Since both of the Lords of the Drinks are no regular visitors of gym clubs, here’s a guest post that might add a new dimension to our website. Harold Camaya tells you in 7 points why the desire to be in a great state physically does not mean you have to give up drinking. Camaya is a blogger who besides writing about beverages also co-authored Supercharge Organic Traffic. We can’t say we fully agree with all her points in this list, but we can’t deny her tips seem healthy and logical, so enjoy the read.

One of the most common fitness questions is probably if it’s possible to stay fit while still enjoying alcohol in regular life. While this question is frequently answered in the negative, that answer might not be totally true. It is definitely true that consuming alcohol tends to make weight loss difficult as booze is calorific in itself. Excessive drinking often causes obesity which has a series of other bad effects including heart problems, back pain etc. Hence, dieticians or trainers advise you to swap the wine for water if you’re trying to drop a belt size. However, the truth is that giving up alcohol isn’t compulsory to have a fit body or lead a balanced life. The key is to come to a middle ground by changing your general habits regarding the consumption of alcohol. You’d be surprised to know that when balanced properly, weight can be lost effectively even while keeping alcohol in your life. Here’s how…

1. Work it out daily
Every good thing comes at a price. So if you want to enjoy your booze, you’ll have to balance it out at the gym. One would argue that it’s difficult to fit workout sessions into our busy everyday schedules, there are definite ways to do it if you’re really up for it. Fitting an early morning gym session into your regular life before work is one of the best-tested methods. While waking up even earlier than you already have to sounds awful now, but it quickly becomes a habit. In fact, it comes with an added bonus of making you feel happier throughout the day due to the endorphins released by the exercise and also frees up your evening to enjoy happy hour!

2. Eat before drinking
A lot of us go into the bar hungry after an entire day of work which not only makes you drink more than you usually would but also changes the way your body metabolizes the alcohol. So no matter what, eat well before going in for a drink as alcohol consumption can lower impulse control, which can lead you to make poor choices both in terms of food and number of drinks, both of which are going to affect your waistline.

3. Drink plenty of water
It’s a commonly known fact that alcohol has a dehydrating effect on the body and the thirst hence created makes you drink even more. So it’s very important to drink enough water when consuming alcohol to replenish any water that is lost when drinking and to also avoid drinking excessively. So make it a point to drink one glass of water for every alcoholic drink. It will not only help you stay sober, but you will be thankful for it the next day as the hangover will be a lot less intense.

4. Avoid Mixed drinks and cocktails
When choosing your drinks, it’s important to understand that all drinks are not created equally in terms of calories and the fruity cocktails like piña coladas, daiquiris, premixed margaritas, and sangria are absolute bombs with almost 400 to 500 calories. A few of these drinks are equivalent to a days’ worth of calories with no food. So, try to stick to beer, wine or hard liquor with minimal to no mixer like a Hennessy VSOP if you want a bit of flavour as this has around 100 calories per serving, making it a calorically safe choice.

5. Drink in moderation
Moderation is the key to everything. It’s not drinking that harms your body, brain, and waistline but binge drinking that wreaks the havoc. So if you choose your drinks carefully and stick to the predetermined number of drinks you allowed yourself, boozing and losing weight don’t always need to be mutually exclusive. As a general rule, keep weekly drinks under 15 for men (200 lbs or higher) and under 8 for women (under 120 lbs) to still drink and maintain a healthy, fit body that works well.

6. Balance your diet
As mentioned before, balance is the key and every good thing has to come at a price. So if you want to enjoy the booze in the evening, keep your calories light and nutritional and stick to water throughout the day. For breakfast, lunch and snacks, make calorically wise choices and go for nutritious, healthy meals to earn that glass of piehole whiskey at night.

7. Avoid the greasy snacks while drinking
While we’re busy cutting back on the drinks, we sometimes forget another huge waistline killer. The junk food we usually consume with alcohol is fried, cheesy, and covered in grease, which can take a toll on your weight. What makes it worse is that alcohol changes the way we respond to these foods as it enhances the way we taste salt and fat, making the junk food seem even more irresistible. So it’s really important to stay strong and keep away from the greasy stuff while drinking.

So just remember that the key to fitness, in this case, is self-control, balance, and moderation.

Harold Camaya

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