A study recently published in the journal Health Psychology suggests that on days of higher overall physical activity for individuals, particularly on the weekend, there is also a correlative increase in the consumption of alcohol compared to less-active peers.

Researchers of the study, led by David Conroy of Northwestern University, examined the daily reported data of 150 adults, aged 19 to 89 years, on three 21-day measurement bursts. Participants recorded their physical activity and alcohol consumption after each day, and researchers analyzed the data through statistical analyses.

Results showed that after taking into account variables such as age, gender, and social calendar influences, the deviations in daily physical activity were significantly associated with daily total alcohol consumption. “Monday through Wednesday people batten down the hatches and they cut back on alcohol consumption,” said Conroy in a recent statement. “But once that ‘social weekend’ kicks off on Thursdays, physical activity increases and so does alcohol consumption.”

According to the statement, this is the only study to utilize smartphone technology and daily diary recording to self-report physical activity and alcohol use. “In this study, people only have to remember one day of activity or consumption at time, so they are less vulnerable to memory problems or other biases that come in to play when asked to report the past 30 days of behavior,” said Conroy. “We think this is a really good method for getting around some of those self-report measurement problems.”

The researchers suggest that it is not people who exercise more who drink more in general; rather, it is on days when people are more active that they drink more than on days they are not. “Perhaps people reward themselves for working out by having more to drink or maybe being physically active leads them to encountering more social situations where alcohol is consumed — we don’t know,” said Conroy. “Once we understand the connection between the two variables we can design novel interventions that promote physical activity while curbing alcohol use.”