Be Healthy and Relax

Archive for the ‘Alcohol and Health’ Category

Hey all. It’s Saturday and coming up to crunch time for shopping for the holidays. If you’re starting to feel the pressure, don’t worry, you still have a little bit of time to get that perfect gift. Check out some places online if you’re running out of ideas. See what Matt, over at HowIWillBeRich suggested for some great gifts that won’t break the bank. You can still get those babies shipped quick, so act now!

I know I’m a little off topic for this site, but I’m in the mood to do some relaxing this weekend and taking a breather for the stresses of the past few weeks for me. I’ve been meaning to post this great excerpt from great old TV show, “Cheers” for a long time, more as a joke than anything. I would like to say it’s an awesome theory, but only if it were true. If you’re not a beer drinker, I’m sure you can get creative and apply this to something else in your life.

Ahh, the Buffalo Theory…

“Well ya see, Norm, it’s like this… A herd of buffalo can only move as
fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the
slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural
selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and
health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the
weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate
as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we
know, kills brain cells. But naturally it attacks the slowest and weakest
brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates
the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient
machine. That’s why you always feel smarter after a few beers.”

Well there you have it. Don’t get too crazy out there this weekend, but have some fun. Have a good one!

Photo credit: mandj98

Lookie here, it’s another Friday! That means I’m going to continue with my tid bits of information about alcohol and your health. The past two weeks I have kept a theme on Fridays that somehow pertains to alcohol, just as a nice way to begin the weekend. Many of us find the end of the week as a great time to relax and occasionally drink a few alcoholic beverages to unwind and smooth over the problems formed throughout the week. As discussed in earlier posts, such as Moderate Drinking vs. No Drinking: Who’s The Winner?, drinking alcohol in moderation can prove to be very enjoyable and beneficial to your body. As there are many benefits to drinking, there are definitely negative aspects as well. If drank in moderation there are numerous benefits that stem from alcohol, and we’ll keep on that end of the spectrum today with the topic: Alcohol can actually help strengthen your mind.

When thinking of alcohol, it is sometimes difficult to grasp the benefits because of the long-lasting negative connotations we have grown up around. As reported in the news from a recent study, researchers have found that the consumption of alcohol on a regular basis by women can lead to a higher risk of breast cancer. I have not yet done extensive research on this topic, but with each drink the percentage of risk raises dramatically. These heavy disadvantages can definitely outweigh the gains in alcohol, but knowing each side of the scale is never a bad thing.

Studies have also shown that with moderate drinking, your thinking can become much more clear and actually strengthen your memory. In these studies, produced by the American Journal of Epidemiology, it showed that women respond better to the drinking than men. They suggest that drinking two glasses of either wine or beer per day can, overtime, increase blood flow to the brain and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. As a result of this, memory levels become clearer and stronger. Memory loss is said to be much less common with those that drink moderately. The Journal says, “Frequent drinking may be more beneficial than drinking only on special occasions.”

The moderation we’re talking about here is such:

• For women and those over 65, no more than one drink per day
• For men under 65, don’t drink more than two drinks per day

The ones that drink more than this at a constant rate have to learn and limit themselves. With this bad personal nutrition, over drinking can lead to brain damage, memory loss, and worst of all, dementia. With some self-restraint and will-power, those disadvantages can easily be turned into good.

In no way am I condoning to begin drinking if you don’t already. These posts about the relationship of alcohol to our health is simply to spread the word of the pros and cons of drinking. Please do not solely base your decisions off of the information given in this blog, as I am mainly delivering the news to you, the reader, so we can all be aware and share this knowledge with everyone. Thank you for reading, like always, and be sure to check out all of the previous Friday posts.

The decision to drink or not to drink is most often answered with, “Do I want to be unhealthy or healthy?” Many people tend to answer this question without much knowledge backing it; their verdict is determined by seeing the destruction it causes from news reports on TV or seeing the addictions that can come from indulging too much. Many people have not researched that there are actually benefits to drinking. The key to this equation is moderation.

What Is Moderation?

Depending in which part of the world, the amount of drinks per day can vary. In America, it is very common to determine two drinks per day as being moderate. Of course, moderation is also figured into your body mass and how alcohol effects you. Traveling down to Australia or parts in Europe, moderation is looked as high as about four drinks per day. This just shows you how wide spread this idea is, but it is still definitely an amount that is determined on a personal level.

• One drink is equal to a 12 oz. can or bottle of beer, or
• One shot of alcohol, either mixed or straight, or
• One 5 oz glass of wine

With this moderation, researchers have said that the consumption of alcohol in this manner betters your health and increases longevity. Keeping the balance is the most important factor in all of this. Too much alcohol can be very harmful and produce many long-term effects in the body. But, surprisingly, studies have shown that those that are abstainers to alcohol do not have the health advantages that moderate drinkers have. More often than not, those that have a moderate drinking habit are more self-controlled than those that don’t drink and those that drink excessively. Moderate drinkers are normally more active and can show constraint in many other aspects in their life. Finding that healthy medium is the goal of the game.

Well it’s Friday again, so it’s time to bring back the topic of alcohol. Each Friday I think I’ve decided to have a new quirk on the subject since some of us like to “relax” a little more on the weekends. I started with last week’s post, The Hangover Cureall?, pointing out what actually goes on during a hangover, along with a method to try and remedy them.

This week I was thinking about what actual advantages coming from drinking beer in moderation, of course. I did a little research and to my surprise, came up with some interesting points. There have been numerous studies that have proved that drinking beer (normally darker the better) shows very similar advantages that red wine gives to our bodies. We have all heard that drinking a glass of red wine with dinner actually helps make a more efficient heart, now the same with beer can be said. Red wine and beer contain a very similar amount of antioxidants, but a giant 4-5 times more than white wine. Getting rid of those cancer-causing free-radicals has never been so fun!

Another study conducted by the Texas Southwestern Medical Center shows that those who consume a moderate one to two beers a day have a 30-40% lower rate of getting coronary heart disease compared to non-drinkers. Along with this, those moderate drinkers can enjoy knowing that they have a 20% less chance of getting a stroke, which unfortunately is a leading cause of death in America. No matter what beer you prefer: the wheats, pale ales, stouts, ambers, lagers, or even those bitter ones, you’re receiving these great benefits, in moderation of course!

Interesting Beer Facts

• It’s cholesterol and fat-free
• It helps prevent heart disease and aides in circulation of the body
• It’s a depressant, so it relaxes the body and helps rid stress
• Beers are nutritious if consumed in moderation
• It helps you sleep easier

Many believe that by being a very athletic person, beer should be completely cut out from the diet. If beer is consumed in a very moderate manner, each beer can be worked off very easily. Since an average beer consists of about 250 calories in a 8-12 ounce serving, this should not throw off an athlete’s training plan. With this moderation, even those who do not have a rigorous workout schedule would be easily able to burn it off through normal daily routines.

The last two times I have run a half-marathon, I have seen groups of people with shirts that read “I Run For Beer”. Obviously these people have the right idea that running and a moderated beer consumption can go hand in hand. As long as you have a healthy diet and have the ability to limit yourself when a beer comes into the picture, you shouldn’t have a problem. Beer and a being healthy aren’t incompatible!

Since we’re wrapping up the weekend, and possibly settling down to relax and watch some afternoon football, a few of us might be feeling the effects of the last two nights. Continuing with my post, The Hangover Cureall?, I want to expand a little more with the alcohol hangover topic with a video. I found a pretty interesting clip that points out many consequences stemming from partying. It shows, with awesome visuals, how loud music, smoking, and the effects of drinking do severe damage to your body in the long-run. It is definitely worth spending the short four and a half minutes to briefly witness the ugliness that happens inside while we’re having fun.

Have a great Sunday everyone!