How I Drink Wine Every Night & Stay Healthy

 I knew when I submitted this blog post to Mind Body Green that they probably wouldn’t accept it. This is probably due to the fact that I’m saying (and maybe promoting) that I drink wine more than once a week (shock horror)! I’m not stating it’s a good thing, or a bad thing, but I am saying it’s realistic and I do believe you can drink alcohol more than once a week and still lead a healthy & happy lifestyle.

I’ve crash dieted, I’ve deprived myself of all carbs, I’ve banned myself from alcohol – all in the hope to lose weight. It wasn’t till about a year ago (I am now nearly 30) I realised that I’m not at an unhealthy weight and maybe what is more important is to live a happy and healthy life.I know it’s a hard realisation for women (and men too!) to stop judging yourself and instead celebrate your beauty but seriously, get yourself into gear and start striving for a balanced lifestyle. You’ll come back and want to thank me, I promise.

I am not a nutritionist or a fitness expert. I am just an everyday girl, whose passionate hobby is being a wine blogger. So it goes without saying that I love my wine, and hey, a girls’ got to do her research right?

What I wanted to share with all you wine lovers out there is how I drink wine nearly every night and keep up my fitness and health. As with everything, wine needs to be consumed in moderation. If you feel like you have a serious problem when it comes to alcohol, please seek professional help as soon as possible.

Here’s how I do it:

1. Reach daily fitness goals before wine

I have recently picked up a Fitbit which tracks all my steps. My daily goal for the first 6 months was 10,000 steps – when I reached this I was allowed a wine in the evening. I have now upped my goal to 15,000 steps a day. It may mean I have to pace around the backyard a bit more before I pop that cork, but I feel so much better for it when I am relaxing with a glass of vino on the couch.

Currently pacing around Perth city in heels trying to get my Fitbit steps up prior to the new vintage wine release tasting for Oakover Wines – that’s dedication to wine & healthy living right ???? #Fitbit #fitbitau #perth #oakover #wine #wearingmemories #winenot #tcweekdaywine #tcwineblog #perthblogger #wineblogger

A photo posted by Travelling Corkscrew Wine Blog (@travellingcorkscrew) on Jun 16, 2015 at 2:52am PDT

2. Replace dessert with wine

It’s one or the other for me (unless it’s a special occasion that is). If I’m planning to have dessert, I’ll skip the wine that evening. Otherwise I can swap out my sweet treat for that glass of Pinot Noir.

3. Opting for red wine whenever I can

I love my Chardonnay and bubbles, but there is something absolutely perfect about red wine in winter or with a red meat dish. The added bonus of choosing a glass of red over white is that red wine is full of antioxidants and it can help balance your blood sugar levels in amongst many other benefits.

4. Drinking quality over quantity

Here’s the wine snob coming out in me, but I would rather opt for 1 glass of decent wine over a 5 litre cask of wine (goon, wine in a box). Not only is it going to be tastier and make you happier but it also means you are saving your calories for the good stuff. I most definitely would have opted for the goon when I was a uni student with $100 to get me through the month, but these days the headache and calories are just not worth it.

5. Not drinking wine too close to bedtime

Like food, it’s wise not to drink wine or any other alcoholic beverages too close to the time you go to sleep. Yes it may help you fall asleep quickly but it’s highly likely you’re going to be tossing and turning all night and have a restless sleep.

6. Match wine consumption with the same amount of water

They say you should drink 8 glasses of water a day, which is about 2 litres/64 ounces. My trick with water is to match my wine consumption with equal amounts of water. This will help keep your body hydrated, and a perk is it’ll help you feel a lot better in the morning too! For any matched water intake for the wine I drink, I don’t count this towards my daily 2 litre water goal.

At the end of the day, everyone’s bodies are different. Make sure you listen to yours and work out what that perfect balance of being healthy and happy is. If wine makes you happy, like it does for me, then make sure it intertwines with your health and well-being. If you have any other healthy tips, make sure you let me and all the other wonderful wine drinkers out there know. Just pop a comment below.

And in the meantime, check out this fab infographic on keeping fit while still enjoying a glass of vino or two by Fix: