3 things I noticed during Dry January

Like many New Year’s Resolvers, my husband and I jumped on the Dry January trend. I had some clients experimenting with Dry January and my curiosity peaked, as it was something I had been thinking about for awhile.

My sleep quality and duration improved and my resting heart rate was lower when I compared December to January. Other factors that could have influenced this are an increase in exercise and lower stress in the month of January. 

I didn’t get sick at all during the month of January. This could have been that in January we had less social gatherings and exposure to illness, but it also could have been that my immune system was more resilient due to better sleep. 

My habits changed, but so did my taste buds! For the first couple weeks, I was still craving a glass of wine, particularly while cooking dinner because that was my usual habit. To counteract this, I tried drinking different beverages out of a wine glass. Sparkling water with a splash of kombucha or tart cherry juice or for a special treat I tried Katy Perry’s line of  non-alcoholic aperitifs. Having something that felt like a reward in my glass of choice did the trick. It also helped having support from my husband. We kept each other accountable. 

When I poured a glass of malbec at the end of the month, I was shocked at how I didn’t enjoy the taste. The alcohol taste was strong! I didn’t end up drinking more than a few sips. This wasn’t a benefit I was expecting, but I imagine it will help me be more mindful going forward with what and when I choose to drink alcohol. I think I’ll be choosing drinks with a lower ABV and it might be fun to re-introduce some different wines with a cleansed palate! 

Thanks for reading! Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram, I’d love to hear if you did Dry January and what you learned in the process.