Sober September Recap (with a glass of wine in hand)
Kidding, I’m actually not even drinking on October 1, *gasps*. So for the last 30 days, I refrained from alcohol to see if it would give me any athletic advantage for a sprint triathlon I had signed up for at the end of the month. The answer: I’m not sure removing wine from the equation boosted my performance, but I definitely felt a few benefits from abstaining from booze for 30 days.
Swapping out vino for kombucha.
But still ate lots of pizza in September.
I slept a heck of a lot better. Alcohol has been shown to disrupt deep sleep, but I really didn’t think I would feel a difference by foregoing my nightly glass of vino. Boy was I wrong! I usually wake up a couple times a night, either to go to the bathroom or just because, but after a couple of weeks without alcohol, I was sleeping like a baby until my alarm went off. It was quite refreshing!
I had more clarity. Overall, I felt my clarity improved and I was able to focus better at work and early mornings. Not that I was ever going to work hungover, but I did feel a little sharper and alert towards the end of my no-booze trial.
I could still socialize. Frankly, I was nervous that I was going to have to pass on social situations for the entire month of September out of fear that I would be guilted into a glass of wine — but I think I built that scenario up in my head. I went to a couple of after work gatherings and hung out with girlfriends where wine would usually be involved and didn’t have a problem passing it up. And guess what, my friends didn’t mind (or even notice that I wasn’t drinking).
I enjoy mocktails just as much as fancy cocktails! Bless my boyfriend’s heart, he did the challenge with me too. And we got to experiment with fun mocktails that were just as delicious! Limeade with soda water, bubbly kombucha with sliced fruit and non-alcoholic lemonade spritzers were my go-to drinks this past month.
Lemonade Mocktails FTW
5. We saved a ton of mula. Going out to dinner (or lunch) had never been cheaper! It’s amazing how much alcohol adds to your bill. By passing up the wine list, we were able to save a decent amount this month and put it towards home decor. You won’t believe what we bought: a bar cart (the irony).
6. I lost a couple pounds. I will say that I probably ate more sweets and desserts over the past month than I normally do because I wanted something after dinner (and normally my glass of wine would be my treat). But I did see the number on the scale drop a bit — which means my nightly glass (or two) of wine plus whatever I had on the weekends really was adding excess calories to my diet.
7. I crushed my workouts. Honestly, if a new knee injury hadn’t surfaced two weeks into my sober experiment, I think I could have done better on race day (I’ll still take 3rd place in my age group!). But let’s take out the coulda-woulda-shoulda’s and talk about what really happened: I felt fierce and improved my swim and bike times. I felt focused during my training sessions and if nothing else, I was extremely hydrated!
I felt focused and determined!
Overall, it was an experiment worth trying! And guess what? I feel like I’ve broken my nightly night-cap habit. If you’re feeling a little sluggish or wanting to see what cutting out alcohol from your diet can do for your health, I’d recommend giving it up for 30 days. You may be surprised by the benefits!
