Alcohol can be pleasurable and can definitely fit within a healthy diet and active lifestyle, it can even be a form of self-care if it’s well intentioned! I think it’s possible to have a healthy relationship with alcohol by drinking it more mindfully and with good intention rather than impulsiveness or to self-soothe.
However, as a nutritionist, it’s my job to educate you on the negative effects alcohol has in respect to exercise and nutrition.
Here are the diminishing returns alcohol has on our goals:
– consumption of dense calories which are nutritionally-void and not satiating
– an increase in appetite for high calorie foods
– lowered inhibition around food, leading to overeating
– a decrease in exercise performance and impaired recovery
– a negatively impacted quality of sleep
– body burns it first over other macros so calories from food are more easily stored as fat
So if you tend to overdo it over the holidays, on weekends, or during the summertime read about how MINDFUL DRINKING can help you 🥃🍾🍷👇
Mindful drinking means getting in touch with how your body becomes affected by alcohol consumption.
As with anything we need to do in order to improve ourselves… we must begin with SELF-AWARENESS.
This means observing your current drinking behaviours and learning to recognize how you feel mentally and physically whenever you drink.
Before reaching for that enticing glass, take a moment to ask yourself:
What emotion is motivating me to drink?
Is it for pleasure or to decompress?
Perhaps peer pressure or a reward for being “good” all week?
We’ve all been there, shouting “YOLO” and promising to “burn it off” tomorrow!
These questions will help you gain more insight into your behaviours so that you can begin to work on addressing those specific mindsets and emotions.
Slowly savouring one glass of wine instead of three can make a world of difference in how you feel the next day, your performance at the gym , and even your sleep quality. Plus, notice how your cravings for those tempting carby, starchy, and fatty foods might change with mindful drinking.
Now, I’m not here to be the party pooper, telling you never to indulge again.
It’s to help you use this as a starting point to identify your drinking behaviours in order to help you become more INTENTIONAL rather than IMPULSIVE with your choices.
And hey, this mindset applies to your food choices too! If you’re looking for that elusive balance during weekends or social gatherings, these reflection questions can help you gain invaluable insight into your mindsets and emotions.
What do you think? Comment below! Is there anything you’d add to this that can help?
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