Sometimes it seems like the most absurdly toned women don't drink any liquids besides lemon water and matcha. (Many fitness blogger's Instagrams and celebrity interviews could get you thinking that way.) But it's totally possible to drink a little alcohol here and there without ruining your diet and sacrificing whatever body goals you have. Here, we rounded up drink recommendations from some of the most fit women we know—SoulCycle instructors, celebrity trainers, etc—so you can copy their smart choices when you're out. (Or ignore this list, and order whatever the hell you want because one drink isn't going to kill you?)
1. Fresh Fruit Cocktail
"I try to choose drinks that aren't crazy high in sugar, because I prefer to eat my calories rather than drink them," says Los Angeles-based SoulCycle instructor Victoria Brown.
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"I'll order [a specialty drink] from the cocktail menu when I can see that the bartender is using fresh ingredients like whole fruit or pureed fruit instead of flavored syrups with artificial sweeteners." It sure beats a shot, which almost always causes Victoria to skip the next morning's workout.
2. Shot of Vodka
"I have always been a fan of vodka shots," says Anna Victoria, certified personal trainer and creator of the Fit Body Guides. "I don't love the taste of alcohol, so I can drink a chaser right after and get on with the fun part," she explains.
While Anna drinks a couple of glasses of wine with her weekly cheat meals, she hits the hard stuff only two or three times a year for special nights out with her friends, making sure to eat before drinking — and after, to soak up the alcohol and help prevent a vicious hangover. (God bless late-night pizza.)
3. Wine
Bree Branker, director of creative integration and master instructor at IMAXShift, an indoor cycling studio in Brooklyn, New York, always chooses wine over a cocktail.
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"With wine, I don't have to guess at how strong the pour is, how top-shelf or low-brow the quality is, or how much the sneaky additives like in a sugary cocktail add on," explains Bree, who fills her wine glass almost every night — but never with dinner. Otherwise, she ends up treating wine like water, chugging it to wash down her food. "I don't use up valuable tummy space on alcohol," she adds.
Sunina Young, a New York City-based instructor at Yoga Glow and SLT, also counts herself among wine drinkers, although she hits the bottle downright rarely — and not for the reasons you'd think.
"I get red very easily [when I drink]," she explains, of the occasional birthday or anniversary where she imbibes. "So I minimize drinking and balance it with water."
4. Vodka Soda With Grapefruit Juice and Lime
Lindsay Buckley, a Los Angeles-based SoulCycle instructor, steers clear of dark liquors and sugar mixers like soda and juice, which make her wake up feeling hungover and bloated. But vodka? Yes, please.
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When she's looking to "get into a bit more trouble" than wine allows, she'll order a Kettle One vodka soda with a splash of grapefruit juice and two limes. She goes to town with that sort of thing three or four times a month, opting for wine about twice a week. And when she drinks with dinner? She always orders her food before the buzz hits to make smarter decisions. #Genius.
5. Gimlet
On summer nights, Barry's Bootcamp trainer Astrid Swan orders a gimlet made with gin and lime juice. She caps it at one drink, though, mostly because her tolerance is a total joke.
"A few sips in, and I could dance on tables!" says the instructor, who also tries to eat before she drinks, and chug a large glass of water with Emergen-C afterward to replenish her body's store of vitamins and minerals before she hits the sack.
6. Tequila on the Rocks With Lime
"I actually love the taste of a really good tequila," says Nike trainer and NYC-based fitness instructor Alex Silver-Fagan.
"It's the only alcohol that doesn't give me a crazy headache in the morning," she adds — and the buzz isn't bad either.
