Dry January??

Alcohol may be man’s worst enemy, but the Bible says love your enemy.

Frank Sinatra

I tend to stay away from the Gym in January, it’s always rammed with people clutching their New Year’s resolutions promising themselves they will lose 5 kilos before the end of January by walking on the treadmill for a fecking hour! Now if you’ve been keeping up, you’ll remember that last week I’d read that 35% of people that make New Year’s resolutions break them before the end of January, so my philosophy is that come February I be safe to go back!

However, one of my gym buddy friends rang on Wednesday and begged me to go to the gym with her, I initially said no however, she suggested that her motivation was so low that if I didn’t come she’d end up two stone heavier by Easter and it would be my fault – bish!

So I went, begrudgingly, did a half arsed work out because all the machines were taken my sweaty, over weight men that hadn’t seen the inside of the gym for about twenty years, now I’m not slagging them off, far from it, I think it’s great that some people decide to turn over a new leaf and I’m sure some of them will persevere and become lighter and less sweaty – fair play!

So, after a shower we decided to have a coffee. Feck that I was having a large glass of white wine, it was after all 7:45pm by this time! We met a couple of other people we knew in the bar and I sat down with my lovely glass of wine I looked up and one of the other ladies, who, with a sneery face said, “someone’s not doing dry January!” before putting back down her elderflower and organic kale presse. Now, I’m used to being judged so it was met with a pinch of salt however, I thought, how did dry January become such a big thing!

Now I’m absolutely NOT bashing anyone who wants to take a break from booze to start the New Year. I’ve definitely gone through phases where I enjoyed alcohol a bit too much and needed a break. I get it, totally!

My issue is the same as any “30-day challenge”, diet, booze, exercise… what happens on Day 31?

It seems that once the challenge is over, all is forgotten and we jump right back into old habits and behaviours. Or, worse, we go completely overboard in the opposite direction because, you only live once!

If you decide you want to join a 30-day challenge, I applaud you! However, do me a favour, think ahead to Day 31. Ask yourself what you REALLY want to get out of the experience. The point is not to dream about the bottle of Bollinger you’re going to have all to yourself to celebrate what you’ve achieved or the fish and chips you’re going to devour, it’s to think about how you can sustain what you’re doing and build it into your lifestyle. We need to try to make realistic and sustainable changes that add value to your life.

How about asking yourself…

Can I eat this way FOREVER? Yes? Great! No? Time to try something else! Once this idea of “forever” stuck with me, I became much less susceptible to quick fixes and started to enjoy the ride, as an example, a few years ago I wanted to start a diet and I read about something called the Pioppi, I think I may have even blogged something about it. I gave it a go and really liked it, I decided that I could sustain this way of eating and I’ve stuck with it! Now, it’s not a diet anymore, it’s what I do! And yes, if I see a nice, creamy cake, I do stray but it’s never difficult to get back on track.

Long story short, my sneery friend was right, I’m not doing Dry January and plan to enjoy a glass (or two) of wine tonight to celebrate the weekend. I mean, there’s also something to be said for the “enjoyment factor” of your choices, right? 😉

What’s on this week?