It almost sounds too good to be true. According to scientific researchers at Canada’s University of Alberta, red wine holds the same natural compound – resveratrol – as nuts and grapes – which, when tested on mice, improved their physical performance, heart function and muscle strength. And while of course, we can’t really compare ourselves to mice on all levels, it seems the compound really does benefit us too. Lead investigator Jason Dyck told Science Daily: ‘Resveratrol showed results similar to what you would see from extensive endurance exercise training. Resveratrol could help patient populations who want to exercise but are physically incapable. Resveratrol could mimic exercise for them or improve the benefits of the modest amount of exercise that they can do.’ In short, that means red wine possesses ingredients that create the same effects as going to the gym. So, by drinking a glass of red a day you could strengthen your heart, muscles and bones just as would during a workout.

What a time to be alive, right? Obviously drinking a glass a day isn’t going to give you a six pack and rock hard abs. And you know we said it was a little too good to be true? That same researcher is pretty confused about how his study has been interpreted: ‘We didn’t use any red wine in our study nor did we recommend not going to the gym,’ Dyck told CBC. ‘To get the same amount that we’re giving patients or rodents you’d have to drink anywhere from 100 to a thousand bottles a day.’ Unfortunately, we really do have to work for that stuff – as much as it sucks. And the benefits of drinking are outweighed by the negative effects, not least, weight gain. A 175ml glass of average strength red wine contains 120 calories, for instance, while a 250ml glass contains about 215 calories – multiply that by three and you’ve just doubled your dinner calorie intake. But in moderation, it reduces bad cholesterol, can prevents blood clots, slows down brain decline and decreases risk of cataracts, colon cancer and type 2 diabetes.

And it would make that crippling workout a bit less painful. MORE: Quiz: Can we guess if you’re a red wine or white wine person? MORE: 6 reasons why red wine is actually good for youNewsFitness coach's brilliant 'wine workout' provides sip of plonk as reward for every press-upGiving new meaning to working hard and playing hard, health coach April Storey has come up with an ingenious way of staying trim while still boozingA wine-loving health coach has become an online hit after ingeniously combining two of her favourite things - fitness and booze. April Storey's "wine workout" video shows her replacing dumbbells with bottles of plonk, and taking sips from a glass of red while doing press-ups. The 24-year-old mum-of-one is also seen wearing a top bearing the words, "Will Run For Wine", while lifting full bottles of vino above her head. The clip has been viewed more than 25 million times on Facebook, and has made April an overnight star in her hometown of Redding, California.

In later posts, April encouraged responsible drinking and revealed she did not even finish the glass she is seen sipping in the video. Read more: High-protein beer launched that might not give you a beer belly She later wrote: "It's been a whirlwind but I'm honored to be able to show that 1. Fitness can be FUN 2. red wine glass luxuryYou can incorporate healthy living into your every day life with everyday items 3. top 10 wine routesThose treats we love, like wine, can still be enjoyed in moderation."top 10 wine routesLike us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterDaily NewsletterFollow @DailyMirrorSubscribe to our Daily newsletterEnter emailbest white wine in paris

I don’t drink a lot, never really have – but I certainly enjoy an occasional beverage.  By ‘not a lot’, I would say I maybe had four drinks all summer long.  Last Friday night I went out and over the course of dinner and a short trip to a nearby bar I consumed two glasses of wine and a beer.  For me, that barely registered as a light buzz.  best place to buy wine in chicagoEspecially given that dinner started at 8PM and I left the bar at midnight.  can you buy wine in england on sundaySo three drinks in four hours.  Plus, over that same four hours I probably drank about two liters of water.  I was WAY up on the water. I went home and continued drinking a lot of water, etc.. and thought nothing of it.  I got 8 hours of sleep in before waking up and feeling ready to go.  No ill affects, felt just fine and dandy.

Like my previous bricks earlier in the week, Saturday morning’s brick was designed as a quick set on the bike followed by a short run.  I hopped on the trainer and began my warm up. So what did the additional alcohol do to my bike workout?  For comparison purposes, I took the same snippet out of both workouts.  This particular snippet was immediately after completing my 10 minute warm-up.  It’s the first five minutes of high cadence drills. The top graph is September 9th (last Tuesday evening).  You can’t see a ton from the graph, but look at the white text box (click it to expand).  Here’s the key items to keep in mind for that segment: Sept 9 Avg Power: 234 watts Sept 9 Avg Heart Rate: 146 bpm For me, that’s smack in the middle of my Z2 for the bike, and the wattage is so-so for that particular chunk at that cadence (Avg 112RPM).  I can sustain a higher wattage for longer at a more normal cadence, but that’s beside the point.  In short – all is normal and well.

Now let’s look at last Saturday morning after wine the night before.  You can immediately see I try to start off at the higher wattage (by applying load on my trainer), but simply can’t sustain it within zone.  So I back off load – a lot.  Note the lines above are nice and smooth, yet below they are all over the place as I continue to try and course correct to stay in zone. But I’m still above Z2 HR (My Z2 for the bike is 139-149).  In fact, my average HR over the course of five minutes still ends up being higher, while my wattage drops over 25 watts (over 10%!!!). Sept 13 Avg Power: 209 watts Sept 13 Avg Heart Rate: 150 bpm So I’ve already lost 12% of my bike power and I still haven’t even gotten my heart rate back into Z2, from Z3. I was consistently 20-80 watts LOWER for the same or slightly elevated HR.  Now mind you, I felt just fine – I wasn’t on my bike puking or anything.  It’s just that if you look at my power output and my HR, they aren’t even in the same ballpark – especially given the workout was half as long as the one either two or four days earlier.

Oh…but this fun isn’t over yet.  We’ll skip past the section where I normally push 340 watts for intervals and could only manage 260 watts within zone (and yet still mostly out of zone).  Instead we’ll go to the run, where things really become obvious. In order to compare ‘like’ segments, I’ve chosen two Z4A areas.  These are fairly quick paces, but I’m still ‘showing restraint’. Z4A heart rate zone is 163 to 169. While the two segments are different in length (Tues is 5 mins, and Saturday is 2 mins), that has no real bearing (actually, it even more so proves my point). Despite what the GPS says, this was a flat section.  Here’s September 9th (last Tuesday): So for this Z4A section the two key averages are: Sept 9th Pace: 6:28/mile Sept 9th HR Avg: 168 bpm (upper Z4A) So all in all, not bad – about where I’d want to be for any given random night AFTER a 45 minute interval ride. Now let’s look at Saturday morning (post-wine), after only a 24 minute relatively easy ride.

While I ‘feel’ fine, the technology tells another story.  My HR is now skyrocketing roughly out of control.  And this is only 2 minutes into this set. Sept 13th Pace: 6:37/mile Sept 13th HR Avg: 175 bpm (lower Z5A) That’s an enormousness jump from a heart rate perspective – two zones higher.  It normally takes me going sub-6 in order to break above 173ish.  Thus, on the run I’ve now lost 10 seconds a mile – but that’s the least of my problems – my HR is now 7 bpm higher.  So I’ve not only lost speed, but I’ve also lost two HR zones. Finally, here’s a little table showing the drops (or increases): At first glance you may say “Oh, what’s a 2% drop in race pace”, but you’ve gotta  put in perspective that this is with a 4% INCREASE in HR…which is a lot.  Further, a 12% drop in wattage is a TON, especially considering I increased HR as well. So what does this mean?  Well, at least for me that drinking just a little bit the night before has a fairly significant effect on my performance – in particular in cycling.