Alcohol and fitness

[goose21]

I love beer and its one of my biggest set backs. My family is also beer lovers so if we have any family gatherings their is plenty of it. How does everyone handle that when they are trying to get into shape? I decided I can have 1 day a week where I get 2 beers and 1 day a week where I can have more than that. Problem is if I have too many beers than my diet usually goes to shit also.

What does everyone else do?

 

[Warren1726]

For fitness and financial reasons I've taken to not drinking beer on weekdays. I'll drink 8ish beers from Friday-Sunday. Beer is just calories, so if you account for them it's fine. Actually, beer is a good after run drink due to the high water content and carbs.

 

[5MilesBack]

Depends on how much of a "fitness nut" you want to be. Just know and understand that alcohol is a poison to the body.....no two ways around that. And beer carbs are empty carbs that usually go to one's waistline.

 

[Poser]

I've settled into this mindset lately: No drinking on training days.

As I understand it, drinking can send your body into a recovery tailspin, so whether its reaping the benefits of Interval Training or repairing muscles from a strength workout, its going to compromise the hard work you did. Most weeks I workout 5 days a week, so I'll usually drink something on at least one of those nights, sometimes both. Every couple of weeks or so, I'll have a party to go to or a show or some other excuse to "tie one on", regret it the next day and get it out of my system for awhile. Its good for morale and sometimes it is necessary. I try not to overthink it or worry about it too much. Hell, my gym has parties a couple of times a year where we do competition based workout and pop beers immediately after, but that's, by far, an exception and the older you get, the more of a toll it takes on you.

 

[307]

Depends on how much of a "fitness nut" you want to be. Just know and understand that alcohol is a poison to the body.....no two ways around that. And beer carbs are empty carbs that usually go to one's waistline.

...yet people who drink alcohol in moderation live longer than those who abstain...

 

[5MilesBack]

...yet people who drink alcohol in moderation live longer than those who abstain...

Yet another mystery in life. In my lifetime I've probably consumed more than all of RS combined, so I'm already out of that equation. The only thing I've got going for me is longevity genes.......which I keep trying to shorten so I'm not stuck in the nursing home for the last 10 years of my life.

 

[MULEPACKHUNTER]

Everything in moderation. Don't let it be a habit and you will be fine. If you drink it because you enjoy it and not for the buz your OK. If your going for a buz you need to seek help. I myself drink crown and I do it for the buz and I stay in shape and I'm happy so that's my balance. Common sense moderation is how I look at it. Same with fitness, work out too much and you will lose ground.

 

[Ross]

Like anything moderation is key..I will drink 6oz of wine with dinner many nights of the week, occasionally a beer or two but 99% of the time stop at one...we all need to have a small vice or two. Mine is the glass of wine and buy too much hunting clothing burn more than consume is always my motto.

 

[Take-a-knee]

I'll drink 8ish beers from Friday-Sunday. Beer is just calories, so if you account for them it's fine. Actually, beer is a good after run drink due to the high water content and carbs.

It isn't "just calories" it's alcohol, and your body treats the alcohol like carbohydrate. I think you are correct about the after-run thing but I think Poser may be right about alcohol inhibiting recovery. If you have a drink for a nightcap, a beer or glass of wine with a few almonds and two ounces of turkey or chicken will "zone". What you eat before you retire for the evening is probably more important than any other time of the day.

As for alcohol and longevity, it is the classic J-curve graph, IE, one or two ounces of alcohol daily lowers the death rate below the mean, more raises, and finally exceeds, the mean. If you are gettin' buzzed regularly, you are likely shortening your life. There is also a fairly strong link between ANY regular alcohol consumption and several types of cancer, this is fairly well established for females and breast cancer.

 

[Owens]

I have 1 or 2 beers most nights of the week. I also run about 40 miles a week. I'm sure I could be a better runner if I drank less beer and ate better. But I'm not a professional runner and I like beer. Just don't drink to excess...

 

[goose21]

Working on the moderation part. I am pretty good for the most part, but if 5 buddies show up with beer its usually a lot of bullshit flying and beer drinking til the wives call and order us home. I am allowing myself one night a week to have a couple beers and that is working pretty well for now

 

[Jason Snyder]

I love beer. I probably have one beer 4-5 nights per week. I rarely ever drink more than one, but I on occasion I will drink several. However, that's never a habit.

Enjoy good beer, and drink it in moderation. Cold Smoke is one of my new favorites.

 

[Finch]

Nowadays I think of beer as a treat unlike I did several years ago. I skip buying the cheap stuff and buy the $10-12 sixpacks and TRY to drink only a couple in one sitting. Quality beer stretched out over a period of time is the way to go. Usually two is enough to get me where I want to be.

 

[Trial153]

Everything in moderation ....I am good for about a six pack of good beer a week, regardless of of training or not.
It would be a rare not night that my wife doesn't have a glass or three of wine and she could run me into the ground .....