In case some of you were still wondering, our name, Heels to Laces, celebrates the fun of going out with our heels on, but always remembering to put our laces on the next day. We believe in finding the balance between fun and work.  And nothing addresses this theme better than today’s blog.

We have all been there – a few too many drinks the night before and you wake up with a hangover.  Your head is pounding and all you want to do is dive under the covers. Hangover symptoms are a product of dehydration, hypoglycemia, and the poisonous side effects from toxins in our drinks.  There are lots of suggested cures out there, but there is only one that I have ever found to work. Time and time again, I have resorted to exercise. Pure and simple – sweat it out!  Yes, some health experts may not believe it works, but if you find a healthy cure that can fix your ailment, why not go for it?

I had heard about using exercise to get through a hangover, but I never really had the motivation to give it a try when I was feeling lousy and tired.  However, on a skiing trip a couple years ago with my sisters, I had no choice.  The three of us were on vacation together for the first time, without kids and spouses/boyfriends, so we had an excuse for a little over-indulgence.

After a late night of too many drinks, we had to get up early to hike into the backcountry for some off-piste (outside the boundaries) skiing.  So there we were, at 8am, meeting our guide and completely hungover. He showed us how to use our transponders, pick axes and shovels in case there was an avalanche – very reassuring!  After riding the gondola to the top of the mountain, we strapped our skis onto our backs and started hiking.  At this point, all three of us weren’t sure we were going to make it – our heads were pounding and we were above 9000 feet in altitude, but we didn’t really have a choice, so we just got going.

After about 30 minutes of sweating, huffing and puffing, we reached our first peak and we realized that we felt great.  My headache was gone and so was my hangover.

Ever since then, I have used exercise as my weapon against the morning hangover.  Exercise raises your metabolic rate, which helps you clear toxins associated with metabolizing alcohol. Exercise also helps deliver oxygen to your cells, which can increase the speed at which you detoxify harmful compounds.

We are not condoning weekly hangovers, but it is human to overindulge sometimes. The next time you do, remember to drag yourself out of bed and run, hike or get to the gym – whatever it is you do – and sweat it out!  One other tip – drink lots of water, both before you go to bed and when you first wake up.  Too much alcohol leads to dehydration, so it is crucial to keep drinking.  Water will not only help hydrate your muscles and organs, but, like exercise, it will also aid in flushing out the toxins.