Can I have my drinks and my biceps?

We’re a lifestyle gym, because of that, we deal with people’s lifestyles.  We often get asked, “Can I have my drinks and my biceps?”  The short answer is no, if your not willing to work for it.  If your not willing to change your lifestyle to accommodate the booze, then you need to cut it out.  In order to be Well-thy, you need to adjust your lifestyle and if your sucking down a six pack every night, that’s the first thing that needs to go.

But!  If your like me, you like to have some drinks one night a week and let loose.  Or sometimes…it’s a whole week like a few weeks ago during our wedding week.  Here’s how I boozed it up and maintained my biceps…cuz you know I love to flex.

I recently spent 8 days in the Outer Banks, NC. It was an amazing trip! Lots of great food, booze, late nights, pool/beach and framily. Everyday was a party…and I am still catching up on sleep but it was so worth it. There are a few things that I negotiated with myself before hand.
– I didn’t want to feel bloated(hello bikini…everyday…thats pretty motivating), stuffed or sluggish.
– I wanted to enjoy my drinks AND good food without guilt…or regret.
– I would give up some zzz to spend time with my family and friends.
– I would drink lots of water, sometimes in the form of coffee and/or alcohol.  Yes…I did mix them together some mornings!

I think it’s important to make a plan. Boring I know! Hear me out though…

Structure Creates Freedom.

I made a deal with myself before we got there on what my negotiable’s would be, which in turn gave me some freedom to not get hung up on questions that would normally pop into my head like “should I eat that” or “should I have that beer or stick to the clear stuff?” In the past when I did that it just made me crazy compulsive and that sucked.

So what was my plan?

Water
– Drink at least 24oz. of water every morning before coffee or booze.
– Make sure I got at least another 2 liters of water through out the day/night.

Water is actually one of the ways to REDUCE bloating and water retention caused by heavy alcohol consumption.  Isn’t that weird?  How does it work?  To be honest, I am not 100% sure.  Ben has explained it to me a few times, but like most of you, I care about the outcome not necessarily the reason behind it.  I know when I’m bloated and I drink water, in a few hours, my bloat goes away.  Think of it like this – your body is retaining water because it thinks it needs to, by giving it more water you are sending the message that there is plenty of water, so get rid of what your holding onto.

Food
– Skip breakfast – most days I did this! Except the day after our wedding…I danced a LOT…I was starving the next morning. While skipping breakfast doesn’t work for everyone it works for me on most days. I usually eat some protein, fat and veggies by 11ish. Of course I have coffee!
– Eat lots of veggies and protein first as the first meal.
– Small plates – I always pick a small plate or bowl. If I am still hungry I can get more…but usually I am not it helps me from over eating.
– Veggies! I know I mentioned this before BUT I can’t emphasize enough how important and amazing veggies are.
– Don’t eat too many cookies!

Movement
– I didn’t exercise once – the one day everyone did a workout I was hungover…got a little carried away the first night 😉
– I did spend everyday (for hours) in the pool.
– The house was huge (18 bedrooms with 4 flights of stairs) and our room was on the third floor…I would run or walk them probably over a dozen times per day if not more.

– I danced 4 nights until my feet hurt. Yes…we did…bring our own DJ!
– OH! I almost forgot our push-up contest. Thats where the biceps come in! One of my favorite body weight movements.

Push-Up contest!

Booze
– Limit beer intake.  Beer = bloating.
– Stick to the clear stuff – vodka = no bloat/less calories.
– Have water between drinks or on hand with booze.
– Eat clean food – veggies/fruit/protien/some fat.
– HAVE FUN!

Supplements – on vacation? Yes!
– While I didn’t take all of the usual supplements I did take the ones that would be helpful for recovering.
– Magnesium – I take 2 every night before I go to sleep.
– NuSera – for stressful moments – psst…what stress?
– Digestive enzymes.

I forgot to mention that we arrived on Sunday and our wedding was on Thursday…my dress?! Had to fit! The old me would have not come up with a plan, stressed about it and been miserable. Instead I created some freedom for myself…free from stressing out about food, exercise, what to drink or not to drink. Instead I spent the week laughing, crying, and making memories with my friends and family.

 

 

 

 

 

You can have your booze and biceps, but first you need to get biceps.  That might mean you need to cut the booze out for a while.  And let’s be honest, there is no diet out there that allows you to have unlimited amounts of alcohol during the week and still look good.  That’s why our members love us so much, we teach them how to have the booze and the biceps.  We’re a lifestyle gym – not a prison!

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