The latest concepts for “happy-hour fitness” also include Vino and Vinyasa (wine yoga), Scotch and Stretching, Tequila and Tan (the sanskrit word for stretching), “brunch runs,” and IPA 10Ks. Instructors have found that mixing drinks with classes helps to break down intimidating barriers.
Beer yoga, wine hikes, a slate of alcohol-fueled spa workouts including Vino and Vinyasa (wine yoga), Scotch and Stretching, Tequila and Tan (the sanskrit word for stretching), “brunch runs,” IPA 10Ks and even wine marathons (in France) have all taken hold as new versions of enjoying libations while pursuing recreational and fitness endeavors, the Los Angeles Times reported.
While beer has been paired with bowling, skiing with schnapps and golfing with gin and tonics for generations, the Times reported, the latest iterations are taking the concept of “happy-hour fitness” to many new levels.
“It doesn’t surprise me that these classes are sprouting up,” J. Leigh Leasure, director of the Behavioral Neuroscience Lab at the University of Houston, who studies the effects of alcohol and exercise (combined and independently) on the brain, told the Times.
A clear number of studies show that people who exercise are also likely to drink, Leasure said, perhaps because they feel justified that they earned the reward, or worked off the calories. In fact, the Times reported, a study by the National Institutes of Health reported that moderate drinkers (defined as those consuming one drink per day) were twice as likely to exercise compared to peers who don’t imbibe, although it was unclear why.
Mixing beer, wine or cocktails with activities such as yoga, running, hiking, Zumba or spin class makes them more Instagram-friendly, the Times noted, and experts say it also helps to make those experiences less intimidating.
“Yes, 100%,” Stephanie Serrano, a yoga instructor who leads a monthly beer yoga class at the Federal bar in downtown Long Beach, Calif., told the Times. “Offering yoga in unique format styles brings in a different audience that might not have tried yoga in the first place. Hopefully, by doing that, they’ll learn something new about yoga. Also, [alcohol] helps to clear your mind and build community.”
Unlike most beer yoga classes, though, Serrano incorporates beer tasting during the workout, not after, the Times reported. “I designed the class around the idea of balance,” she explained. “So I thought about poses that we could do that also would make it easy for us to grab the drink and hold it at the same time.”
In the “Vino and Vinyasa” and “Scotch and Stretching” sessions offered at the Agua Serena Spa in Indian Wells, Calif., mindfulness versus millennial multitasking is the priority, the Times reported. “They come in with the idea that they’re going to do a pose and then sip on some wine, but it’s really not that way,” said Spa fitness instructor Honri Marcel.
“I’m using yoga and stretching to get clients into a more calm state of mind, stimulate blood flow and come into a more present sense of being,” explained Marcel. “Besides reducing and releasing stress and anxiety, [the practice] also enhances the sense of taste.”
Participants sample and learn about two whites and two reds during the 90-minute lesson, before ending with a glass of bubbly, the Times reported.
“After they’ve done the champagne toast, they’re usually kind of giggly,” said Marcel who noted that clients have been known to stay and socialize long after the mats have been rolled up and put away.
In Serrano’s beer yoga class, participants clinked glasses and happily “cheers-ed” with their neighbors, the Times reported. “I wanted the class to also be a space where you could possibly meet someone you may not have met if you were just hanging out at the bar having a drink,” Serrano said. “Now, you’re doing a yoga class all together, working on yourselves within a group setting and also having a good time and sharing a drink.”
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