Stew Smith: Beer and Fitness? Can It Be?
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This week I was asked an interesting
question concerning drinking beer and
exercising. It seems that a former Navy
Radioman has developed quite a gut
since retiring, and was curious about
whether he should give up his beer to
lose weight? Not only does the
gentleman enjoy drinking about 2-4
beers daily, he also has quit
exercising. Moderate beer
consumption is actually healthy, so I
set out to define "moderate" as well as
educate on the basics of caloric intake
and caloric expenditure. The radioman
is not suffering from a beer belly but
an INACTIVITY BELLY! Yes, you can
still drink beer and be very fit.
Over 90 million Americans enjoy
drinking beer! Drinking moderately has
been proven by many doctors, as well
as the New England Journal of
Medicine, to be a healthy component
of longevity. In fact, moderate
consumption of alcohol, including beer,
has been proven to reduce the effects
of high cholesterol, heart disease,
some forms of cancer and even
impotence.
Anything done in excess is naturally
unhealthy. "Moderation" is defined by
most doctors as 1-2 beers a day. And
NO, you cannot save up through the
week and catch up on the weekend
drinking 10-12 beers in an evening.
That is NOT moderation. There is even
a US Beer Drinking Team that links
beer enthusiasts and promotes
moderation, responsibility, and healthy
living.
The average can of beer has over 100
calories. Drinking one beer is
equivalent to eating a chocolate chip
cookie. Drinking four is equal to eating
a Big Mac Hamburger. In order to lose
weight, you have to burn off these
extra calories as well as the other
calories that you ate for breakfast,
lunch and dinner. Even the lightest of
beers has the empty calories of
alcohol, which is the cause of poor
health if done in excess and without a
regular exercise routine. Unfortunately,
too many Americans live under one of
the worst stereotypes placed on a
human being - the BEER BELLY, or as
I call it, the inactivity belly.
The "inactivity" belly is caused by
excess calories in your diet AND lack
of activity to burn the extra calories.
The solution to lose your beer belly is
as simple as calories in must be less
than calories out (or expended through
exercise).
Calories IN < Calories Out (burned) =
Weight Loss
If you can add exercise into your
schedule for 20-30 minutes a day,
your daily consumption of alcohol (1-2
beers) will not have any additional
impact on your gut. To lose your beer
belly, you REALLY have to watch your
food and beverage intake, drink 2-4
quarts of water a day, AND fit fitness
into your world. THERE IS NO OTHER
HEALTHY ANSWER! The exercise and
workout ideas below can get you
started on your calorie burning plan:
---
Workout #1: This is a great full body
calorie burner:
Repeat 3-5 times
Walk, run or bike 5:00
Squats - 20
Pushups - 10-20
Situps or Crunches - 20
---
Workout #2: Swimming and elliptical
gliding (cross country skiing) burn the
most calories per hour (This workout
can burn up to 1000 calories in one
hour!)
Swim 20-30 minutes non-stop
Elliptical Glide 20-30 minutes
---
Follow some of the other workouts
listed in the Stew Smith Article Archives
for more tips on burning calories.
There is no reason why you cannot
have "six pack abs" and still drink a six
pack a week. Once again, excessive
beer drinking is not recommended by
anyone in the health industry. If you
simply enjoy drinking beer and are
serious about your health, moderation
in drinking alcohol and eating foods
high in calories, combined with habitual
daily exercise is your ticket to reaching
your goals. I now have a series of
Workout plans that cater to all levels of
fitness and can help you with
developing a healthy diet with proper
food choices - the Beginner,
Intermediate, and Advanced 45 Day
plans sold on Military.com's Fitness
eBook Store. For those who are into
strength training, I have recently
developed a weight training plan called
"Beer and Barbells" that allows you to
use the additional calories of beer, or
milk shakes if you are under 21, to
gain mass and strength.
Adding exercise daily and observing
the dietary recommendations in these
eBooks will enable you to be the
person you were yesterday without
changing who you are today.
Enjoy! Feel free to contact me at
stew@stewsmith.com for answers to
your questions.
question concerning drinking beer and
exercising. It seems that a former Navy
Radioman has developed quite a gut
since retiring, and was curious about
whether he should give up his beer to
lose weight? Not only does the
gentleman enjoy drinking about 2-4
beers daily, he also has quit
exercising. Moderate beer
consumption is actually healthy, so I
set out to define "moderate" as well as
educate on the basics of caloric intake
and caloric expenditure. The radioman
is not suffering from a beer belly but
an INACTIVITY BELLY! Yes, you can
still drink beer and be very fit.
Over 90 million Americans enjoy
drinking beer! Drinking moderately has
been proven by many doctors, as well
as the New England Journal of
Medicine, to be a healthy component
of longevity. In fact, moderate
consumption of alcohol, including beer,
has been proven to reduce the effects
of high cholesterol, heart disease,
some forms of cancer and even
impotence.
Anything done in excess is naturally
unhealthy. "Moderation" is defined by
most doctors as 1-2 beers a day. And
NO, you cannot save up through the
week and catch up on the weekend
drinking 10-12 beers in an evening.
That is NOT moderation. There is even
a US Beer Drinking Team that links
beer enthusiasts and promotes
moderation, responsibility, and healthy
living.
The average can of beer has over 100
calories. Drinking one beer is
equivalent to eating a chocolate chip
cookie. Drinking four is equal to eating
a Big Mac Hamburger. In order to lose
weight, you have to burn off these
extra calories as well as the other
calories that you ate for breakfast,
lunch and dinner. Even the lightest of
beers has the empty calories of
alcohol, which is the cause of poor
health if done in excess and without a
regular exercise routine. Unfortunately,
too many Americans live under one of
the worst stereotypes placed on a
human being - the BEER BELLY, or as
I call it, the inactivity belly.
The "inactivity" belly is caused by
excess calories in your diet AND lack
of activity to burn the extra calories.
The solution to lose your beer belly is
as simple as calories in must be less
than calories out (or expended through
exercise).
Calories IN < Calories Out (burned) =
Weight Loss
If you can add exercise into your
schedule for 20-30 minutes a day,
your daily consumption of alcohol (1-2
beers) will not have any additional
impact on your gut. To lose your beer
belly, you REALLY have to watch your
food and beverage intake, drink 2-4
quarts of water a day, AND fit fitness
into your world. THERE IS NO OTHER
HEALTHY ANSWER! The exercise and
workout ideas below can get you
started on your calorie burning plan:
---
Workout #1: This is a great full body
calorie burner:
Repeat 3-5 times
Walk, run or bike 5:00
Squats - 20
Pushups - 10-20
Situps or Crunches - 20
---
Workout #2: Swimming and elliptical
gliding (cross country skiing) burn the
most calories per hour (This workout
can burn up to 1000 calories in one
hour!)
Swim 20-30 minutes non-stop
Elliptical Glide 20-30 minutes
---
Follow some of the other workouts
listed in the Stew Smith Article Archives
for more tips on burning calories.
There is no reason why you cannot
have "six pack abs" and still drink a six
pack a week. Once again, excessive
beer drinking is not recommended by
anyone in the health industry. If you
simply enjoy drinking beer and are
serious about your health, moderation
in drinking alcohol and eating foods
high in calories, combined with habitual
daily exercise is your ticket to reaching
your goals. I now have a series of
Workout plans that cater to all levels of
fitness and can help you with
developing a healthy diet with proper
food choices - the Beginner,
Intermediate, and Advanced 45 Day
plans sold on Military.com's Fitness
eBook Store. For those who are into
strength training, I have recently
developed a weight training plan called
"Beer and Barbells" that allows you to
use the additional calories of beer, or
milk shakes if you are under 21, to
gain mass and strength.
Adding exercise daily and observing
the dietary recommendations in these
eBooks will enable you to be the
person you were yesterday without
changing who you are today.
Enjoy! Feel free to contact me at
stew@stewsmith.com for answers to
your questions.
About the Author
Stew Smith is a graduate of the U.S.
Naval Academy, a former Navy SEAL,
and author of several fitness and self
defense books such as The Complete
Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness, and
Maximum Fitness. As a military fitness
trainer, Stew has trained hundreds of
students for Navy SEAL, Special
Forces, Air Force PJ, Ranger Training,
and other physical law enforcement
professions. His eBooks at Military.com
can help you achieve your fitness
goals, whether you're a beginner or an
expert. For more info on his books,
visit the Military.com eBook Fitness
Store.
View the Smith Archives
Email Stew Smith at
stew@stewsmith.com. Visit Stew
Smith's Official Website:
www.stewsmith.com.
Stew Smith is a graduate of the U.S.
Naval Academy, a former Navy SEAL,
and author of several fitness and self
defense books such as The Complete
Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness, and
Maximum Fitness. As a military fitness
trainer, Stew has trained hundreds of
students for Navy SEAL, Special
Forces, Air Force PJ, Ranger Training,
and other physical law enforcement
professions. His eBooks at Military.com
can help you achieve your fitness
goals, whether you're a beginner or an
expert. For more info on his books,
visit the Military.com eBook Fitness
Store.
View the Smith Archives
Email Stew Smith at
stew@stewsmith.com. Visit Stew
Smith's Official Website:
www.stewsmith.com.
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