With summer under way, you’ve got three priorities: shedding your winter padding, kicking back with a cold one and getting some. Luckily, you don’t have to give up your brew to banish your beer belly, so you can pursue all three quests at once. Ounce for ounce, beer has fewer calories than wine or liquor. And lest you think exercise and brewskis don’t mix, new research shows that a frosty pint may work better than water in helping your body rehydrate after a workout. “There are many studies that support consuming carbohydrates and sodium after exercise as a means of helping the body recover nutritionally,” says Monique Ryan, MS, RD, LDN, author of Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes—though she notes she might suggest something other than beer for her clients. Despite Ryan’s recommendations otherwise, to celebrate the best scientific discovery this year, we’ve put together a list of the hottest ways to get buff—and some summer lovin’—with a buzz on.

Hashing
There are no bongs affiliated with this sport, just beer and a whole lot of running. Members of New York’s Hash House Harriers (hashnyc.com)—so-called “drinkers with a running problem”—make like a pack of hounds and hunt down a “hare,” another member who has laid down a chalk or paper trail ahead of time. Four- to six-mile runs can take 45 minutes to an hour and a half, depending on whether the group gets lost. The best part about finding the finish line? It’s always inside a bar, and $15 covers all your beer and grub.

Burn factor: 6 out of 6
700 calories per hour

Buzz factor: 4 out of 6
“We’ll drink anywhere from two to five beers, and many buy more as the night goes on,” says New York Hash House Harriers joint master Lauren Whitney.

Booty factor: 6 out of 6
“There’s plenty of hooking up going on. Frankly, we love getting new people because it can get a bit incestuous!”

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