Dry July
Last night, I decided to jump in and fully commit to Dry July.
In conjunction, I'm also committing to BodyFit by Amy's Four Weeks to Fat Loss workout program.
Why, you're wondering? I'm glad you asked.
Because:
I am consciously working on changing my relationship with alcohol. This feels like the next step.
I have identified my party-girl persona as a social cloak I wore in an attempt to divert attention away from my weight and unhealthy lifestyle back in the late ‘90s. I don’t need that cloak anymore. (More on that in a future post.)
July 31 is my second workout anniversary. I want to crush this month and look and feel the best I ever have on that day.
It’s actually a good month to do it in terms of setting myself up for success. No football, no scheduled parties, etc.
I’m starting from a good place. I have been contemplating and changing how I think about alcohol for several weeks now. I can feel my mindset beginning to change, and the prospect of 31 days without booze seems exciting, not scary. At this moment, right now, it actually feels like a relief.
Back in May, I committed to and completed 10 days booze-free. It was kind of a big deal. I had tried alcohol breaks before, but never once made it to the end of the designated period. I needed to know I could. So, I did. I had one major craving that I talked myself back from, and the rest was easy. Really. NBD.
Then I had my wisdom teeth removed, and although I did imbibe during the recovery, it was much less than normal. Y'all, I felt better. Like, so much better you can't believe it. Turns out, I fucking love sober mornings. Weekend mornings. One recent Saturday, before I officially jumped on the wagon for a month, I was sipping coffee on my patio, enjoying the cool, quiet morning air, and I thought, how many of these beautiful mornings have I slept through because I drank so much the night before? The answer is, of course, too many. I want to reconnect with mornings. I even bought myself this little sun necklace to wear during this challenge, to remind me of how much I love early mornings, alone, sober.
One of my favorite quotes I've come across during my attempts at re-calibrating my relationship with alcohol is, "waking up feels so much better than coming to." If I never again stumble out of bed at noon, groggy, mascara-smeared and lethargic, I will be just fine with that.