One of the major reasons that I consider myself a "normie" in the fitness world is because I have what most serious athletes would consider a rather terrible diet. While I do try to watch what I eat to a certain degree and focus on being protein heavy and get as many vegetables in there as i possibly can I refuse to eliminate what is probably the largest contributor to weight gain in existence: Beer.
I drink almost every day and while I don't generally do this to excess and I do try to focus on getting light carbohydrate beers there is no denying that I am putting I would say at least 1000 calories per day into my body in liquid form.
I also tend to not err on the side of caution when it comes to drinking beer. One of my friend frequently says something along the lines of "one is too many and a hundred isn't enough." I can totally identify with that since I tend to drink at least 6 drinks when I go out and I go out almost every day.
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There are a lot of stories you hear from time to time about how a few drinks per day can be good for you but I think those stories are probably false. I don't know. I am not a researcher or a scientist but I do think from my world experience that the people I know that don't drink at all until the weekend and then go absolutely bananas at the bar seem to experience much worse side-effects than those of us who drink what we consider to be "a reasonable amount" on a daily basis. Let's have a look at what the experts do have to say though shall we?
The medical experts are always going to recommend that you "only drink in moderation and then only a couple of times a week" but for just about everyone that I know this is just laughably impossible. While I do at times wonder what life would be like and what sort of incredible shape I would be in if I didn't drink at least 6 beers a day, but then again, I don't really know what I would do for fun if this wasn't my M.O..
According to some studies I have read there is no real benefit to either and this age-old argument is just some method that one team uses to justify their consumption. That is to say that going crazy on Friday every week is NOT better for you than daily reasonable drinking. The overall effect, again from what I have read is about the same. One of the standouts though, that is bad news for daily drinkers like myself is that a recent UK study found that there is am much greater risk of liver disease with daily drinking than binge drinking on the weekend.
All other bad side effects from drinking such as heart conditions and cancer are around the same in both groups, binge and daily drinkers. So we all know that alcohol is bad for us and yes, I am very aware of this as well. However, from a purely fitness oriented point of view the daily drinkers are worse off than the binge drinkers are for the same reason that people who have a cheat day once a week with a diet each week are going to generally be in better shape than the person who cheats every day.
I know that I should be concerned about long-term effects of drinking but I have to admit that I am a stubborn bastard when it comes to beer. I do NOT want to eliminate it from my diet and I compensate for it by exercising more than the average person does.
I am fully aware of the dangers of drinking but it is a big part of my social life and I can't really imagine not doing it. I am contemplating taking a few weeks off drinking just as an experiment to see if I really do end up feeling better. I have to admit that I kind of admire people that I meet that don't drink and just wonder what that is like.
Do you not drink? What motivated you to be that way? For me, if we were to take all the days from when I was 20 until now I definitely drank on more of the days than not. In the past year there has only been maybe 10 days that I didn't drink. I don't consider it a problem because it hasn't negatively affected any aspect of my life... except for maybe my wallet :)
Drinking is part of what I usually do daily. Going to the pub was just what you do. Now I run a dive shop that also has a bar it can get a little , shall we say, habitual. Sunsets, people returning to dive, people finishing courses, people leaving there's always a reason to drink. But....I do 2 to 3 times a year take a step back and not drink for up to a month just to give myself perspective as I love having a beer but it's a good idea to know that it's not the beer loving having me. I am currently on a step back 19 days in. it's quiet these days and the reasons for drinking right now seem to be boredom and for me thats the wrong reason to be drinking. I ike to drink and chat shit with my friends and new comers cos its fun not because we have nothing left to do. I do love my beer though
yeah this is the same "problem" that I have. For me it is totally social. I have 2 beers in my fridge that someone left here and they have been in there for months. I never drink alone and well, I don't know how i would really socialize without it. I know that the purists will say that you don't need booze to have fun but ya know? It kinda helps!
Where is your dive shop? I'm gonna dig into your profile and see if I can figure that out on my own as well.
Moalboal, Philippines. Tourism gone to shit here though no foreigners allowed in and locally based tourism aint gonna cut it. Will probably be changing things up next year
aww man, sorry to hear that. another casualty of this pandemic. Hopefully you will be able to recover from it but I am sure it doesn't seem terribly optimistic.
I am actually looking forward to a change now. I can see exactly what's going to happen here over the next 12 months so taking the opportunity to seize the moment and do something a little different' All a bit hush hush right now but 100% in March it will be in my blogs as it will be the main focus. Don't be sorry man I'm embracing the change :)
I love your positive attitude pal!
if all goes according to plan( i am sure there will be the odd curve ball) we should be embarking on a new adventure in the spring. Wouldn't have happened if we'd not been put in this situation either
Definitely a reason I am a normie too haha :D
well there are a lot of us. Doesn't mean we can't be dedicated to personal fitness at the same time!
Exactly :)