The Give and Take Between Alcohol and Exercise

You love the gym. You love alcohol. But do they love each other? Being alcohol-free is not necessarily the answer to a killer body.  In fact, if it weren’t for the alcohol part, beer would actually be an ideal post-workout drink due to its carbohydrates and electrolytes. The bottom line is that you don’t have to completely abstain from drinking alcohol just because you want to shed some LB’s. All you need is to understand the do’s and don’ts to be able to sip and slim.

Q: Can you drink alcohol after working out?

A: The short answer is yes of course you can drink after working out. Should you hydrate with alcohol while working out? Definitely not, but the consequences are far less traumatizing than you probably imagine. Alcohol is like everything else, calories. If you’re drinking mixers with juice that have a lot of sugars, all of a sudden you’re up 400+ calories. On the other hand drinking vodka can give you the same effects without too many extra calories.

Q: Does drinking alcohol minimize the effects of your workout?

A: After you’ve counted the calories, alcohol is not the be-all, end-all to your workout- if you do this one thing. Working out is about dropping calories, but its also about muscle growth. According to a study done by Australia’s RMIT University, without protein shakes athletes lost muscle growth by 37% when they consumed alcohol. However when workouts were followed up with whey protein shakes, protein synthesis only dropped by 24%. So if you’re going to enjoy a couple of drinks after the gym, just drink your protein shake first.

Q: How does it feel drinking alcohol after a workout?

A: So you can drink after a workout, but will you really want to. Alcohol may not have as many negative effects as you might think, but that does’t mean its completely positive. We are all fully aware that drinking alcohol comes with headache, nausea, brain fog, muscle aches- you know, hangover symptoms. Plus the higher the alcohol content, the slower delay of recovery. So if you’re asking what drinking alcohol feels like after a workout- it might feel slightly like getting hit by a bus.

Q: How long should you wait to drink after working out?

A: You might be surprised to know that not all gym-goers are super health nuts. In fact, research indicates that frequent exercisers actually drink more than non-exercisers. However, that doesn’t mean that gym buffs are heading straight to the bar after their HIIT class. There is no exact time limit that you should wait to drink after intense physical activity, but keep in mind that the critical period for body recovery is usually one hour. So, if you’re asking you should probably wait at least an hour, then its bottoms up!

Q:  What can you drink after working out?

A: Not all workouts are the same, and not all alcohol is the same either. There are several factors to think about when consuming alcohol including: calories, alcohol content, and size. This means that if you want the least negative effects on your body, the lowest calories gained, or the most recovery for your body you might want to consider vodka, light beers, tequila, champagne, and other low-calorie drinks.