Whereas we all really like to stay in shape, what we like even more is a decent night out. And as soon as the first beers are emptied, our conscience is drowning in alcohol. Though, there is really nothing wrong about a quality clubbing night with your friends.
It makes us happy – and happiness is healthy. Let’s take a look at what these nights actually do to our bodies, especially what the positive effects of party nights are. While there is no reason to justify social smoking, dancing all night long or a proper karaoke session might be healthier than we expect it to be.
Everybody Needs to Party
Another rough week over and done with? Been working or studying hard all week? Then finally it is time for the activity that you have been looking forward to since Monday morning: partying.
Whether you plan to spend your Friday night at a quality house party, in your favorite nightclub or bar hopping with your best friends, you deserve this night. People need party nights. All over the world. In Germany for instance, over 75% of the population go out at least once a week, whereas 10% even live it up three times a week.
But no matter if you will be spending your nights in the crowded streets of Manhattan, follow the call of Ibiza or if you are in the café of your home village, the urge and need to get some fun time out is internationally the same. The options are countless, the destinations are diverse , tastes differ but all of us have just one goal: paint the town red over the weekend. But can this be really healthy?
The Unhealthy Side of Partying
To get it over with, let’s start with the disadvantages of partying.
- Alcohol: It is no secret that alcohol is not exactly a magic diet potion. It’s just not as healthy as we all would wish it to be. The more we drink the more we forget about the disadvantages of alcohol. And whereas this is sometimes really helpful to destress, the result of over-consumption of alcohol without a doubt harms our bodies.
- Social smoking: It might have some placebo effects and also the trend of smirting is quite interesting, but usually on the next morning we regret the smoking.
- Unhealthy snacks: Just to have something in our hands, we tend to eat unnecessary snacks with our drinks, which are the actual reason for the high calorie-intake.
- Sleep deprivation: Whether you drink or not, a lot of partying can lead to a lack of sleep. And even if we do not drink at all, our sleep routine suffers which can lead to sleep deprivation.
So, the trickiest health problems of partying are indeed social smoking, bingeing on late night food and drinking so much that you have to throw up. So, let’s face it, a night out is not going to help you lose weight. But healthiness is not all just about your weight, there is much more to it. And if you keep a little track of your drinking, smoking and eating habits, also this harm is manageable. That’s why we claim: Overall, partying is healthy!
Health Benefits of Slacking and Socializing
Therefore, enough of the problems a rock star lifestyle can have, let’s focus on the health benefits of partying. Let us look at stress relief first. As adults we get increasingly involved in tons of important tasks and responsibilities. The everyday hussle we go through makes us imbalanced, easily irritated and less patient. And to be able to maintain balanced during work, school or other everyday tasks we need our time to release stress. And what is better than letting loose in the energized streets of a party area? A study at the University of Gottingen claims that especially for the gentlemen, a night out with the lads is the best stress releaser .
You do not only de-stress, you also boost your social life. It is especially important to gather the right people around you. If you do not feel comfortable, you won’t be happy. But if you have the right positive people accompanying you, party nights can be the very best. Not only can you make memories for a lifetime, every night out also offers you to get lucky for the night or even for the long run. Even if you are in a relationship, as long as you do not cross any borders, flirting is actually good for your health .
Plus, one minute of kissing burns 5 calories and it will affect your oxytocin and cortisol levels, reducing stress . You never know what you miss, if you’re gonna miss the party! Or to put it a bit more intellectually in the words of Jackson Brown Jr: “When you look back on your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the ones you did.”
Health Benefits of Drinking, Dancing and Singing
And for all those who like to have one over the eight, Time Magazine even recognized the connection between binge drinking and a high social standing . Now, we certainly do not want to motivate you to become a binge drinker. A casual drink with the right people now and then, however, is certainly having more advantages than it harms you. If you consume alcohol moderately, it can actually lower your risk of heart disease and stroke and increases the dopamine in your brain. Red wine may even help your cardiovascular health .
And now to the actual night out work out: dancing. Going to a dance club on a regular basis can actually really increase the health of your heart and lungs. Moreover, Harvard publications have proven that you burn between 180 and 230 calories during 30 minutes of fast dancing.
Apart from that, dancing lowers the risk of dementia and osteoporosis, provides an aerobic workout and releases endorphins, giving you a natural high. Besides, even singing karaoke proves to be healthy! As the time usually flies during club nights, you might not even notice what an extensive workout you’ve had . And what adds to all this is that when you meet a special person in the bar or go home with your significant other, chances are that you will be motivated for another very private work out to round up the night.
The Key to Health: Happiness
The overall happiness factor of party nights is evident. Happiness is the best medicine, the best cure and the best precaution because happiness is healthy ! When you are surrounded by lovely positive people, pumping music and a cozy atmosphere your heart will open up and your body will thank you for that.
If you gather the right company around you, a night out is a lot of fun. Looking at the health benefits of laughter , a night out with a few unhealthy drinks can, drastically put, still be healthier than drowning in loneliness with a salad on your sofa. And did you know that laughing for 10 minutes can burn up to 50 calories?
It doesn’t matter in which way you enjoy your party, going wild to pounding bass, long talks at a fireplace or singing some guilty pleasure karaoke hits in the Irish pub nearby. What’s important is that you get out and celebrate your life. The endorphins in your body will lead to higher immunity, better metabolism, glowing skin, healthy hair, and an improved outlook on life .
Tips for Healthier Partying
We figured that partying is not that unhealthy at all. And if you are like us and love parties as much as a healthy lifestyle, here are some further tips of what you can improve to be a more healthy party animal:
- Exercise before your night out: Even though some people say after the workout you should rest, it does not hurt to pump yourself up a little before you go out. Here are some facts about the connection between drinking and muscle growth . And here are some hints for our female and our male readers for the right Friday night workout.
- Don’t drink on an empty stomach: Always have some food before you start drinking. Especially food with a lot of protein proves to be a good support for a long night out. Fats and carbs should be present in your dinner before the night out.
- Drink plenty of water: Boost your energy during the party and prevent your hangover. A glass of water between drinks does not take much effort but really pays off in the end.
- Choose the healthier option: There is oftentimes a healthier option of any drink you like to consume. Pilsener beer for instance is a better choice than a lager. Or try one of these 60 healthy cocktail choices. Also the whisky hangover is worse than vodka .
- Stay away from the snacks: Beer bellies usually don’t come from the beer itself but from the snacks consumed with it. Party snacks usually tend to be calorie-intense, so enjoy your beer and concentrate your focus on your social feed.
- Go Nuts: Okay, one snack is usually quite good at parties: nuts. They provide good fats and a lot of protein. Just don’t binge them as they are also high in calories.
- The right light night meal: After clubbing we all get hungry. But try to go for a more healthy choice. We love Kebab too but do you really want to regain all the calories you just danced off?
- Vitamins on the morning after are everything!
- Exercise the morning after: Whether you choose to do partner exercise with the person you woke up next to or go out for a run, it will benefit your health. Right after waking up your body might not feel like exercising, but once you got your butt out of your bed (or moving in it) you will feel the energy.
- Log your activity: With the Virtuagym apps you can log your food intake and compare them to how many calories you burned to your intake!
Conclusion:
Yes, partying can really be healthy. Try not to get too hammered every weekend and go easy with the party snacks, flirt a little and go all-in with your dancing and singing skills and you will actually do something beneficial for yourself. If you gather the right people around you that make you feel comfortable and have some music playing that carries your worries away, a night out can be healthy overall.
Happiness is the key, and already as kids, nothing made us happier than playing. That’s why we grew up to be happy people. And now that we have responsibilities to take care of, we should not forget about the fact that grown-ups have to play too. So grab your best buddies and get out this weekend!