Why Alcohol Is Actually Good For You!

Workout, then wine – it’s the ideal evening for so many women these days. In fact, research shows that exercise actually makes you more likely to drink. And in the right amount, that combo can be good for you. But the key words: right amount.

Here’s your guide.

- Sara Angle

For many women, exercise and alcohol go hand in hand, a growing body of evidence suggests. Not only do people drink more on days when they hit the gym, according to research published in the journal Health Psychology, but women who imbibe moderately (meaning four to seven drinks a week) are twice as likely to work out than their peers who abstain, a study at the University of Miami found.

Turns out barre class and the bar are similar as far as your brain is concerned. “Exercising and drinking alcohol are processed the same way by the brain’s reward centre,” explains J. Leigh Leasure, director of the neuroscience lab at the University of Houston. Both trigger the release of feel-good neurochemicals like dopamine and endorphins.

So, to some extent, drinking after a workout is a logical progression: As your exercise high wears off, your brain looks for ways to prolong the buzz, such as having a cocktail, Leigh says. Boot campers and bargoers may have overlapping personality traits too. Both are likely to be risk takers, predisposed to seeking out activities that deliver that endorphin rush.

And although you may drink more than your less-fit friends, the habit isn’t necessarily bad for your fitness goals. In fact, there’s good news. “Unless you’re training for a serious competition, having one or two drinks once a week after a workout probably isn’t going to have an effect on muscle repair and recovery,” says Jakob Vingren, an associate professor at the University of North Texas, who studies alcohol’s effect on exercise.