Planning to go to Fitness 19 after a night of drinking with friends? There’s a right and wrong way of exercising after a night of drinking one too many beers.
First of all, you should avoid strenuous workouts including high intensity interval training (HIITs). A full blown intense exercise may not be a good thing as the body is already in a severely dehydrated state.
The good news is, you can still workout. Exercise releases endorphins, increases oxygen flow to the brain, and improves mood so you don’t want to shun it entirely when having a hangover. But you’re better off with slow jogging or brisk walking, and even some light yoga instead of “sweating it out.”
Before you get started with your workout, be sure to drink lots of water. And to try these simple stretches:
1. Standing Forward Fold
Stand up with your feet hip-distance apart. Place both hands on your waist and fold forward slowly hinging at your hips. Continue to lean forward, letting your head and arms dangle down in front of you. Hold this pose for 30 seconds and breathe.
The standing forward fold pose helps soothe the mind and body. It also aids in regulating blood pressure, clears up a head congestion, stimulates the abdominal organs for detoxification and give you an energy boost.
2. Child’s Pose
Get on your hands and knees, and slowly press back so that your glutes rest on top of your heels, keeping your head down. Relax your arms and allow your head to touch the floor. Stay in this position for 1 minute.
Child’s pose increases blood flow and gently compresses your abdomen to massage the intestinal tract and stimulate the internal organs. Take slow, deep breaths.
3. Seated Twist
Sit on the floor with your glutes firmly on the ground. Then bend your left knee into your chest and place your left foot over your right thigh. Gently twist towards your left. Hold for 30 seconds and switch legs and sides.
A seated twist aids in digestion and help detoxify the body. This pose compresses the digestive organs and at the same time stimulate the liver and kidneys wringing out toxins while bringing in oxygen and nutrients.
4. 15-Minute Walk
Walking or any form of light cardio can be done for 15 minutes to improve blood flow and bring a rush of endorphins.
Factors to Keep in Mind
Before exercising, be sure to consider the following:
Hydration level: Alcohol dehydrates your body, and staying in a dehydrated state ruins your workout performance and get in the way of the body’s normal functioning. Don’t undertake any exercise until your body is fully hydrated.
Current condition: Alcohol has the ability to disrupt your sleep so if you feel too tired or fatigued, exercise could put your body under more stress.
Intoxication: Alcohol can stay in your system for a couple of hours so if you’ve had one drink too many, it’s possible that you may still have alcohol in your system the day after. If this is the case, you should just skip your workout to protect yourself (and those around you) from the risk of injury/harm.
This video explains the effects of alcohol on your fitness gains: