A Wine Blogger's Dry January
Why would a wine blogger decide to do a dry January? How can that be good for business? Well, here’s the short and sweet of it. I have done a dry January for the past five years, long before the birth of Winery Wanderings. I decided that it was a great way to kick start a healthy new year. Then I had the whole year to backslide, knowing I could once again start over come the following January. Make sense? It did to me, and it kind of still does.
So here I am, more than halfway through another dry January with lots of observations to report. First of all, I’ve discovered that I don’t really drink that much. While I am missing a glass or two of wine with dinner and our visits to wineries are not nearly as much fun when I’m not drinking, going without doesn’t feel much like deprivation. It feels more like what it is, a time limited decision to eliminate something from my diet.
The second thing I’ve noticed is that it bothers the people around me a lot more than it bothers me. I have heard multiple times, “wow, when are you going to give that up?” or, “it’s not like you’d be breaking the law if you had one glass of wine.” While that’s true, I’m a pretty black-and-white girl, it’s all or nothing with me. If I say I’m going to do it for the month, then I will be all in, and I am.
The third thing is what it has done for other aspects of my wellness plan. This decision has led me to other decisions about my well being. I’ve decided that this month would be a good time to try a new diet, get more exercise, learn to meditate and just have a whole renewal plan. So far so good. I am following a strict Keto diet using the Total Keto Diet app , going to the gym at least three days a week and using an app called Simple Habit to meditate for five minutes at least once each day. All of these things, along with my dry January, feel really good.
Do all these things mean I am going to continue my dry January with a Dry February, March or April? Absolutely NOT! But I do think I will continue the other habits I am formulating as part of my January renewal. I would like to continue the Keto diet for a while longer, I feel healthy and energetic when I don’t eat carbs. Mediation has been good as I transition from a full-time to career to a part time business. And, the gym goes without saying. With Oregon winter weather not all that inviting for a walker like me, it is great to have an alternative where I can walk on the treadmill, take fitness classes, lift weights and just feel good about myself.
If you have ever considered a dry January, don’t think of it as a New Year’s resolution. Instead consider it a jump start to a great year. Now I hope you’ll excuse me while I go stare longingly at the wine rack filled with some of my very favorites. We’ll talk more about them next month!