WINING, DINING AND WORKING OUT! By | STEFANIE AUSTIN | LEVEL ELITE Trust me, I get it; staying fit and being happy sometimes means that you might like to enjoy a glass of wine or two with friends after a long day. Heck, I’ve enjoyed a few glasses after a great day! Maybe there is a reason why I was asked to write this blog… Reason or no reason, I’m here to divulge my secrets on how to enjoy your wine and STILL wake up in the morning for a great workout!
1. Drink water. The main reason why you feel so horrible after one too many glasses of wine is because of the diuretic effect of alcohol. You’re dehydrated! If you keep drinking water throughout the evening you’ll feel much better the next day. I recommend one glass before, then alternate between drinks, and finally one glass before bed. 2. Eat food with wine. Yes, a glass of wine contains calories. No, it does not count as a meal. You’re not doing yourself a favor if you skip a meal to “save” on calories. Without food in your stomach, the alcohol will enter your bloodstream a lot faster and in greater concentration, making you feel the negative effects of alcohol a lot quicker. 3. Check your glass size. If it’s the size of a fish bowl, one glass of wine may be more than you think. Typical wine bottles are 750ml and a standard glass of wine is between 125 - 150ml. Do the math and you’ve got five, possibly six servings per bottle. Keep that in mind when you’re sharing a bottle: “two glasses each” is not necessarily the case. Portions and moderation is key to wining, dining and working out. 4. Keep it light. Darker alcohols, including rum, whiskey and red wine have more congeners. These are impurities formed during fermentation which can make your hangover worse. Stick to lighter colored alcohol and it’s more likely you’ll feel better in the morning. 5. Get your yoga on. Doing some light yoga will help release toxins, improve blood circulation to your internal organs and aid the digestion process. Do your liver a favor and do some forward bends and twists. “Standing half forward bend”, “knee to chest pose”, “reclining spinal twist” and of course everyone loves a good “child’s pose”. All of these simple, yet effective moves will help get you get going in the morning. 6. Play D.D. Sometimes we need a reason not to drink. If you let everyone know you’re the designated driver, it’s much easier to say “no thanks” when offered a drink. If you are looking to cut back and lose weight, it is better to stay away from the wine for a while, or at least until you reach your target weight. Drinking alcohol reduces your body’s ability to burn fat. Very simply put, if your liver is too “busy” metabolizing the alcohol, the food you eat has an increased risk of being stored as fat. Something to consider if you have some major weight loss goals in mind. 7. Get your beauty sleep. Ever notice how you fall asleep very quickly after drinking wine, only to realize that you’re wide awake just a few hours later? Alcohol can interfere with your sleep cycles. Mainly, the first stage of sleep called REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Drinking right before bed can cause you to have fewer sleep cycles, only one or two as opposed to the usual five or six during a restful sleep. This means you wake up feeling exhausted. A goodnight’s sleep is key to waking up and feeling re-energized. Try to stop drinking at least two hours before bed. 8. Plan it. Decide beforehand how much you’re going to drink, that way you are less likely to overdo it. If you say two glasses, stick to two glasses. Everything in moderation right? When it’s hard to say no to that third glass, keep in mind how good you’re going to feel when you wake up in the morning minus the headache! 9. Shake it up. Your body uses up electrolytes to convert the toxins created by alcohol in your system. Make yourself a potassium rich smoothie before your workout to help restore your electrolyte balance. Bananas, spinach, coconut water and you’re good to go! 10. Get up and go. I know this seems obvious, but any workout is better than no workout. Sometimes we’re so concerned with performing, we decide that if it’s not going to be our best training session ever then we just shouldn’t go. I beg to differ! Just show up. More often than not, you’ll end up training more than you initially expected.
Feeling better prepped for your night out?! Stefanie Austin is a personal trainer as well as Club Mansfield’s resident wellness coach. With a variety of client’s, Stefanie focuses on creating a change on the inside that will resonate on the outside, and keeps her clients motivated with challenging workouts!
Contact Anne-Julie Charron ( ajcharron@clubmansfield.ca ) for more information. www.clubmansfield.ca