Hello!
So this post is about my biggest obstacle when it comes to staying fit - feckin' alcohol :P
I could be doing really well, seeing significant progress from all aspects, training most days and feeling very dedicated and motivated towards my goals..then bam, one night out and I'm laid up for at least four days. As most of you might have experienced the aftermath of a standard Saturday night out, it usually goes as follows:
Sunday - Feeling utterly hungover and comfort eating
Monday - Feeling sorry for yourself after said hangover and trying to cut back after comfort eating
Tuesday - Comfort eating has subsided but not feeling motivated enough to work out
Wednesday - Might do a wee workout if you can get off the couch
Thursday - Back to training (if I'm lucky)!
So after one night out I usually mess up my fitness plan for the bones of a week... not good! :(
I try (now I say try haha!) to avoid alcohol as much as is possible, especially during the week. I used to have a sneaky glass of wine the odd evening with dinner simply because I didn't think of alcohol as a "treat" which I should have been. The amount of calories contained in alcohol is madness, a couple of glasses of wine or a pint of beer is the same as having a bar of chocolate or a bowl of ice cream so as soon as I thought of it in that way it was easier to cut it out!
There is the argument that I could get back into training if I really tried but the effects alcohol has on the body makes it so much tougher because of the following aspects:
- Hydration: Your body is left severely dehydrated after a big booze bender meaning your body won't perform as well and you'll feel weak and nauseated
- Hormones: Alcohol consumption messes with your hormone levels reducing dopamine and seratonin in the body which leads to the "booze blues" and lack of motivation
- Muscle Growth: Alcohol inhibits the absorption of protein in the body so not only are you messing up your future workouts - you're hindering the ones you've already completed too
- Fatigue: After boozing, I always need at least one days sleep to recover. Working out isn't an option I'm afraid!
Now you think after all of the above that I would stop drinking and focus on training but meh that never happens! There's always something I just have to go to at least once a month and if I don't go I feel like I'm missing out. So there's the age old advice:
- Don't get into rounds - you'll drink too fast trying to keep up
- Eat a good healthy meal before you go out
- Track your drinking - try the MyDrinkAware app!
- Have a bottle instead of a pint or add wine spritzer to dilute your wine
- Have a glass of water or a "mocktail" between drinks
All of this is so easy to advise but we all know it's so hard to actually do on a night out. The simple fact is for me at the moment though, alcohol is hindering my progression and slowing it down at the very least about 50% a month. It's frustrating because I've finally got training and diet under control, I'm at a better level of fitness than I ever was but alcohol is like my kryptonite! I can have the best resolve to train at the weekend and have my workouts planned out but the minute some event comes up, I pick the boozy bender option and training goes out the window. If I want to continue to be fit and healthy, lose weight and maintain my fitness levels - I'm gonna have to cut the alcohol out alot, if not for good until I progress to near enough where I want to be.
If you feel like you're in a similar position or if you feel like you're not making progress regardless of exercise and diet - take a wee look at your alcohol consumption. It could be the issue!
Any tips/advice anyone has or similar experiences, please feel free to share on my page, I'd love to hear them! :)
Thanks for reading,
Aoife
xxx
