hungover. But whether it’s hitting the gym for a quick 30 minutes or taking your dog for a good walk, stop feeling sorry for yourself long enough to get out and move for a bit. Not only will this help you stay on track after going out, but it also increases your chances of reaching for healthier foods when you’re hungry later on.
10. And the last tip of all is to think long term. You can read this newsletter all you want, but there’s no free lunch. If you really want that tone in your legs or to shed those last five pounds, you need to maintain a long-term mindset. I know going out can be a blast, but trust me, there will always be another team happy hour or friend-of-a-friend’s birthday dinner. Like I’ve said: Easy choices, hard life. Hard choices, easy life.
The words “never” and “always” don’t have much appeal to me. Striking a balance between drinking and maintaining health goals can be tough, but by planning ahead and testing routines, you can put in place rules and boundaries to help you navigate the tricky terrain.
P.S. I love you all and want bright, beautiful futures for each one of you. Protect yourself by knowing your limits, pacing yourself, going out with friends who have your back, and trusting only sober drivers to take you home.