It’s Probably Not The Best Idea To Work Out With A Hangover — Here’s Why

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It doesn’t matter if you party hard every weekend or just indulge in a glass of wine too many from time to time — we all fall victim to pesky hangovers. But when you decide to exercise the morning after in an attempt to “make up for it” or “sweat it out,” you could be doing your body more harm than you realize.

First things first, too much alcohol can leave your body seriously dehydrated. Its diuretic effect encourages you to run to the bathroom all night (damn those lines) and sweat more than you typically would. So the morning after, your body is parched and in dire need of some H2O — not a workout that encourages your system to sweat and dehydrate itself even more. If you don’t carefully replenish your fluids and electrolytes before exerting yourself, you could end up dizzy and nauseous at the gym (or worse, you could faint). You could also end up injuring yourself — think muscle and tendon tears — because your body’s flexibility is also hindered by dehydration.

You’ve probably noticed that your hangovers are accompanied by a lack of coordination as well. Your limbs feel like Jell-O (and not in a good way like after a tough strength training session) and you can’t help but trip over every carpet wrinkle and bump into every counter edge. Translate these struggles in your own space to a treadmill or weight rack, and you’re just asking for trouble. So to avoid some serious gym mishaps that could ultimately keep you away from your workouts for weeks (or even months), just take that rest day.

Finally, brain fog is real after a night of heavy boozing, and it’s a legitimate concern in a gym environment. Just like how truck drivers shouldn’t drive drowsy and heavy machinery operators shouldn’t do their jobs while medicated, you shouldn’t grab big weight plates and navigate quick-moving cardio equipment when you’re lacking the ability to focus (or even remember what you were trying to do next). Again, you’re just setting yourself up for potential injuries and pain… and in this case, you will gain nothing good from the pain.

Now, not all hangovers are created equal. There’s a very big difference between a little too much wine and way too many tequila shots, from how dehydrated they leave your body to how many toxins you now have to eliminate. So use your best judgment and honestly assess how you feel. It might be worth sliding onto your yoga mat with a little headache, but we definitely wouldn’t hit the weight room feeling seriously woozy. Either way, save your more intense workout sessions for another day. Bootcamp will feel so much more fun when you don’t have to sprint to the bathroom to possibly get sick. Not cute.

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