Study: Regular drinkers get more exercise

[peejay 327]

Study: Regular drinkers get more exercise

Moderate and heavy imbibers found to be more active than abstainers

Reuters

updated 4:34 p.m. CT, Mon., Aug 31, 2009

NEW YORK - People who drink regularly seem to exercise more often than teetotalers, and those who average more than a drink or two a day may be the most active, a new study suggests.

Using data from a government health survey of U.S. adults, researchers found that in general, the amount of time people devoted to exercise tended to inch up along with the number of alcoholic drinks they had each month.

Compared with abstainers, those considered heavy drinkers — at least 46 drinks in the past month for women, and 76 or more for men — exercised for an average of 20 minutes more per week.

Meanwhile, moderate drinkers — which included women who had 15 to 45 drinks in a month, and men who had 30 to 75 — got 10 extra minutes of exercise each week.

Both moderate and heavy drinkers were also more likely to report vigorous exercise, like jogging, than either light drinkers or abstainers, the researchers report in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

Compared with non-drinkers, adults in both groups were about 14 percent more likely to say they got some vigorous exercise in a typical week.

Not surprisingly, the findings do not mean that drinking is the key to launching an active lifestyle.

"We certainly would not advocate that abstainers should start drinking or light drinkers should start drinking heavily as a way to increase their exercise," lead researcher Dr. Michael T. French, of the University of Miami, told Reuters Health in an e-mail.

But, he added, the fact that people who drink, at varying levels, are all generally more active than non-drinkers is a finding "worth exploring further."

One potential reason for the link, French noted, is that some regular drinkers use exercise as a way to counteract the calories from alcohol. It's also possible that drinking at "responsible" levels is a maker of a generally healthy lifestyle, the researcher said.

For its part, relatively heavy drinking might be part of a "sensation-seeking" lifestyle for some people, French and his colleagues speculate.

Some heavier drinkers may, for example, be the types who tend toward more-adventurous outdoor activities like skiing or rock climbing. Others may play team sports, which often includes a trip to the bar after a game.

French pointed out that excessive drinking and alcohol abuse — any drinking habits that are harmful to a person's work, relationships or health — are well known to have "serious psychological and physical consequences."

Moderate drinking, on the other hand, has been linked to potential health benefits, including a decreased risk of heart disease. While part of that might be attributed to moderate drinkers' overall lifestyle — which, based on this study, includes higher exercise levels — research also suggests that alcohol has some direct benefits, like elevated levels of "good" HDL cholesterol.

To gain those potential benefits while reducing the chances of harm, experts generally recommend that women have no more than one drink per day and men no more than two.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32632923/ns/health-fitness

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Yeah, drunks are health nuts and always so charming....

[john & jean 37]

yeah lots of exercise finding a place to pee

[The Dude 206]

Yeah, drunks are health nuts and always so charming....

So marc must be doing the Ironman next month?

[Amby 490]

so you mean the fb quiz that told me I wasn't a drinker was actually calling me a lazy git?

[The Dude 206]

so you mean the fb quiz that told me I wasn't a drinker was actually calling me a lazy git?

So many things turned on their head. Now when my wife gives me that look, the "Don't you make another screwdriver or martini" look, I can tell her sincerely "This is to give me a better chance at exercising this weekend"

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Liquid courage?

[Amby 490]

Liquid courage?

it takes courage to exercise?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Liquid courage?

it takes courage to exercise?

Some people are a bit shy about working out in a crowded gym. I used to play a lot of street basketball and there were more than few instances where somebody was sauced.

[The Dude 206]

Liquid courage?

it takes courage to exercise?

IT does if you're drunk, and not living on the ground floor

[Amby 490]

Liquid courage?

it takes courage to exercise?

Some people are a bit shy about working out in a crowded gym. I used to play a lot of street basketball and there were more than few instances where somebody was sauced.

Ok I guess that makes sense now

[Chica Yeyé 41]

oh, and Amby.. I am still using our gym you would be proud.

[Amby 490]

oh, and Amby.. I am still using our gym you would be proud.

awwww yays!

[peejay 327]

I don't think most here get the jest of the article. There is more to exercise than just going to a gym and doing a set routine. Construction workers get a lot of exercise through their work as do other blue-collar workers. People that walk or ride bicycles rather than drive around in a car also get exercise. You don't necessarily have to participate in an organized exercise program to actually exercise.

[The Dude 206]

I don't think most here get the jest of the article. There is more to exercise than just going to a gym and doing a set routine. Construction workers get a lot of exercise through their work as do other blue-collar workers. People that walk or ride bicycles rather than drive around in a car also get exercise. You don't necessarily have to participate in an organized exercise program to actually exercise.

This is OT, did you really think people would 1) read the article, or 2) stay on topic?