How Beer Helps Me Stay in Shape

Balance. This is the mantra that my husband and I try to teach as well as live by. We are both Personal Trainers who own our own fitness company. If you didn’t know us, you may envision a couple of muscle heads with muscles protruding from their clothes, as that is very common among fitness professionals.

We, however, are not those people. Yes, exercise is a major focus in our lives, but it is not our only focus. We live in a society of extremes. Models are extremely thin, overweight people are extremely overweight, and fitness trainers are extremely fit. What we aim for, however, is living somewhere in the middle.

Yes, exercise is a big part of our life, but our workout regimen is only slightly more than what we expect from our clients.

And yes, our diet mostly consists of whole grains, lean proteins, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. But, we are also normal people who need to indulge every now and then.

One of my favorite parts of the day is coming home after work and having a beer with my husband before dinner....ok, maybe 2 beers.  And to go with those beers, some relatively greasy snacks. (baked snap peas & roasted plantain chips). I know, I know, you are saying those snacks hardly seem “bad”, but if you check out the calorie count, and the additional oil in the ingredients, you will see they are pretty close to a handful of potato chips. (just not fried)

I have discovered that a cookie in the middle of the day or the desert after dinner never brought me as much satisfaction as that time spent with my husband. So, b/c I know that every night, I can enjoy these things, I find it easier to make smarter choices throughout the day. And now for desert, I enjoy an apple and my chocolate multi vitamin.

Balance is not about being perfect all of the time, it is about being mindful about what you put in your body MOST of the time. When we occasionally go out for dinner, I will be the first one reaching for the bread to dip in olive oil-that I have salted. And when we have friends over for dinner(at least once every weekend), I will make a slightly indulgent meal and WILL serve desert.  But, during the week, it is back to the normal routine.

I want everyone to figure out their “beer and snacks”. The thing that really makes you feel good, and not guilty the next day. Once you have identified this, find a way to work it into your every day. Knowing you can have this satisfaction will hopefully keep you on track to an overall healthy diet. I hope we all know what that is at this point, but if you are still unsure, the goal is a diet made up of whole grains(not processed packaged foods), lean proteins, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. Stay away from fried food and high fat dairy.

Cheers:)

-J