With the New Year comes new goals, especially ones focused on health and fitness. For those of us who are trying to stay on track to reach certain New Year’s fitness goals but also enjoy having the occasional beer, glass of wine or refreshing cocktail, it can be hard going out with friends or on a date night without feeling left out. It is often thought that it is impossible to maintain your fitness goals while also being able to enjoy your favorite alcoholic beverages. However, knowing the right drinks to order and what drinks to avoid can help you find a compromise between being able to focus on your fitness objectives while not limiting yourself too much. To help you out, we’ll provide you with some ways you can continue to enjoy alcoholic beverages and still achieve your fitness goals in the New Year. 

Less is more. Like the popular saying, all things in moderation, alcoholic beverages should be enjoyed and savored, not overconsumed. If your fitness goals are your top priority then this is even more important to follow, because consuming a lot of alcohol can greatly impact your fitness in a negative way. While having an occasional drink isn’t going to significantly set you back in your fitness goals, it can definitely do so if you drink heavily quite often. According to the CDC or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the maximum recommended intake of alcohol is one drink per day, or seven drinks per week for women and two drinks a day, or fourteen drinks per week for men. While this is the recommended limit from the CDC, this may not be a good recommendation for individuals trying to perform well physically. So if you have specific fitness objectives that you are trying to achieve, we would recommend decreasing this number.

Alcoholic drinks can really pack a calorie heavy punch, so when you are trying to manage your caloric intake while also maintaining your fitness training, it is important to pay attention to what ingredients your drinks have in them. A lot of your favorite alcoholic beverages likely have many more calories and grams of sugar than you might think. A classic margarita can contain around two hundred or more calories per drink and consists heavily of sugar. Instead of ordering your go to sugary blended margarita, try a drink that is lower in sugar. Some drinks that contain lower sugar content are vodka with soda water and lime or a lightly sweetened mojito.. While these drinks may not be as tasty or as sweet as the alternative, they’re more diet friendly because they aren’t full of sweet syrup and sugary fruit juices that will add to your calorie count very quickly.

The same goes for beer as well as wine. A pint of your favorite lager beer comes out to about one hundred and eighty calories. However, different varieties of beer will have higher or lower calorie content due to the way they are brewed and the ingredients used in that specific brew. While the way beer is created makes it naturally high in calories, there are plenty of light options that you can try if you’re a die hard beer lover. If you prefer not to compromise on the quality of your beer, remember to just enjoy in moderation. Having anywhere from one hundred to almost three hundred calories depending on the type, wine can also be a heavy hitter in terms of calories. That glass of pinot noir can lead to several, adding up quickly. Before you know it, you’ve had almost half your days worth of calories in wine! Varieties of white wine tend to have less calories compared their red wine counterparts, and dessert wines, such as riesling, tend to be much much higher in calories because of the high sugar content. But the same goes for wine as it does for beer: if you want to enjoy your favorite chardonnay or merlot just remember to savor it in moderation. 

Another factor to staying on track with your fitness goals while enjoying your favorite alcoholic beverages, is being prepared for the munchies you’re likely to get after a few drinks. Having some healthy snacks on deck for when you get that craving will help you avoid any binging on junk food that you’ll regret later. However, remember to not be too hard on yourself. We all slip up and like to indulge on our guilty pleasures from time to time. Sometimes it’s best to relax, enjoy the moment, and get back to your training tomorrow. Having one moment of weakness or deciding that you want to splurge on one fruity drink or your favorite pint of beer is okay and won’t define the success of your fitness goals. Just remember not to allow yourself to do this too often as you’ll easily slip further away from your main objectives. Another way to stay motivated is a fitness partner, they can help you make sure you stay on track with both your alcohol consumption and fitness goals.

In the New Year, it is totally possible to achieve your fitness goals while also allowing yourself to indulge in the occasional cocktail or beer. As we covered, just remember to enjoy in moderation, making better drink choices, grab a friend and continue to train hard as often as you can. But if you happen to slip up, tomorrow is a new day and a new opportunity to get out there and train hard to reach your goals. Just like other challenges in your life, your fitness journey won’t always be straight forward, there will be times where it gets difficult and you just have to push through. No goal that is worth reaching will be easy to achieve, and taking moments to reward yourself and allow yourself to relax is all part of the ride. 

Many people struggle with alcohol addiction and are looking for a cure. If you are a frequent drinker with no intention of quitting alcohol, call or click to find out if you’re eligible to volunteer for a 5-week, paid research study that aims to develop new medications for those suffering from alcohol use disorder. With your help, we can make a difference in the lives of those still struggling with alcohol use disorder.