Another study proves that moderate consumption of alcohol may have positive health benefits. Using data from a survey from the government, researchers have discovered that the amount of time spent exercising seems to go up as the number of alcoholic beverages consumed increases. Alcohol is thought to provide some protection form heart disease when imbibed in moderate quantities, as well as raise “good” levels of cholesterol.  With this study, there is now proof that those who drink more heavily than others may be more motivated to exercise.

The study, published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, described heavy drinkers as those who drink more than 76 drinks a week (men) and 46 drinks per week (women). Heavy drinkers exercised an average of 20 minutes longer per week than their teetotaller counterparts. Moderate drinkers (30-75 drinks for men, 15-45 for women) exercised, on average, 10 minutes longer per week than abstainers.
 
So what does this all mean? It does not mean that you should start drinking heavily in order to lose weight or get in better physical shape, researchers stress. Researchers speculate that drinkers may engage in more exercise in an effort to stave off or rid themselves of the effects of too much alcohol, such as the infamous “beer belly”. They point to the need for more studies to be done in this area in order to duplicate results and gain further understanding of the factors that drive drinkers to exercise more than non-drinkers.
 
Related Links:
How Alcohol Affects Your Figure from Health Guru
How Does Alcohol Affect Exercise? from HealthTalk.com
Research: Alcohol, body weight, and weight gain in middle-aged men