Trade in groggy December mornings and those regretful January blues for a fresher feeling this Christmas and New Year, by shifting your mindset and focusing your attention to wellness. You’ll be ever so grateful come January 1st…
Train for a New Year personal best
From local 5k park runs to Duathlons, Triathlons and New Year’s Day races, now is a great time to set a goal for an athletic event in January. Training for the event, you’ll give yourself something to focus on when the temptation arises to ‘just have one’ at the Christmas party, plus the looming date for your big event in January will hold you accountable to stick to your goal over the Christmas and New Year period. Not to mention the feeling of getting fitter and healthier while everyone else nurses Christmas party hangovers at their desks, and that extraordinary sense of pride and achievement when you pass the finish line. First timer? Don’t worry, there are many beginner-level races to join in with, and the great thing about first-timers is that you’re guaranteed to get your personal best no matter what time you do!
Beginners, try your local 5k Park Run, some of which also run on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day – visit www.parkrun.org.uk/special-events.
Fitness fiends, try Britain’s toughest 10k – the Box Hill Knacker Cracker on New Year’s Day: www.trionium.com/knackercracker.
Try a yoga brunch
Haven’t you heard? Yoga is the new prosecco and coffee is the new gin and tonic… The yoga and pilates industry brings in around £833.6 million a year in the UK, and the coffee industry brings in a whopping £6.3 billion each year. Pair the two together and you have a Sunday morning that dreams are made of. While everyone else is in bed nursing a hangover and a sense of anxiety around what they said and did the night before, you’ll be flowing your way towards a beetroot latte (trust me, it’s a thing, and it’s delicious) and feeling amazing for it. Plus, you’ll get the chance to meet like-minded people who value that fresh feeling on a Sunday morning as much as you do.
Visit Eventbrite.co.uk to search for Yoga Brunches in your area.
Learn how yogic philosophy can help you create an alcohol-free lifestyle here.
Get wild
Wild and open water swimming is a hobby more and more of us are giving a go, and what better way to enjoy an alcohol-free, warm mulled wine, than after a Boxing Day swim? From the 1000 strong group of swimmers who jump into the icy cold North Sea for the famous Boxing Day Dip in Sunderland, to the fancy dress swim at Teignmouth Pier in Devon, there are wild swimming events on Boxing Day throughout the UK whether you’re by a beach or not. You can even get involved in the Thames if you dare…
Fancy dress swimming at Teignmouth: www.wildswim.com/lighthouse-carpark-teignmouth
Boxing Day Dip, Sunderland: www.seeitdoitsunderland.co.uk/boxing-day-dip
Thames wild swimming spot: www.wildswimming.co.uk/the-perfect-summer-wild-swim
Check out what other people like you have achieved in their fitness and wellness goals by giving up alcohol here:
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Discover why One Year No Beer is the leading habit changing programme with a 96% success rate and get support on your alcohol journey with daily coaching emails by joining the challenge here.
Ali is a yoga and mindfulness teacher and Editor-at-Large at Psychologies magazine.
An entrepreneur and former senior oil broker, Ruari gave up drinking after excessive consumption almost cost him his marriage, and worse, his life. Going alcohol-free improved his relationships, career and energy levels, leading to him founding OYNB to provide a support network for others.
