That alcohol and exercise don’t mix will be news to no one who’s ever performed a burpee on a hangover. But as a growing number of women give up alcohol in pursuit of a better PB, can you quit your way to fit?
Sarah MacKay Robinson recalls the exact moment she started questioning the role that alcohol was playing in her life. It was the day after she finished her crowning athletic achievement: competing at the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials, the once-in-every-four-years race where the top three finishers earn a precious spot on the US team.
Simply qualifying for the event is a major achievement, and after the race, Sarah celebrated months of intense training by drinking with friends. But while she’s never felt addicted to alcohol or believed that there’s anything wrong with choosing to drink, she began to realise her decision to have a glass of wine a few times a week, or to toast a big moment, wasn’t adding value to her life.
‘I was sitting in the airport, holding my 18-month-old child, a little bit hungover,’ recalls the 40-year-old brand and content specialist. ‘I remember thinking, is this really how I want to feel after one of the biggest and proudest moments in my life? Do I want to be hungover with my kids?’ It wasn’t the first time she’d found herself analysing alcohol’s impact, either. ‘[By that point] I was so tired of questioning whether alcohol was good or bad for me. I wanted to free up that mental space for something else.’ It was around that time that she stopped drinking. Just for a little while at first – on-and-off periods for anything from 30 days to 60 days. And as life went on, those experimental periods grew longer.
9 million The number of Brits who planned to take part in Dry January this year, up from eight million in 2022
HIGH AND DRY
Knowingly or not, Sarah joined the ‘sober curious’ movement – an umbrella term used to describe a reduction in drinking, be it in the form of total abstinence or simple moderation. The concept isn’t new, with Dry January and Sober October rising in popularity, but it’s attracting the masses more than ever before. Last year, sales of no- and low-alcohol drinks grew by 7% around the world, according to Forbes, and European alcohol sales have fallen to below pre-pandemic levels. What’s more, one of the top reasons consumers cited for reeling in their drinking in a recent Nielsen report was improved wellness.
Katie Witkiewitz, director of the University of New Mexico’s Center on Alcohol, Substance Use And Addictions, is delighted by the trajectory. ‘[People are] starting to take a continuum health perspective on alcohol and it’s becoming more socially acceptable to not drink – whether it’s for Dry January or because you’re running a marathon,’ she says, adding that any reduction in drinking may help you be more a
