Is Alcohol Getting in the Way of Your Fitness Goals?

We hear it all the time: eat more protein, try this superfood, lift heavier, run further, train smarter. The world of fitness and wellbeing is bursting with advice on how to get stronger, faster, leaner. But amongst all the talk about supplements, macros and miracle foods, there’s one massive factor that barely gets a mention: alcohol.

It's the unspoken saboteur, quietly undoing all that hard work behind the scenes. While people are smashing their workouts, blending kale smoothies, and spending a fortune on activewear, many are still drinking regularly without fully realising the impact it’s having on their physical and mental progress.

The hangover hurdle

Let’s start with the obvious. How many workouts have you missed because of a hangover? That sluggish, foggy, can’t-be-bothered feeling that creeps in after a night of drinking. Even if you do manage to drag yourself to the gym or out for a run, your performance is likely to be poor. Your heart rate’s all over the place, your coordination is off, and your motivation is nowhere to be found.

And it’s not just about that one missed session. That one night out can throw off your whole week, especially if it affects your sleep, your eating habits, or your mental state.

Empty calories, real consequences Alcohol is packed with calories that offer no nutritional value. A couple of glasses of wine or a few beers can easily add up to hundreds of extra calories, calories that won’t keep you full or fuel your workout, but will interfere with your body composition goals.

If you're trying to lose weight, gain muscle, or just maintain a healthy lifestyle, these extra, hidden calories can become a real issue. You might be eating well the rest of the time, but alcohol is quietly cancelling out your efforts.

Lethargy, anxiety and low mood It’s not just the physical side. Alcohol can seriously mess with your mood, motivation and mindset. That heavy, low feeling after drinking, the lack of energy, the increased anxiety, the disrupted sleep, all of it can chip away at your mental resilience. And that resilience is crucial when you’re trying to build consistent, long-term habits.

How many times have you felt like giving up because you ‘just can’t be bothered’? Often, that lethargy is tied to what you drank the night before. You might not even make the connection, but it’s there.

What the pros know Professional athletes don’t drink during their training season for a reason. They know it slows recovery, reduces performance and increases the risk of injury. Alcohol affects coordination, balance, muscle recovery and hydration. That’s not just for elite athletes, it’s true for all of us. If you want to perform well, recover well, and stay on track, alcohol’s only going to get in the way.

The elephant in the room

We’ve created this culture where we obsess over nutrition, tracking protein, buying powders, eating chia seeds and avocados like they’re magic but we ignore the elephant in the room: alcohol. It's as if we believe a healthy smoothie can cancel out the bottle of wine we drank the night before. It can’t.

Alcohol is not just a bit of fun at the weekend. For many, it’s a regular habit that’s quietly stealing their progress, physically, mentally and emotionally. If your goal is to feel good in your body, improve your fitness, and actually enjoy your life, cutting back or quitting alcohol altogether can be a total game-changer.

A different kind of fuel

If you’re serious about reaching your goals, whatever they are, start being honest with yourself about what’s helping and what’s hindering. The gym, good food, fresh air, movement, sleep, connection… those things fuel you. Alcohol depletes you.

Maybe it’s time to start asking whether alcohol really adds anything to your life, or whether it’s quietly holding you back.