Alcohol and Exercise: A Powerful Study Recommends not Mixing it

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Despite the popularity of boozy athletic events like Craft Brew Races and Bikes and Beers, exercise physiologists and nutrition experts strongly discourage drinking alcohol before, during or after exercise.Not only can alcohol affect athletic performance, but “it can make your workouts feel much, much harder,” said Amy Stephens, a sports dietitian for New York University’s track and field team. “It’s like trying to do that workout uphill.”

Few rigorous clinical trials have studied the effects of alcohol on workouts, said Jennifer Sacheck-Ward, the chair of the exercise and nutrition science department at George Washington University. Still, the research that does exist indicates that mixing the two can counteract many of the health benefits of exercise — or even leave you worse off than if you didn’t exercise in the first place. But if you like to drink and you like to exercise, sooner or later, you may find yourself considering a cocktail before or after a workout or an athletic event. Here are some tips from exercise and nutrition experts on the most strategic ways to have both.

Timing matters.
Drinking after a workout is marginally better than drinking before, Dr. Sacheck-Ward said. But either way, space out the activities as much as possible. Drinking immediately before (or during) a workout can dehydrate you, elevate your heart rate, tire you out faster than usual, slow your reflexes and generally make you feel awful. Give yourself at least four hours between drinking and working out if you can, Ms. Stephens said, though it will take 25 hours to fully clear your body.

Quantity matters.
Tolerance varies from person to person — body size, how frequently you drink, even your nutrition determine how powerfully booze will affect your workout. But as a general rule, limit yourself to one or two drinks before or after a workout, Ms. Stephens said. More important, pay attention to how you feel while drinking. “Knowing when you feel buzzed or dizzy and not going beyond that limit” is essential, Ms. Stephens said, “because that is your body telling you that you’ve had enough.” The more you keep drinking while buzzed, the more you’re likely to suffer during a workout later that day or even the next morning.