I decided to challenge myself and stopped drinking alcohol for a month. I didn’t announce it here as a part of my blog because I honestly wasn’t sure what kind of response I’d get, and I wasn’t entirely sure if I was committed to it.
Why I Stopped Drinking Alcohol for a Month
I’m not a big drinker like I was back in my college days. I like beer on Friday nights and weekends, especially if I’m watching a game. Still, if there was anything I needed to remind me about the impact it could have on my body, it was my recent challenge with Bree to see which one of us could reach our pandemic pounds weight loss goal faster.
Beer has a lot of carbs, a lot of calories, and not a heck of a lot of nutrition. Aside from being a treat like a piece of cake or a small bag of chips, it really doesn’t add any dietary value. So, out of curiosity, I decided that once the competition was done, and I switched gears for my diet and exercise goals, I’d also cut the beer. I stopped drinking alcohol for one month just to see what would happen.
After all, I’m trying to get back to toning muscle, boosting my immune system and taking better care of my health overall. If there’s anything (aside from quitting smoking – which I don’t do in the first place) doctors are always saying we should do for our health, it’s that we should stop drinking alcohol. So here was my test. Just for a month (because it seemed achievable).
What Happened After No Beer for a Month?
Before I get into this, I’d like to point out that I don’t think there’s anything wrong with enjoying a beer on occasion. It’s not a healthy choice, but it won’t hurt you if you have it as an occasional treat. If you have specific training goals, you may want to leave it aside because of its link to muscle inflammation. It will likely hold you back. Still, for the average person, just doing workouts to stay healthy, having a beer now and then isn’t going to hurt you.
Still, after having said that, I did still notice some surprising differences after I stopped drinking alcohol for a month. It’s made me rethink the amount I was drinking, particularly in terms of frequency. I don’t think it’s something I’d have more than once a week anymore, if that much. The benefits from not drinking it were too good to make it worth it.
Better Sleep
This one really surprised me. At first, my sleep wasn’t as good. I found it hard to wind down, especially on the first Friday night. But from the second week onward, I actually slept better! I especially noticed it Friday nights and Sunday nights. Sunday sleeps are usually the worst. Now, after I stopped drinking alcohol, they’re just like any other night.
Sharper Start to the Day
It wasn’t long after I stopped drinking alcohol that I realized that I was coming to life faster in the morning than I had been before. At first, I attributed it to the energizing benefits of the TRIMTHIN X700 I’m taking to support my workout strategy. But then I noticed that I could feel the difference even before taking those capsules in the morning. It’s just not as much of a fight to get up.
Steadier Workout Progress
Since I stopped drinking alcohol, the workouts I’m doing on the days after I would have had some see far better performance. Deep down, I was pretty aware of the fact that my Saturday and Monday workouts were always off compared to the rest of the week. I always blamed the poorer sleep and the fact that it was during or just after the weekend. I’m seeing a noticeable difference in my reaction time, coordination, and overall mental and physical sharpness.
I’m definitely not saying that I’ve stopped drinking alcohol for good, but I’m certainly scaling it back. These benefits are far too good to pass up just to drink a beer when I could have so many other beverages and find myself sleeping better, feeling better and performing better.