What Does Science Say About Mixing Alcohol and Exercise?

It probably won’t come as a surprise to you that during the COVID-19 lockdown, there has been a 70 percent rise in the number of people riding their bikes for exercise in the UK, while running is booming in North America. These faster-paced and outdoor sports are seen as a fun, safe way to stay fit while social distancing measures continue.  

While there has been this rise in (outdoor) exercise, there has also been a rise in alcohol consumption. According to the University of Utah, in the US, Alcohol distributors reported a 50 percent increase in the sales of alcohol from one week in March during the 2020 coronavirus outbreak compared to the same week a year ago. Home delivery of alcohol has increased dramatically, and one report notes a 300 percent increase in alcohol sales in March as compared to January. That’s a whole lotta booze, people!

Reading about these exercise and alcohol trends made me wonder how going for more runs and rides, while also consuming more alcohol, affects our endeavors to get and stay fit. Are we better off, worse off, or somewhere in between?

In the past, headlines based on the results of a study called The Effect of Post-Match Alcohol Ingestion on Recovery From Competitive Rugby League Matches, instructed us to stay far away from alcohol if we wanted to maximize our workout results.

For alcohol to impair workout recovery, you need to drink the equivalent of about four to six servings right after you finish exercising.

And sure, this study, and others before it, did show that alcohol can negatively affect your exercise efforts. But what the headlines missed was that for alcohol to impair workout recovery, you need to drink the equivalent of about four to six servings right after you finish exercising. Yes, four to six servings! At that amount, not only will the alcohol hurt recovery but it will also give you lots of empty calories. Not to mention, a lightweight like me would probably do nothing but lie around nursing a hangover the next day.

To give some perspective, in North America, “legal intoxication” is defined as having a blood-alcohol level of 80 mg / dL (17.4 mmol/L) or 100 mg / dL (21.7 mmol/L) or above. This is a different way to look at it than we're used to. Most of us are more aware of the legal measurement...

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