Drink a Beer After Your Workout -- It's Healthier Than Water!

It must be true! It involved a study at Granada University, and twenty-five college students were the lucky participants. Well, make that twelve, as the group was split into two groups; one was given beer after strenuous workouts and the other had to imbibe ordinary water. Poor souls.

Professor Manuel Garzon, the Granada University study leader, said that those who drank the beer afterward had slightly better results with the hydration effect. It should be noted that no hard scientific data were made available.

The students performed strenuous workouts in 104 degree temperatures for a twelve week period. In my humble opinion, the beer drinking group may have continued their participation due to the post-workout incentive. It's amazing the beer-deprived group stayed in the study. Or, maybe they drank the obligatory water provided by the good professor, then went back to their dorms and threw down pints of Foster in privacy.

Regardless, this small study has its detractors, primarily from the medical community. The belief is that beer has a diuretic effect, and drinking it after a hard workout only causes more of a dehydration effect.

Dr. James Betts, however, said "a moderate amount of beer might be just as good as water at helping the body retain liquid, but was unlikely to be better. If you are dehydrated to start with following exercise, a beer, as opposed to a spirit, probably does not have a high enough concentration of alcohol to induce a diuretic (increased urination) effect."

Although the statistical population involved in the study, only twenty five students, would not qualify as statistically meaningful, it motivated me to form my own new, improved theory. It goes like this: when you get the urge to exercise, sit down, calm yourself, and drink a few pints of your favorite brew. No sweat, ergo, no dehydration. Oh yeah. Additionally, do this in an air-conditioned environment...