Dry January, my friends. This campaign started with Alcohol Change UK, a British company.
One thing I heard recently was this, “Visualize who you want to become, and start doing the things she does in your daily life. In order to become her, you have to do the things she does.” That is so true. Is she competitive in fitness? Does she get great sleep and feel revived? Is her stress much less? Is she confident in her body? The gap between her and me are the pieces that make up her day-to-day life. If I go after those pieces, then I will grow into her.
Why drink less alcohol?
Creating a postive and productive head space and well-being.
We can all agree that for starters: sleep, exercise and healthy nutrition intake influences our physical well-being. Working toward improvements in the physical aspects of well-being will impact mental well-being.
However, it would be silly to not talk about some of the choices we make that impact us negatively. Because alcohol is a depressant acting on the central nervous system, there are a handful of negative side effects from even moderate amounts of regular intake. Hangovers experienced after partaking are often correlated with feelings of depression and anxiety.
Another important piece of the feedback loop here is the interruption in sleep, or circadian rhythm. You may notice above that I even mentioned ‘moderate amounts’ of alcohol. What is a ‘Moderate Amount’? For men we are talking 2 servings of alcohol and 1 for women. That moderate amount even disrupts the circadian rhythm and prevents your ability to reach the deepest parts of your sleep. This means you may not only wake up with a headache or hangover, but you’re also operating on very little rest and recovery that following day, up to 40% decrease after only 1-2 drinks.
After a night of drinking, you may also notice fatigue, dizziness, headache and body aches. One reason is dehydration. You may also see the visual aspects of dehydration in your skin with wrinkles, psoriasis, eczema, rash/irritation, and post-adolescent acne. While alcohol is not the only contributor, it seems an easy offender to eliminate.
In a previous post, I touched on alcohol consumption as a habit. Sometimes the best way to change a habit is by using the replacement approach. One low-hanging fruit here is the glass of wine or cocktail while making dinner nightly. While chef-ing, if you regularly sip on a drink to unwind from the day, replace the liquid in your cup.
You don’t necessarily need to have alcohol to enjoy a drink. I love a lot of the options on the market now for crafting an NA cocktail, pouring a glass of NA wine, or opening an NA beer. What gets easier than that?
Cheers! An electrolyte leading the market is LMNT. Here’s a sneak of their New Years Eve inspired mocktail:
Orange Salt Sipper
½ stick LMNT Orange + 12 oz Sparkling water + Splash of Grapefruit juice
Garnish with Dried Blood Orange Wheel
Need More ideas?
Ritual Zero Proof - This is a line of NA spirits, and references each as specific ‘Alternatives’. Ritual offers NA vodka, gin, whiskey, rum, aperitifs, pre-made NA cocktails and probably more.
Apertifs are great over ice or with a splash of sparking or soda water
Curious Elixirs - This brand advertises low sugar and contains adaptogens.
What is an adaptogen? Generally, we will think of adaptogens as substances or herbs that help the body manage and process stress. Well-known examples are ginseng and Ashwagandha. So when thinking about including this in a mocktail, the benefits can outweigh alcohol’s negative effects on cortisol and inflammation alone. Adaptogens are not meant for pregnant women to consume.
NA Beers
One brewery and community that I have loved becoming part of the Athletic Brewing Company. They set out to create brews that taste good and celebrate fitness in everyone, no matter what your outlet might be. I love to CrossFit, hike, and bike but there are people in the community who are IronMan athletes, climbers, tennis players, racers and on-and-on. It’s a place where people are excited to share a good NA beer, relax, and make each other better. You can find them on JetBlue flights, in Trader Joes, Total Wine, and other stores as well as online. If you want to give them a try, use this code for a discount:
[ NASHLEY20 ]
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