By Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times

For many people, working out and alcohol are closely linked. Sports teams and training partners celebrate victories, bemoan defeats or mark the end of training sessions with a beer or three. Beer, in fact, provides a substantial portion of some exercisers’ fluid intake after workouts.

But whether exercise encourages people to drink and, likewise, whether drinking encourages people to exercise has been in dispute.

Now two new studies suggest that exercise may well influence when and how much people drink. Drinking may even affect whether people exercise, and, the findings suggest, the interplay between exercise and alcohol could be a good thing.

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