I follow the frugal living blog Wise Bread pretty closely for inspiration for my other blog RealWorldReally.com, so I was quite surprised this evening when something popped up in my Google Reader from Wise Bread which was more appropriate for this blog: Wise Bread’s 21 Great Uses for Beer. The list includes everything from:

4: Take a beer bath
…Drain a few kegs into the tub and let the invigorating bubbles cleanse the skin and exfoliate. The yeasts and other ingredients are great skin-softeners. Then take a long shower.

To my personal favorite (and something I’ll have to try one of these days):

20: Wash your pillowcases in it
This may be an old wives tale, but apparently the nutty smell of hops helps you fall asleep. If you’re an insomniac, try washing a pillowcase in beer and you may just get to the land of nod sooner than you think.

And really just about everything in between. The only thing that seemed to be missing from Paul’s post… DRINK IT!

“21 Great Uses for Beer” [wisebread.com]
[tags]beer, frugal living, life hacks[/tags]

Just in time for the conference championship games tomorrow, RealSimple Magazine today announced a list of beers to correspond with each team in the NFL. Why? So that at your Super Bowl party you can,

give your guests a selection of beers that reflect the names, the mascots, or the hometowns of the competing teams.

Click here for a rundown of all the NFL teams and their matching brews.

[tags]Super Bowl, beer, RealSimple Magazine, NFL[/tags]

There’s no question that the holidays are a joyous time of festivities and merry-making but, on a much darker note, it’s also the time of year that I find myself reflecting on loved ones lost (or sick) the most. There has been an amazing amount of [tag]cancer[/tag] in my life, especially in the last few years – my mom and aunt are both recovering from breast cancer, my girlfriend’s 18 year old sister is going through chemo therapy right now for lymphoma, I lost a brother-in-law to brain cancer in 2005 and my paternal grandfather to cancer a few years before that.

With that in mind, the news which surfaced today could really not have come at a better time, as far as my psyche is concerned. Its being reported that scientists have found a powerful [tag]antioxidant[/tag] inside the [tag]hops[/tag] cone called [tag]Xanthohumol[/tag] or [tag]Xan[/tag]. According to Dr. Markus Herrmann, Xanthohumol has been shown to be a very active ingredient in the fight against cancer.

This particular antioxidant essentially blocks a common family of enzymes that can activate the growth of cancer cells. In addition, it also helps the body detoxify carcinogens, stopping tumor growth at an early stage. The studies, which were done at Oregon State University, show Xan can kill breast, colon, ovarian, and prostate cancers.

Lastly, the researchers have found that the darker the beer you drink is, the better it is for you. I personally cannot think of better [tag]beer news[/tag] to have surfaced in a long, long time. At least, as I sit back and reflect with a [tag]beer[/tag] this holiday season, I’ll be doing myself some good. Happy Holidays.

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According to an article which appeared in England’s Telegraph today, having a beer after playing a game of football, a long run, or a strenuous round of golf can be good for the body, scientists are now reporting. In a bit of good news for those who enjoy their brew, Spanish researchers have announced that their findings suggest that beer can help someone who is dehydrated retain liquid better than water.

Prof Manuel Garzon, of Granada University, told reporters that the bubbles in beer help to quench the thirst and that its carbohydrate content can help to replace lost calories. Prof Garzon asked a group of students to do strenuous exercise in temperatures of around 40ºC (104ºF). Half were given a pint of beer, while the others received the same volume of water.

Prof Garzon, who announced the results at a press conference in Granada beneath a banner declaring “Beer, Sport, Health”, said the hydration effect in those who drank beer was “slightly better”.

Juan Antonio Corbalan, a cardiologist who worked formerly with Real Madrid football players and Spain’s national basketball team, said beer had the perfect profile for re-hydration after strenuous exercise. He added that he had long recommended barley drinks to professional sportsmen after practices & games.

So get up from your desk and go get some exercise. But when you get back, for God’s sake, have a beer.

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I can think of no better use for Bud Light!

Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox, 2007 champions of the world!

[images via boston.com]