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Sport and alcohol as a special combination.

We are more than half way through our 40 day challenge. The first 20 days literally flew by for me. So with 3 alcohol-free weekends already. Weekends in which there have been the necessary challenge. A family weekend with 13 men and the necessary alcoholic temptations. And last weekend's beautiful wintry weather naturally called for mulled wine. I proudly resisted everything.

I think the most special combination is that of sports and alcohol. I try to run regularly. My goal for this year is to run the Amsterdam marathon with my wife. From 2007 to 2010 I have also run many marathons and a few ultras (which are more than 42 kilometers). One of the marathons I've run is Berlin. A main sponsor of that event is a beer brewery. Non-alcoholic beer was served immediately after the finish. Funnily enough, that is one of the best recovery drinks you can imagine. As long as it's alcohol free.

If you talk about alcohol and exercising yourself, then I clearly notice the difference when I had a drink the night before, and when I didn't. Not only do I see that reflected in the sleep history of my watch, but I also notice it in the degree of recovery after an intensive run. If I've had a solid workout and then had a nice evening with a beer, the course of the day is tough. It is also the reason for me to fit in a period of no alcohol again in the last phase of the marathon preparation. Simply because I would like to run that marathon in a good time.

Nevertheless, alcohol is irrevocably linked to sport. Major beer brands boast being the main sponsor of just about every major sporting event. Other alcohol brands are on the field as shirt sponsors, or you can see them as a sticker on a car during races. We are used to it and hardly ever think about it. The question for me is therefore the question to what extent such sponsors stimulate and normalize alcohol consumption. I think it definitely helps you think less when you grab a drink. You see it everywhere, right?

I am, and always will be, a big fan of an alcoholic drink. But for me it is true that I am increasingly trying to find the balance between that drink and what I want to achieve further. So do I want to run that marathon? Then for a certain period of time no or hardly any alcohol. If I know that I have to take care of important matters at work on Monday, I will take that into account on Sunday. But if an occasion comes along where I know that alcohol will be present a lot during an evening, for example on a holiday, then I also take that into account the other way around.

Personally, I live very much from the principle that many things should be possible, as long as it is in balance. That applies to food, that applies to (alcohol) drinking, to work and also to sports. And that makes me feel healthy in my body.