I have only been able to legally drink for 2 years now (I was the youngest in my class) and we have been taught that drinking isn't healthy for us because it is all empty calories. Now I don't drink very often, but when I do I will have several drinks in one evening. There is only one day out of the year that I allow myself to go all out......and that day is St. Patty's Day. I am not Irish, I just use it as an excuse to go day drinking like every other non-Irish person.
When I celebrated St. Patty's Day the past two years I drank green beer, ate greasy food, and had a major hangover the next day. This year I was expecting the same thing to happen and for the most part it did. I still ate the greasy food, I didn't drink as much, but I had a few drinks, (there was no green beer anywhere to be found in DC).....but I felt different. While I was out with my friends I realized I started to think about how all of this was going to make me feel the next day. Sure enough the next day I woke up feeling bloated, yucky, and..... I felt guilty. Not in a guilty sense that I had done anything wrong, but I felt I had thrown away all the progress I had made that week in my fitness regimen (I just started the 21 Day Fix Extreme).
I have been workout out, trying to eat clean, and watch what I eat for seven months now. If I eat or drink something that isn't in line with my daily intake my body realizes it and I feel gross.. for better lack of a word. I didn't realize how much of a difference it really makes when you stop drinking all the time or cut out that extra side of fries.
When people decide to join my challenge groups I tell them that part of the commitment is no drinking allowed. Some people respond by saying "really?!" or "I can't drink at all?" or my favorite "What about one every once in a while?" I explain to them that drinking has no positive benefits to help you get to the fitness goal you are trying to reach; it only fills you with empty calories, leaves you dehydrated, and with a nasty hangover the next morning. Alcohol keeps you from attaining your goals when you consume too much because your body isn't getting the proper nutrients. I don't know about you, but I would rather wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day than sluggish and lethargic. This is different for everyone though. Some people aren't ready to make that commitment yet and that's okay they will get there someday.
So when people ask me if they can drink or not while they are in a challenge group I leave it up to them. I tell them the positive and negatives to each side and let them choose...I mean I won't really know because I am not there with them. All I am asking is for you to challenge yourself and see what you can do it 30 days...you would be pretty surprised at what you can accomplish. When there is so much amazing food out there...why would I want to waste my calories on an alcoholic beverage when I could be eating turkey lettuce wraps or homemade Italian meatballs? I am not saying you should never drink because lets face it we all do and will, but when it comes to you making a difference on your health journey it is something that should be considered.
St. Pattys Day 2016? We will have to see :-)
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