Alcohol and Exercise (not at the same time)

Drinking does not affect my motivation or ability to exercise.

I get off work, go to the gym, come home and get ready to cook dinner. I find grilling goes better with a cold one or two. Could be discipline, could be routine, but the latter doesn't affect the former.

Two or more glasees of wine and I lose all motivation. Also get hungover VERY easily as I am older (63). I also don't sleep well and tend to binge eat when I have had a few. I usually only have a few once a week so it works out ok.

goal06082021 wrote: »

At this point exercise is a habit and firmly part of my routine, I don't need to be "motivated" to do it any more than I need to be "motivated" to brush my teeth or go to work.

I don't drink to the point of being hungover anymore, either - I don't like hangovers (find me someone who does though tbf). I also have found that I only enjoy being drunk for like, ten minutes, before I'm just dizzy and sleepy and not having fun anymore, so it's rarely worth drinking that much. I consume alcoholic beverages mostly because I like the taste of them, at this point; I might get a little buzzed but I haven't been proper drunk in years. Like, I'll enjoy a craft beer with dinner, or maybe a (small, measured) glass of something nice for dessert if I've got space in the budget for it. I'm a fan of gin and scotch, mostly. Not together, of course, that would be gross. Just, those are my spirits of choice, if it's a liquor kind of night.

This is me too. My tolerance is rather low at this point but I'm OK with that because to me it's about enjoying my drink (just one usually) and socializing. For me the bigger concern is food - I'm much more likely to have my inhibitions lowered to the point where I'll just go ahead and continue eating because I feel like it, and the rational side of my brain can't catch up fast enough to say it's not a good idea.

Staying properly hydrated also helps with avoiding hangovers or just that general blah feeling the next day (for some reason I frequently have cold-like symptoms the day after consuming alcohol, not just a headache - which has definitely been an incentive to lessen consumption).

I do exercise, and I do drink. (I'm also old, 65, and non-large, 5'5" and 125lbs, which some above have found relevant, but I kinda don't, except that thin me gets more intoxicated on smaller amounts of alcohol than fat me did, not surprisingly: That's a portion-size or frequency adjustment, similar to other food/drink, just for slightly different reasons.)

I'm not sure what you (OP) mean by "a few drinks". It's pretty rare that I'd drink to the point of what I'd consider true hangover - can't remember the last time, but can't say never. Once in a while, some combination of drink, food, maybe staying up late, but for sure compromised sleep quality - that will leave me feeling sub-par in the morning: A little foggy cognitively, low energy, just generally sub-par.

My morning exercise is "appointment exercise": I'm meeting friends at the river to row. (Pre-pandemic, I had AM spin classes at the Y, too.) Even feeling sub-par, I gather my (bleep) together, get dressed/ready, eat something, and go do it. My performance may not be as good as if I didn't drink, ate nutritiously, slept well . . . but it's good enough to do the thing. Afterward, I feel better.

I do other exercise that's not "by appointment", like bike rides, or machine rowing in Winter. I usually do those things in the afternoon/evening by preference, not being a morning person, so really no effect from moderate indulgence the night before.

NorthCascades wrote: »

I didn't realize you were supposed to separate alcohol and exercise. ☹️ I thought that's why those dogs had kegs around their necks.

I remember one coach (teaching a coaching class) saying "masters rowing is all about the beer". It's a mild exaggeration. Maybe.😉

P.S. I think we use rescue dolphins.

"When it comes to professional sports, the answer is obvious and unambiguous: they are incompatible. Alcohol has a predominantly negative effect on the body. It slows down recovery processes worsens the physical condition. At the professional level, it is unwise to give opponents such a head start. If you have problems with this, it is better to refer to a specialist psychotherapist or the site https://www.theluckiestclub.com/join-community Another thing, if by sport we mean amateur engagement in any physical activity, whether it be swimming, playing tennis on weekends or a morning jog. Here the situation is not so clear-cut. Of course, taking alcohol and physical activity should be separated in time, at least for a day or two. Before forcing the body to work intensively, it makes sense to give it time to recover and neutralize the consequences of drinking.
"

EMc8800 wrote: »

Firstly this is to people who do like a tipple 🤔

Two questions:

How do you maintain your motivation the day after a few drinks?

How do you find it impacts on your exercise of choice?

A few drinks isn't really going to impact me in a negative way the next day. An all out party night on the other hand and nothing is happening the next day. I was a daily drinker, and pretty heavy daily drinker for the last couple of years, and that had a huge negative impact on my fitness and desire to go out and be active and exercise, etc. A lot of times I would still force the issue, but it wasn't necessarily fun, and my performance was crap.

I'm trying to get back to my pre-COVID self and I cut back a lot in December and even more in January, and I no longer drink during the week. When/if I drink on the weekend I try to keep the volume down, especially if it's a Friday night because I'm usually in the weight room Saturday morning, and mountain biking or something in the afternoon. Saturdays get away from me from time to time due to Sunday typically being my "day of rest" and I don't really do much on Sundays except make an awesome family breakfast and walk the dog...so Saturday nights I can get a bit carefree so to speak.

Many of the cycling events I participate in have a beer tent at the finish line.