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Asking beer lovers to stay away from beer is like keeping cats away from milk – pointless. You must have come through crazy ideas like Beer Yoga which might actually workout because beer has many benefits.
Still, your uncontrollable love for beer can stand in the way of your fitness goals, which is why you must “work for your beer”. Then there are some who workout just so that they can have their not-so-occasional pint. Well, if that works for you, why not? After all, staying fit is about being able to do the things we like. However, a question that looms just over our minds is that doesn’t drinking beer counterfeit the hard work put in by you for fitness?
On this International Beer Day, we consider the connection between having beer and working out. Let us see if those who affirm that you can have a six-pack of beer a week and still have your six-pack of abs are actually right or wrong. Then, the question you must ask yourself is just how many beers have you earned by working out as much as you do.
How many Beers you can have with different Workout Routines
1. Yoga
Beer Yoga or brewery yoga is a real thing these days. Breweries are coming up with the concept where participants actually drink beer while performing the asanas. Hey, if that enlightens you, go for it. But keep in mind that 1 hour of restorative yoga allows you 1 glass of light beer and 1 hour of power yoga allows you two. Otherwise you just might be adding inches to your waist and belly.
2. Running
Running is a great way to warm up your body as well as burn the calories that you took in the last day. Running a 5K or 5 kilometers burns around 320 calories, which is what you should keep in mind while chugging those beers with your friends over the weekend. A pint of beer has around 144 calories; so about 2 are fine if you run 5 miles regularly.
3. Dance
Dance is a power packed workout routine that allows you to cut down on calories while you move on your favorite tunes and have all the fun in the world. Half an hour of dancing burns about 250 calories and double that amount in an hour. You may have a glass of beer for half an hour spent on Zumba or Bollywood Dance or an hour on Bhangra dance classes.
4. HIIT
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a form of workout that regulates your metabolism, blood pressure, burns calories, and builds strength and agility. Half an hour of HIIT workout earns you a mug of beer while a HIIT class or session earns you a couple of mugs.
5. Cycling
Whether you cycle at the gym or wade through the busy roads, cycling is a low impact activity that improves lung health, builds muscle, and promotes mental wellness. Cycling to your office (about 10-15 kilometers away from your home) allows you to have a couple of beers.
However, this doesn’t mean that you can drink daily; a couple of times a week is acceptable.
Benefits of Beer for Fitness Freaks
1. Stronger Bones
Our skeletal tissue and bones require dietary silicon for strength, growth, and development. Malted barleys and hops found in beer are rich in dietary silicon. It reduces the possibility of damage to the bones and keeps them healthy. You would do better to choose beers with barley and lots of malt instead wheat based, flavored, or spicy beers.
2. Anti-inflammatory
Polluted environment and overall substandard quality of our food requires us to consume foods that have anti-inflammatory properties. Those who workout regularly, especially runners are vulnerable to muscle inflammation. A study on marathon runners required them to drink non-alcoholic or placebo beer every day for a few weeks before the day of the marathon found that they were better off than those who didn’t. They also had less muscle inflammation and respiratory distress after the marathon was over.
3. Enzyme Booster
Even those who workout regularly need to detoxify their body to improve liver function in order to get the best results. Certain beers are rich in enzymes and are actually advised to improve and facilitate protein synthesis. Therefore, a beer with a chicken breast or eggs whites is not such a bad idea after all.
4. Recharger
Beers, depending on how they are brewed, have varying amounts of calories and nutrients. They have electrolytes and nutrients like phosphorus, proteins, selenium, and silicon that make up for the glucose and other essential minerals lost while working out and replenish the carbs required by the body.
5. Boosts testosterone
The body needs natural chemicals like testosterone while you indulge in muscle building exercises. When consumed in moderate quantities, beer is known to improve testosterone production, which ultimately helps in muscle growth. You should not, however, overdo it because it will turn out to be counterproductive.
Can I drink beer after a workout session?
You need to stay hydrated for post workout recovery. Alcohol actually leads to dehydration, which is why it is not such a good idea to drink hard liquor right after an intensive workout session.
When it comes to beer, you need not skip a pint of beer you really wanted to have. Moderation is key; drink occasionally and don’t go gulping bottle after bottle. Even if you had one extra, chug a glass of water and you should be fine.
It is obvious that if you’re working towards a goal or building mass for a competition, you should completely abstain from having beer or any other type of alcoholic drink for that matter. If, however, you practice yoga, cross-fit, kickboxing, MMA, or any other routines just for fitness, a few beers in a week will do you no harm while making you feel better mentally.
International Beer Day
The day is a global celebration for the love of beer. Beer companies, breweries, and bars run amazing offers and it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to have a couple on this particular Friday. Here’s an idea - consider this as your cheat day for the week and keep a count of how many or how much beer you have. Calculate the calories accordingly and remember to work harder to burn these calories over the next week. Win win situation, right?
