Wine and Fitness at Healthworks January 22, 2009 by Julia Timakhovich, Boston Wine Examiner Sure—if happened to be a celebration day. Healthworks Fitness Centers at Porter Square in Cambridge—my beloved and much marketed gym—hosted a free 2009 Kickoff event this evening. Not that there aren't enough New Year's resolutions people there already at rush hour—the regulars don't need a kickoff. But still, it was welcoming to stop by for a few minutes to warm up the January chill. The festivites in the crowded downstairs reception area included trays of healthy snack foods like carrots, pita chips and hummus—and a table hosting two wines from the Best Cellars—a Hungarian (yes, Hungarian) Sauvignon Blanc, professionally chilled in a proverbial ice bucket, and a hearty Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma Valley. Mmmm. Was that a message of celebration unrelated to fitness? Most likely. Healthworks decided to do something fun for its regular and newer members—and they pulled it off well. What amused me the most was a few customers refusing tastes of wine because they were en route to work out or take a group exercise class. I know from personal experience that having a glass of wine before working out can catch up to you. After minute 20, you will feel every ounce of that wine, and not in a good way. It's self-evident that wine and exercise, when partaken close together, don't mix. I didn't have my gym bag with me, and thus was able to partake freely, learn about Best Cellars' marketing strategy, taste something different—I don't usually have Hungarian whites around the house—and mingle with Healthworks staff. But I know that were I there to work out, the temptation to walk through the yummy front desk and not indulge would be too overwhelming. It struck a cord—the teeter-totter balance of loving food and loving fitness at the same time. Apperiation event or not, everything Healthworks does is to promote fitness, including the food and beverages they serve on premises. And I'm so down for those cheese cubes, hummus, and the wine. Calories? Who cares, the treadmill is literally upstairs. Thanks, Healthworks. I like the way you think. What a fun evening event. Members, guests and staff were uber-busy—but they were flying through their tasks laughing, talking and snacking—and all, with no exception, looking quite fit. Does your gym tempt your willpower on the way to the fitness floor?