Dry January: Can it benefit hobby runners? The answer may surprise you

Most professional athletes abstain from alcohol completely. It’s common knowledge that alcohol is not the drink of choice to keep our bodies in top form. But most of us aren’t professional athletes and it is well-known that runners love to grab a beer after a work-out. In Germany, even a type of beer, the Radler, was named after this past-time. So if we are conscious enough of our health to incorporate regular exercise into our lifestyle and keep our culinary indulgences in line, does it really buy us much to give up alcohol for a month? The answer is an overwhelming, Yes! After the Christmas parties (ok, not this year) and overindulgences at the holidays, many of us eat and drink too much and exercise less, leaving us feeling sluggish and lethargic when the new year rolls around. We make New Years’ resolutions to join a gym, lose weight or some other positive health goal, and this is essentially how Dry January was born. Dry January is a public health campaign, which originated in the...