What You Need To Know About Alcohol & Fitness: Doctors & Nutritionists Weigh In

The holiday season is here, and between holiday parties and general merriness, many of us are drinking a tad more than usual.

But when you have specific goals in mind—whether it's running a marathon or becoming more flexible—it's important to know what factors are helping and hindering those goals. Unfortunately, alcohol can be one of them.

Dr. Alicia Armitstead suggests drinking alcohol-free beer or consuming sulfate-free wine (sulfates can cause liver damage) while functional medicine nutritionist Brooke Scheller recommends opting for clear alcohols.

If you're working to reach a fitness goal, inflammation can slow you down a bit. And while certain alcohols are said to come with benefits—red wine has flavonoids, for example, which may help with heart health—it's important to take inflammation into account.

"Secondary to sugar, alcohol is also a major contributor to inflammation in the body," Brooke Scheller tells mbg. "In practice, I find that inflammation is one of the key reasons someone struggles to lose weight and reach their fitness goals...inflammation can also contribute to joint pain and muscle aches that may slow someone down at the gym."