Exercise and Alcohol

Numerous questions arise about how to balance alcohol and exercise. Consuming or refraining from alcohol is firstly a lifestyle choice. If your social circle enjoys hanging out at bars, drinking at events or consume alcohol in social situations eschewing alcohol may make you feel a bit awkward. It may also not be the lifestyle choice you are looking for at the time. Assuming that drinking will continue to be a part of your life (not in the alcoholic type of way but in the social context) the next step is to better understand your goals and how to fit these adult beverages into your life. BEER: Beer is made of up (traditionally) of three ingredients: wheat, barley and hops. Wheat and barley are grains, and hops. The presence of grains makes beer non-Paleo friendly but if you do not follow the Paleo lifestyle this becomes a non-issue. But what about calorie and nutritional content. Bud Light Lime - 116 calories (12 oz bottle) with 8g of carbs and 1g of protein. Yards Pale Ale - 138 calories (12 oz bottle) with 9g of carbs and 1g of protein. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA - 209 calories (12 oz bottle) with 23g of carbs and 0g of protein. Troegs Dreamweaver - 164 calories (12 oz bottle) with 13g of carbs and 0g of protein. Miller Lite - 96 calories (12 oz bottle) with 3.2g of carbs and 0g of protein. Sam Adams Octoberfest - 190 calories (12 oz bottle) with 18.7g of carbs and 0g of protein. Goose Island Honkers Ale - 154 calories (12 oz bottle) with 17g of carbs and 0g of protein. WINE Made up of fermented grapes wine scores high on the Paleo scale and gives added bonus of antioxidants like resveratrol (as do mulberries). Most red wines (cabernet, cabernet franc, merlot, barbera, syrah)contain 120-130 calories per 5oz pour and 3-4.5g carbs per serving. That would mean an entire bottle of red wine is approx. 600-650 calories per bottle. Most white wines (chardonnay, sav blanc, pinot grigio)contain 120 per 5oz pour and 3-4.5g carbs per serving. That would mean an entire bottle of red wine is approx. 600-calories per bottle. Mixed Drinks (source http://www.calwineries.com/learn/wine-and-health/science-of-wine-and-health/calories) 10 oz Margarita – 550 Calories (4 oz. tequila, 4 oz. margarita/sour mix, 2 oz. triple sec, lime juice, 1 tsp. sugar) 9 oz. Mai Tai – 620 Calories (3 oz. Light Rum, 2 oz. Dark Rum, 1 oz. Crème de Almond, 1 oz. Triple Sec, 1 oz. Sweet and Sour Mix, 1 oz. Pineapple Juice) 12 oz. Piña Colada – 586 Calories (3 oz. Rum, 3 oz. Coconut Cream, 6 oz. Pineapple Juice) 6 oz. Mud Slide – 556 Calories (1.5 oz. Vodka, 1.5 oz. Kahlua, 1.5 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream, 1.5 oz. Half-and-Half) 10 oz. Long Island Ice Tea – 543 Calories (1.5 oz Vodka, 1.5 oz Rum, 1.5 oz Tequila, 1.5 oz Gin, 1.5 oz Triple Sec, 2 oz Sweet and Sour, 0.5 oz Cola) Whiskey /Bourbon Grain mash (or corn mash) is not certainly not 'Paleo' but again if that is not your style let us review the contents. A 2oz pour of Bourbon has 140 calories and less than 1g of carbs A 2oz pour of Jack Daniels has 130 calories and less than 1g of carbs Now that we have examined calories and nutrients how does this fit into your fitness lifestyle? If we push the envelope being hungover for your 30-90 minute workout session (if you go) is not going to be at 100%. As you are drinking the night before you are already affecting your performance for the following day. Let us now assume getting drunk is out of the question but instead general social drinking. I consume about 2700 calories a day to maintain my current weight so 2 10oz Margaritas already has accounted for 1/3 of my total daily calories. For 20oz of margarita's we could substitute 1 bottle (750ml) of red wine and still have 400 calories remaining. Our craft beer drinkers are almost drinking at a 2:1 ratio of calories compared to our light beer drinkers. The summary: If you are on an exercise plan and you are not making the progress you expected take some time to review what your body is consuming from a liquid perspective. If the blasphemy of switching from craft beer to light beer is unappealing reevaluate your goals and objectives. Red/White wine are Paleo friendly and a half bottle consumed accounts for roughly 300 calories or 1.5 bottles of dogfish head 60 minute IPA. 3+ Mixed Drinks can consume triple or more of the calories burned by your morning workout session. Being smarter about drinking may help you achieve your end goals faster!