We’ve all been there: all fun and no moderation makes for a pretty hungover guy or gal!
On those mornings after you’ve had a bit too much to drink, the idea of working out may just make your head pound even more. But while getting your heart rate up won’t exactly “cure” your hangover, you may be able to find some relief due to exercises’ ability to release feel-good hormones like endorphins (that is, if your greasy take out and ibuprofen doesn’t do the trick).
There’s really nothing quite like exercise to make you feel better about yourself.
But before you buckle up and trudge to the gym, there are a few things to consider.
Important Reminders for Working Out With a Hangover
Beware of dehydration.
Drinking excessively can cause you to become dehydrated quickly—not only because we tend to drink less water when we’re imbibing in adult beverages, but also because alcohol (a diuretic) causes us to sweat more and lose fluids.
If anything, trying to “sweat out” the toxins may actually worsen your symptoms if you’re not properly re-hydrating yourself. So drink plenty of water and add a pinch of sea salt for some electrolyte balance.
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Beware mental fogginess.
We all know how hard it is to think and focus after a night out on the town. The mental effects of a hangover may put you (or others around you) at a greater risk for injury if you’re not able to pay due attention to what you’re doing.
Beware any other hangover symptoms which may make put you more at risk for injury.
In addition to dehydration and brain fog, you may be dealing with other hangover symptoms like heart palpitations, weakness, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, sweating, and irritability. It’s not a stretch to imagine how any of these can affect your ability to safely focus on your workout. So proceed to the gym with caution.
Consider easy going rather than hard out.
In the face of your unpleasant hangover symptoms, it may be smarter to stick to a lighter workout. At the very least, you may want to push your workout back toward the end of the day when you’re feeling a bit better, rather than trying to Rambo through a rough morning.
5 Gentle “Recovery” Workouts Following a Long Night Out
In those hopefully rare instances when you wake up with a bad hangover, consider giving one of these workouts a try:
1) A thirty-minute yoga flow—but save the hot yoga session for another day.
2) Some easy cardio done around 50-70% of your max heart rate (subtract your age from 220 to determine max heart rate).
3) A slow walk or hike in the great outdoors.
4) 20 minutes of dedicated stretching (after a light warm up to get the blood flowing).
5) 5 to 10 minutes of mindful breathing exercises (we like four-square breathing).
Keep following our blog for more tips, and be sure to share this article with your fit friends who love to let loose!
