Do a little yoga, get a little beer
If you’re still struggling with that New Year’s resolution to work out more, Stevensville’s Yoga in the Root has a promotion that may help motivate you. If you attend the free “Men’s Yoga” class on Jan. 25 or the free “Hatha Yoga” class on Jan. 27, you’ll receive a coupon for a complimentary beer from Blacksmith Brewing. Both classes start at 6 p.m. and Yoga in the Root is located at 4701 Eastside Highway, Ste. A, Stevensville. Call (406) 777-7011 for more information. With all that exercise you’ll likely be thirsty, too, at least according to a new study.
- Matt Pritchard
Study: Does exercising make you drink more?
Are exercising and drinking related? According to a story that originally appeared on the New York Times website, the answer may be yes. The article looks at a recent study where a set of rats were given access to running wheels, while another set of rats were just placed in their cages. After three weeks, half of the rats from each group were given unlimited access to alcohol for 21 days. Turns out the rats that had the running wheels actually drank more, contrary to what researchers thought would happen.
The article also points out that the findings are in line with a recent survey by the American Journal of Health Promotion titled “Do Alcohol Consumers Exercise More?” The study found that yes, the more people consume alcohol, the more likely they are to exercise. Here’s perhaps why:
Maybe, the authors speculate, some of the drinkers are drawn to a “sensation-taking lifestyle” that includes adventurous, extreme styles of exercise. Alternatively, imbibers could be “socializing and drinking after participating in organized group sports.” Or they might be trying “to compensate for the extra calories gained through drinking or to counterbalance the negative health effects of drinking.”
So, cheers!
- Matt Pritchard
Beer and the common cold
Great has been the debate about drinking beer while fighting a cold, as master Yoda would say. But, I don’t see what all the fuss is about.
The health affects of beer are noted here, and it’s not the yeast, the malt or the hops that cure what ails you, it’s the alcohol that tends to have the greatest impact on your health.
Still, what do you do when you’ve got a nasty headcold, and you still want to enjoy a good beer? Is this even wise? Which beers do you recommend oh sick one?
Well, to start, if you want to drink a beer while you’re fighting off a nasty headcold, then go ahead and do it. Too much beer will lower your immune system’s already flagging libido, so try to stick to one or two. And, since you cannot possibly taste or smell anything, try to pick a beer with some added nutrients.
Our own Kettlehouse Brewing Co. puts out an elixer known as Ginseng Pale Ale. This brew, available only in the tap room, has the benefit of added ginseng, which is known to have health-giving properties.
If you can find it, Wisconsin brewery BluCreek’s Zen (Green Tea) IPA might give you a health dose of catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG. I could explain what this is, but I’m a beer writer, not a green tea writer. Suffice it to say, green tea in your beer can’t hurt you, and what can’t hurt you only makes you better, right?
Or, you could try and add some berry into your beer consumption. Berries, especially blue ones, are known to have a lot of incredible health attributes. So, it’s no stretch to think that berries in beer might be a good remedy for a head cold, or at least a good excuse to drink a beer while you’re sick. There are many blueberry beers out there, but if you want real taste, try some of Montana’s huckleberry beers. I’m thinking maybe Lang Creek’s Huckleberry N’ Honey or Great Northern Brewing’s Wild Huckleberry Wheat Lager. On a side note, neither of those breweries have a working website, which I think is cheesy, but I put the link in in case they get around to fixing the problem.
Nazdrovya,
GG