Exercise and alcohol are generally not seen side by side many places. To tell you the truth, much of the exercise community has shunned alcohol claiming that it us unnecessary calories and can stunt your improvements.

Many people feel guilty for drinking a few glasses of wine, especially during the week. I know many people who keep the wine chilling in the fridge waiting for Friday to come so they can uncork the bottle. But there is no reason to fear the bottle.

Like everything else in the world, moderation is key. But when moderated alcohol is not a bad thing and can actually keep you healthy and living longer.

Weight lift and enjoy the fact that you can still have fun with alcohol.

During a 20 year study, researchers in Denmark found that those people that consumed alcohol moderately (1-14 drinks per week) and stayed active had lower incidence of heart disease and other health issues that those that did not drink at all but were still active.

I do want to point out that 14 drinks is getting pretty high for moderate, and that this does not mean it is ok to consume 14 drinks in 1 day. It is spread over one week. Binge drinking is not going to provide these same results.

To be specific, the nondrinkers had a 30% higher risk of developing heart disease than the moderate drinkers who had the same activity level. And moderate drinkers that also stayed active had a 40-50% lower risk of developing heart disease overall. I think this is pretty impressive.

And what about keeping the grim reaper away? Being active in general lowered risk of death from other causes by 23%, but those who enjoyed a drink from time to time the percentage increased even more to 33%.

The best activity for optimal results is done at a moderate to high level. This means 4 or more hours per week of exercise that actually makes you break a sweat. Think interval training, cardio, and the best of all weight training.

Do you need more reasons to pick up a glass of wine? Research shows that moderate drinkers have lower risk of developing the following: stroke, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, kidney stones, digestive ailments, stress and depression, hepatitis A, pancreatic cancer, gallstones and liver disease.

Keep your ticker happy for the future by taking care of it now. Clearly, the best way to make your heart healthy is to exercise hard and reward yourself with a glass of wine, a can of beer, or a mixed drink (no high calorie, high sugar mixers allowed).

Just don't try and do both at the same time!

Additional Audio Talk:

Resources European Heart Journal, January 9, 2008 doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehm574 http://www.healthmad.com/Health/The-Health-Benefits-of-Alcohol.77945

Brought to you by the only real weight training for women fitness site The Art of Weight Lifting. Make sure to check out all of our women's fitness articles.