I know what you're thinking right now: "Wait, what? You gave up alcohol?"
If you're a regular reader, you would have read this post. If not, let me summarize: my business book club started reading The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer by Steven Kotler and along with reading the book, a couple of us in the group decided to set some goals. Challenging goals. Scary goals. Like, if a goal scares you and you try to talk yourself out of it? Yeah, you've picked the right goal.
One of my goals was to complete my current workout program, Dig Deeper. I'm in week 11 of the 12 weeks and I can tell you that not only will I complete this program, but that I have plans to start over at day 1 after I complete round one. The program has challenged me in a way that I don't think I've been challenged since marathon training, and my soul is singing right now. I'm lifting heavier, my endurance has improved, and I feel so good that I'm just going to keep the momentum rolling.
The other goal? The scary goal? I stopped drinking.
My original goal was to stop drinking for 100 days to see how I would feel and to see if I'd notice any changes in my health. I'd been curious about going dry for quite some time and the book gave me the push that I needed to do the experiment.
A disclaimer: I am not a heavy drinker. I was what you would consider a moderate drinker. A few drinks on the weekend, maybe a couple during the week. I would sometimes get buzzed, but my days of getting drunk have been over for quite some time. I didn't get hangovers anymore.
However, I noticed some things when I drank. My sleep was poor. I got acid reflux at night. I found myself wanting a glass of wine in the evening when I'd have a stressful day at work. And, of course, there's the snacking that goes along with drinking, and never anything healthy.
Mostly, though, I wondered what my fitness would be like if I decided to cut alcohol out of my diet.
I set a goal of 100 days. I've done 30-day periods multiple times in the past, so I felt like I needed to go longer to challenge myself. I also felt like 30 days weren't long enough to decide if staying dry had any effects on my health.
To be completely honest, I was a bit terrified. I tried to talk myself out of doing it. A LOT. I mean, ya'll know me, I love my wine. I'd even started developing a taste for cocktails - sidecars and martinis, I'm looking at you! Before I even started, I was already missing what I wouldn't have. I told myself that I was crazy and that I'd never be able to do it.
Oh yeah? Hold my beer and watch me.
I'm on day 86 (!) It would have been day 88, except I had a drink at my birthday lunch with my family and then a glass of wine at my birthday dinner with my husband the next evening. That was three weeks ago and right after my birthday I went right back on track.
I'm writing this post now, even though I haven't reached my goal of 100 days yet because I am that sure that not only will I reach 100 days, but that I'll probably just continue indefinitely with just the occasional drink on special occasions (like my birthday!)
Here are the notable changes I've noticed since I stopped drinking:
My sleep is so much better.
The acid reflux that would wake me up at night is gone.
The afternoon drowsiness that I used to experience is gone. I have more energy throughout the day.
My workout performance has improved. My energy has improved. My knees and joints aren't as painful, especially with moves like lunges and squats.
"But Tammy, how do you know those things are from giving up alcohol?"
Because I haven't changed anything else. I haven't changed my diet. I haven't changed the amount of sleep I'm getting. Work is still stressful. Life continues to throw curveballs at me. But I've learned that I don't need alcohol to cope with stress. I can have fun on the weekends without drinking. Not having alcohol when we go out to eat saves us money. I don't have to worry about driving after I've had a couple of drinks. A Fresca on ice seems to work as a stress reliever just as much as an alcoholic drink.
Also, non-alcoholic beers are good. And there are so many options now!
I'm feeling amazing and although I'm not sure I'll give up alcohol forever, I now know that I'm fine without it or just a minimum amount.
Big, scary goals - I highly recommend them. I have a couple more in the pipeline. Stay tuned.
Comments