Alcohol and You: the Meatheads Guide Booze and Living Life

Before I start this article, I want to clarify my stance on booze. Enjoying alcohol in moderation (especially for the off season, non-competitive bodybuilder) is going to be relatively harmless, if you're still accounting for it in your caloric intake, and it's only a small percentage of your calories.

But hey, where's the fun in that?

Unfortunately, that's just the truth of it: alcohol can have a detrimental effect on gym performance, testosterone, your ability to sleep, and everything else. Be honest: have you ever felt like training at all the night after drinking and partying hard? Few people do. However, if you're careful you can still encorporate alcohol into a balanced diet without sacrficing your waist.

1. Hard Liquor

While it sounds counter-intuitive, hard liquor will generally have fewer calories than beer or wine, mainly because of the lower carbohydrate content. This, combined with diet soda, won't pose much of a huge caloric hit and still allow you to enbibe a little bit.

2. Drink with a Meal

Never mind that alcohol will have a lesser effect on entering bloodstream on a full stomach of food, if you're already eating, you'll probably (in my experience) be less inclined to drink more--however remember this is entirely a psychological trick. It's entirely up to you to actually put this into place. While foods like pizza or deep fried fare might be tough, but you'll have to eat less during the day to create a calorie buffer.

3. Drink Lots of Water

A good rule of thumb would be one glass of water per drink, however that's assuming you are not following my recommendations of drinking only as part of a meal. I will generally still drink a lot of water--on the off chance I do drink without food, I will add in more water than is really necessarily for the sake of being safe.

4. Don't Binge!

If you're really serious about bodybuilding (or really any serious, psychologically intense hobby or job), this is one habit you might want to let die. I'm all for the idea that we can unwind and have fun every once in a while, but be really honest with yourself--how much of a favour are you doing your body when you do that? Didn't you get involve in this sport because you wanted to get the best out of your body possible? Doesn't blotting out your mind for a few hours contradict that? Try and think that the next time you take the time to get wasted...if at all. I still recommend and always will, an attitude of moderation and common sense. That's the best way to end up with a healthy life, healthy mind, and healthy attitude!