Weekly Wrap up. Week 34.2024. One year alcohol free and Carfest

One year (and a day) alcohol free and Carfest!

By the time you are reading this, I will have completed my first year and be onto day one of my second year alcohol free.

I have learned a lot about being a non drinker over the last year, not least how common it is becoming. Virgin Radio's Chris Evans is now alcohol free (and about 4 months ahead of me) and he has many guests on his radio show who talk abut having made the choice to give up drinking. This has been an inspiration and I feel it is very apt that I celebrate my anniversary on the very day I arrive at Carfest (Chris's festival) to set up and enjoy my time here.

I have learned that there is a difference in the language used. Being sober or sobriety is linked more to having done the 12 steps and getting to the bottom of why you drink whereas alchohol free refers more to a life choice. I have made a life choice but it has also given me cause to think long and hard about my habits and behaviours.

What has fascinated me is peoples' reactions to me. While most are really supportive and impressed, there are those who feel the need to start to justify what and how much they drink (which is none of my business and is only their concern) or the odd one who really wants to see me have "just that one glass?"!

Yes I am proud of myself and thought I would cover some of the questions I am typically asked and in their usual order...

Yes I do feel better. Loads better. I don't do moderation so I have never been a "one glass will do"
No, I didn't see a big change to my weight but then I have also made other life changes that I attribute my weight and fitness to far more.
No, I don't miss it. Not at all but again, I am an all or nothing so once I am in the "nothing" mode, I am totally committed.
What do I drink instead? If I go out, I may now have a glass of non alco wine or lager (these days, there is so much choice and some of it is really good) but otherwise, I am happy with sparkling water and at home I just tend to have a cup of tea!! Yes I would pay £15/18 for a non alcoholic bottle of gin. With a few chunks of ice in a nice glass and a good mixer, it is the theatre of preparation and being able to enjoy a "posh" drink but staying AF.
I have no idea if I will stay AF. I. have not set a time limit but having been one year in, and not missing it in any way at all, why would I start again? What gains would I get?
The strangest one - don't I miss a glass of Champagne on NYE or a good glass of wine with dinner? Can't I just have that one glass? My answer is "but I can have those things anyway but I choose to have the AF option. Why am I "missing out" if I don't include the alcohol". I do think our culture has slightly warped our attitude and thinking towards it.

Recently I hosted a friend for her birthday lunch and we shared an AF Prosecco. She said she felt a bit lightheaded and had to reassure herself she was fine to drive home as having the same taste in the same type of glass was so powerful. As I said, it is the theatre of it all as much as anything.

I remember the day I stopped vividly. Standing at an outdoor music event last summer, holding a glass of wine that I wasn't enjoying. I wondered why as I could drink wine like it's going out of fashion. Either which way, it seemed madness to continue drinking so I tipped it out on the grass and when I came home, I had a few days feeling unwell so clearly I had something lurking. I had some wine in the fridge that I poured down the sink and that was that. I have not had a drink since.

The two things that really hit home were as follows. Firstly for the first month or so, I was going CRAZY for sugar. Sitting on the sofa in the evening, I would suddenly be craving Diet Coke or wine gums or fruit pastels, none of which I have ever bothered about. I was a wine drinker, I was never bothered with spirits or beers and clearly I was suffering the sugar withdrawals.

Secondly, was the consistency of mood. Bearing in mind I was also heading into the menopause and the anxiety and irrational panic was a regular feature. I hadn't really considered this until I was getting ready for Christmas. I was going to be away travelling for nearly a month, had to sort presents to distribute before I left, organise my house and work and sort my dogs and found myself getting all upset and flustered and it hit me -I hadn't felt like this in absolutely ages. This was a perfectly just reason for feeling a bit stressed and anxious but it hit home just how little I now experienced this. Talking to my friends who are in the grip of menopause, "hangxiety" is a big thing that I too used to experience- waking up in the morning with a racing heart, feeling irrational anxiety is a common thing and I do not miss that one bit.

There was some thinking behind it for me. I have a lot of cancer in my family, the cause of the death of both my parents within a few weeks of each other the year before, as well as other relatives. I work in the health and fitness industry. I study, research and deliver all things geared to a healthier life and yet here I was, a total fraud. I could exercise and eat clean but what use if I was pouring toxins down my throat on a very regular basis. I was overweight, feeling very low and knew I had to make some life changes. There are no end of things that might "get me" but what madness would it be for me to fall ill or die from something I have total control over? The obesity crisis is something I cannot fathom as a drain on our medical resources and a wilful means to early death and binge drinking and excessive alcohol consumption carries such a massive health risk too. That was my thinking and the big kick that got me back on track.

I am absolutely NOT here to preach and you are free to live as you choose but if this blog has given you even a tiny bit of "I wonder", why not try just for a few days? So many people say to me "oh I don't really drink much at all" in which case why not try to stop entirely for just a week then? If you don't have much, what is stopping you? Why do we want to stop after Christmas/holiday/celebrations? Why do we choose alchohol to assist us in our celebrations?

Just thowing it out there!!

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 11TH. 12.30pm

End of summer lunch.

Thank you for all your replies and looks like we will have a lovely group. I will email nearer time but please do make sure you have contacted with your menu choice.

CARFEST

It's finally here. I am thrlled to be presenting 2 classes, one today (Friday) and one on Sunday.

The camper van is packed to the rafters and I am all set for a really fun few days.

This is just such a feel good festival with so much going on, and with my Green Room and backstage passes (I KNOOOW), you can bet yourself I am going to be having a ball!

I may have loads in my classes, I may have none but I am just thrilled to be here! Every single presenter from top music artists to big name authors to celebrity chefs all perform for free with every penny going to a variety of childrens's charities and honestly, there is such a feeling of love here.

If you find yourself at a loose end, come along!

Click here to see what is going on and the line up on each day and I will tell you all about it next week!

NEW RECORDINGS

New in the library this week are 2 classes. Functional strength and movement - how to continue into our senior years staying fully independent and capable so this class includes moves to help us do up the zip on the back of a dress, pick up a heavy wheelbarrow, put luggage overhead in the locker, get up and down from a low chair, balance going up and down stairs and more, using weights to build strength. Find this class in the "strength" collection, dated for your reference and at the top of the Iist under the first 2 warm ups.

A lot of Abs - rotation and lateral flexion so a lot of focus on technique around spinal movement to establish the difference between these two moves and getting a strong waist - (this one is a bit of a killer to be honest! I had a lot of messages the day after on this when we did it!! But is it safe and as always, I offer lots of levels to accommodate all abilities. Find this one in the "Mixed ability" collection,

NEXT WEEK

No live classes Monday and Friday and Clare will be taking all the classes Tues, Wed and Thursday.

And finally -

"The solution for anything is salt water - sweat, tears or the sea" - Isak Dinesen.

"Have you been kind today - ask yourself. Make kindness your daily Modus Operandi and change the world" - Annie Lennox.

You may not have everything you want but take time to be thankful for all the things you do not have that you would not want". - Bob Dylan

P.s. - my favourite one this week. Mushrooms can continue to grow in shit, and so can you!

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

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By juliet • February 27, 2025

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Only last week when a group of us met for a walk, I took so much from hearing you talking about how much YOU get from it - not just the exercise but the daily morning chats and check in’s, the community and support - that you cannot believe how you used to do one class a week, whizz in, whizz out and that was that until the following week whereas now you are doing multiple classes a week and what’s apping fellow members, logging in to see friends and sharing so much. I have been able to teach from Cornwall, Botswana, Croatia ,Pembrokeshire, the local beach…. and as my feet get ever more itchy, the wonders of online means have van, have wifi - you can come with me! I have never wanted to go down the commerical studio route. That was never for me. Far too restrictive - and as online works, the world awaits! So here we are. This last week we have beamed into MELBOURNE (furthest reach so far!), Singapore, Tanzania, Germany, France, Spain, Greece and never forgetting the Isle of Wight… we have more members than ever, a wonderful variety of classes and the library has had another update with more to come. Teatime talks are shaping up (new page on the website under construction), we have 2 socials in the diary and it’s still only February. This year is my 20th anniversary as a Pilates teacher and 22 years since I started out as a Personal trainer. As the wonderful Master Teacher Michael King (who I am going to for a week of Pilates in Crete in May) says - “Old Pilates teachers never retire. We just roll down one day and never roll back up” For our fifth anniversary, it seems only right to go back to where it started so bear with me and watch this space as I plan a collection of extra FREE classes available to EVERYONE, some on Zoom, some on instagram live. This will be week commencing March 24 March and PLEASE put Saturday March 29th in your diary and come to Beaulieu village hall for old time’s sake for a FREE class open to ALL starting at 9am - and coffee and pastries up the road afterwards at Steffs. I will sort the times and days and post next week and in our members’ calendar but everyone is included. Do also keep March 11th in your diary for the first of our Teatime talks - again, open to all. The wonders of being online.