Kick-Start a Healthy New Year with Dry January
By: Christine Bean
After an indulgent holiday season, the New Year typically inspires healthier goals, promises, and resolutions. But did you know that by the time Day 6 rolls around, most people have already fallen off track and given up? Now is the perfect time to step-back, adjust your goals, and recommit with the right mindset. Nutritionist Inez Sobczak, founder and master trainer at Fit-Nez, is back to share some Sober Strong tips to start the year off on a healthy note.
With alcohol flying off the shelves as people try to combat quarantine, it has become more important than ever to really take a look at our relationship with alcohol. No matter how fun it may be, drinking is bad for your health, especially if you have one too many. By changing your mindset, and making yourself a priority, you’ve got nothing to lose.
- Did you know that taking a 30-day break from alcohol can lower your blood pressure, up your immunity, and boost your mood? Bonus: You’ll sleep more soundly and have less brain fog, too!
- Want to jump start your weight loss and pave your way to a healthier lifestyle? Boozy beverages contain plenty of empty calories and can damage your metabolism. Oftentimes, drinking leads to poor food choices. You may be pleasantly surprised to see the number on the scale drop after just 30 days of no drinking.
- Load-up on drink alternatives and distractions! Try treating yourself to kombucha, teas, fruity seltzers or even make your own delicious mocktails. Notice your “witching hours” and try to distract yourself (purge your closet, organize your utensil drawer, or start planning your dream vacation for 2022!)
- Maybe your issue isn’t alcohol: “dry” can encompass a lot more. As a nutritionist, I often recommend clients detox from sugar or caffeine to ensure their body is operating at the highest capacity. You can commit to being “dry” from anything if you are honest enough to take the leap and make the change.
- Sometimes Dry January can set you up for sabotage, giving you false reassurance that, because you were able to abstain for a month, you really don’t have a problem. What is your 30-day step-down strategy? What is your next step to implement this into a lifestyle plan?
Whatever it is that you have been leaning on during this time period, take a step back and consider that it may no longer be serving you. Every day is a new opportunity to choose a better path. You owe it to yourself to be consistent, disciplined, and focused in 2021. Dust yourself off, reset, and do it for YOU.
About Inez Sobczak
Inez, founder and master trainer at Fit-Nez, has over 15 years of experience as an innovator in health and fitness. What began as a passion for sports and aerobics in her youth culminated in her founding of Fit-Nez, located in Arlington, Virginia.
Inez was first certified as a group fitness instructor while still in high school. In college, she created and developed a wellness program for her college including nutrition education and fitness classes. Upon graduation, she embarked on a career in sales, where during lunch hours and weekends she continued her commitment to helping those around her achieve their fitness goals.
After a few years in sales, she turned her passion into a full-time mission by opening Fit-Nez. Inez holds over a dozen health, fitness and nutrition certifications. She is a national figure competitor, a marathon runner and widely recognized expert in nutrition, corporate wellness. She maintains a complete commitment to living the fitness lifestyle she imparts to her clients.
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