It's a Thing Now - Dry January

Wow! I had no idea...what originated in 2013 in the UK as a fundraiser has now evolved into people participating in Dry January all throughout the UK and the US. High five to everyone involved and if you don't know what it is, Dry January is a challenge in which social drinkers abstain from alcohol for the entire month of January and take the time to reevaluate their relationship with drinking. For some it is also a time to simply detox after indulging or overindulging during the holidays

If you look around you will see that we now live in a culture where drinking is promoted very heavily and especially towards women. Ex. All the fruity drinks, apple this and that, beautiful wine bottles, vibrant colors and ads galore. But we are also living in a time where we are finding out so much more about the other effects that alcohol is having on our system besides not drinking while driving and liver issues which is why I decided to do a post on intentionally cutting back on alcohol.

Prior to finding out about "Dry January", my client, was looking for ways (in addition to our workouts together) to improve her overall health, get better sleep and feel better throughout the day. After doing her own research about alcohol and its impact on the body, she decided to eliminate alcohol for the month of December. She found that she has been sleeping better, feels more energized through the day, she has experienced better concentration and more. Now she is rolling into Day 40 and still going strong!! Woohoo! I love it!

What's great about implementing new habits is that you can get others to join you. She asked her husband to join her and he too has experienced some very positive changes...they've started incorporating more gym time together, more walks and other various activities which is awesome.

Although people say "Dry January" it's really eliminating alcohol for a period of time or simply cutting back for some. You guys, the health benefits are numerous and include better sleep, concentration, digestion, lower blood glucose, clearer skin, weight loss, and the best one is you save money! (lol) . Something else to know...abstaining from alcohol for a month has also been linked to lower drinking in the following six months.

We've got about 1 more week here in the month of January yet I challenge you to give it a go and "Go Dry" for February. See what you experience. Share your experiences.

Whether it is a "thing" or not, if "Dry January" is promoting and influencing people to take better care of themselves then I am all for it! Healthy body, happy life.