Your two best friends have just completed the 875 kilometre Sydney to Melbourne ultramarathon. What an accomplishment! Particularly considering that in the past 5 days – the length that this endurance race takes – your days have been pretty much uninterestingly routine. You have gone back and forth to work, watched it all on the catch-up sports channel whilst sipping that favourite Hunters Valley Sauvignon Blanc, slept and taken the dog for a walk around the block – once. The big dilemma now is what do you give them for having finished this most gruelling fitness task? The party in celebration of the finish is looming and you have no idea what to give them. A bunch of carrots, some smart energy drinks for the cellar, a subscription to Mental Health magazine or a book? Don’t be fooled into health and fitness lovers being non-party goers – these guys want to have fun and celebrate. What better way of celebrating than a gift of wine? Of course. Are you justifying this for your own benefit because you want that fab Sauv Blanc at the party or will they appreciate it?
Don’t get things to bottle-up in you -trust your instincts
Which health conscious friends do you know that don’t enjoy wine and to be recipients of a wine gift from their favourite estate. Not many. They will love a good bottle or two of wine; they are your friends after all. You know that they don’t necessarily partake in the wine drinking culture that you do, but they do drink wine. They may be lovers of the open road and pushing themselves to the limit but if they are worth their salt (or good wine) then that is what you should do. Good wine can go down in a cellar for future consumption – at their leisure and when required.
Decision taken.
A glass or two of wine a day may just keep that physiotherapist away
Perhaps you should write this on that gift card that you intend buying to congratulate them. Or tie a ribbon around the neck of the bottle and attach a chocolate medal. How do you adorn this special bottle of wine to make it personal and congratulatory? Use your creative side to make that gift personal and worthy of your appreciation of the major feat they have just been able to accomplish. Do not wrap the wine up in a fancy wrapping paper – the label will not be read on the day – and, hey, you want them to appreciate the effort you went into choosing this special wine, and it may cause the wine to heat up and ruin. Rather attach a simple label or card that comes from you to say: “Wow – I am so proud of you!” And then let everyone else at the party see the simple message and be envious that they did not give an equally appealing, personal message on their gift. Kudos to you – your creativity and thought that went into that gift will be much appreciated.
One glass of wine a night is for its health benefits, the rest is to make me funnier and more likeable.
The million-dollar question is drinking wine healthy or not? Confusion reigns as all those endless studies have not really come up with a conclusion. There is normally the on-the-fence attitude to the health benefits of wine. Take this misleading headline from the Huffington Post April 3, 2015:
“A Glass of Red Wine Is the Equivalent to an Hour at the Gym”
No, use your common sense that this is not the case and rest assured your health and fitness conscious wine drinking friends will not agree to this. They know the benefits and they know the negative aspects and they will tell you in a serious health and fitness regime that they adhere to – moderation is the best way. The only thing for them that is not in moderation is hitting the road and exercising to the nth degree. But that is not to say a bottle (or case of wine) as a gift to be imbibed after all the fitness regime is over for the day will not be appreciated.
People large or small, fit or not, if they drink wine, they do so because they love it. Fact.
The health and fitness people of this world will no doubt do this and for no other reason than for pure enjoyment. Drinking in moderation is the key word to follow in whatever fitness regime is being followed. To be health savvy is to follow latest trends, but also to be sceptical or wary of outlandish so called research into the do’s and don’ts of wine consumption. The gift of wine is not going to upset the Orthopaedic or heart surgeon’s apple cart!
