You see, being in great shape gives you the kind of confidence that you wouldn't think is possible. When you have a few drinks, sure, you feel 'good', and happy, but you know the whole time that when you wake up the following morning, you're gonna feel like death and all of your confidence issues will still be there. I know that not everyone who has confidence issues, has them with their body, but fitness isn't just about looking good (which can make you feel good), it's about changing your mindset, be more positive, being able to take your frustration out during your workouts - an amazing (if not the best) stress reliever. This can have a knock-on effect, which can help you with your everyday life.
There's nothing wrong with having a chilled beer on a Friday night after a hectic week, but if you make things like that a regular occurrence, they can then become a habit, that's where it can turn bad. Alcohol can be addictive, and it's something that you can easily get sucked into. As mentioned in previous similar posts - in the last few years there has been a huge increase in the whole 'party lifestyle', and I think that is primarily down to all of this reality TV that consists of drinking, partying, holidays and so on, and people try and copy it. I'm sure some people will disagree with that and try and convince me how good the reality shows are.... but I'm not a fan. If you are someone who does those things, whilst they last it may seem 'great', but you can't do that all the time, for the rest of your life, so it will have to stop at some point. Then what? what will replace that 'good feeling' that you got from doing those things?
A lot of people ask me if it's possible to still go out, drink and have fun clubbing/partying, whilst training in the gym and eating healthy, and I always say the same thing - those two things don't really mix. You can still go out, have fun, have a few drinks (but in moderation, and not all the time), but what you will find is that you have this new natural confidence that you never had before. Being fit, healthy, looking good, feeling good, you wont' worry so much about what other people think and needing something like alcohol to 'pump up' your confidence levels. Some of the happiest people I know are people who are fit and healthy, and I'm not surprised.
It has been a bit of a different post to my usual stuff, but nutrition and fitness isn't always all about eating healthy and working out, I like to come from different angles sometimes. The decision is obviously yours - whether you get into the fitness life, or carry on down the party lifestyle. Years of drinking, partying, tanning, will eventually catch up with you - it does damage your body, does cause premature ageing, and most things to do with the body can't be reversed.
Lee Gregory Fitness
