Exercise and drinking – old age remedy

You hear so much lately on television, in the newspapers and books on how to live a long, healthy life. We all know that means eating healthy, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, getting enough sex, thinking good thoughts and on and on and on. But now “Time” magazine comes out with an article I love! They say that daily moderate exercise plus moderate alcohol consumption (one drink a day for women) equals a lower risk of heart disease than that of people who either drink without exercising, exercise without drinking or do neither. How about that? If you ask if you can have an extra drink in place of the exercise, the answer could be yes, or so says an article in the “European Heart Journal.” But you don’t want to overdo that by any means. Doctors found that exercise and drinking alcohol each had an independent beneficial effect on the heart and a compounded effect when practiced together. This mainly applies to people 45 or 50 – not younger. The alcohol has many benefits, one which really interested me. It decreased dementia rates in older adults who had been consuming one to six drinks per week. I should be seeing results in no time.

So now I have an idea that might even be better. If alcohol and exercise go together, how about doing both at the same time? Wouldn’t that give you twice as much chance of a long and healthy life? I don’t jog, so that’s out for me. I do walk but would rather not do it while I’m carrying a wine glass. But I work on my treadmill every day, so why couldn’t I have a glass of wine while I’m treadmilling? That way I could kill two birds with one stone . . . that’s a horrible saying but it does have meaning. I’ve already been on the treadmill today, so it’s time for a glass of wine. Tomorrow I might give my idea a try . . . or not.

The article does say you have to use your head with the alcohol thing. You should never drink your weekly allotment all at once. “Time” always manages to come up with the goodies week after week.