Fitness Friday: Dry January
like many, I have decided to use January as an opportunity to give myself a
healthy boost. I’m back at the gym, watching my diet and taking those all-important
vitamins; none of which are unusual in the new year. However, this year I’m also doing something new – I’m taking part in Dry January.
Dry January is fundamentally a charitable cause and you can donate here. However, for me, it’s not just about charity. January is the
perfect time for a ‘detox’ and as 2015 drew to a close, I frequently found
myself thinking about having a break from alcohol. I don’t think I will ever be
able to resist a gin and tonic, but after a few too many nights out, I found
myself waking up with bigger hangovers than ever before, getting ill more
frequently and (whisper it) feeling a bit old!
I decided to take a break;
partly to feel healthier and partly to simply see if I could do it. I drink
alcohol because I enjoy the taste and for me it is a social pastime, so I was
curious to see if this suffered when I cut out the booze. My weekends always involve gin and tonics or a bottle of wine with my parents, cocktails with friends or drinks at blog events. Once the bottle has been opened, it always get finished, so for me, I really needed to go extreme and cut out the booze completely.
alcohol – hurrah! I was worried that I would genuinely forget that I was taking
part in Dry January and have a drink without thinking about it, but I’ve stuck
to lime and soda when out with friends. There is of course the added bonus of
saving money and I haven’t felt like my social life has suffered at all. I’m interested to see if my drinking habits change when February arrives, particularly when it comes to finishing that opened bottle or simply choosing to be the designated driver once in a while. I’ll make sure I post an update once the challenge has ended!
