Drinkers work out more

Heavy drinkers typically exercise more often than moderate or non-drinkers, a study finds.

In a national survey of weekly exercise and drinking habits involving 230,000 people, University of Miami researchers found that, of those participating in regular vigorous exercise, heavy drinkers worked out 10 minutes more that moderate drinkers and 20 minutes more than non-drinkers, according to SFGate.com.

A heavy drinker was categorized as a woman who consumed more than 46 drinks the 30 days prior to the survey, or a man who consumed more than 76. The researchers suggested it is common for people to go out for drinks after group sports, and that heavy drinkers may exercise more to “compensate for the extra calories gained through drinking or to counter-balance the negative health effects of drinking.”

Non-drinkers were slightly more likely to report not participating in any vigorous exercise during the previous month.