Tuesday, May 31, 2011

May Results!

Is it just me or is May the longest month in the year? This month, I challenged myself to drink nothing but water. No green tea in the morning. No wine at night. No beer after a hard day of labor. No Hendricks & Tonic at my favorite lounge.

I highlighted most of the challenging moments earlier this month but recently there have been some other key developments. Two friends from Seattle passed through Los Angeles to meet up for a drink at the Dresden. This normally wouldn't be so hard as I had mastered the art of going to a bar and not having a drink. (See: A Night at the Griffin) But going to the Dresden was different. The owner has taken a liking to me and had offered me a free drink on my next visit. Oops. A week ago I went to a brewery. Oops. Recently, I had the opportunity (twice!) to be a grill master. Hanging out grilling/barbecuing some meat to be consumed by my friends on a glorious Los Angeles day. I've waited for my turn at bat to hold the spatula in one hand, and a cold beer in the other. My time is now, could I really do it with a plastic cup of water? What about my image? My fantasy?!


Now imagine he's drinking Aquafina.

Okay, I'm not that shallow to give up a challenge over image, but I do need a lesson in self-control. The ambiguous ending to my last post lead to an outpour of responses. Two of my three readers asked me if I failed, the third confidently declared my failure. Was I able to resist the temptation of drinking wine in paradise? Could I resist smoothies made from fresh organic fruits and healthy supplements? Can one really work a day of hard manual labor and not unwind with a beer? If I succumbed to the pressure of friends and my environment, could you really blame me?










Result: PASSED


I could drink water forever.

Analysis:

The vocal response for this month's challenge has been polarizing. Avid water drinkers saw this as a breeze, while others labeled me as crazy for trying to go without a flavored or fermented beverage for 31 days. Turns out they were both right. The idea of just drinking water when you are thirsty is simple and easy. Drinking the RIGHT amount of water required to keep our bodies hydrated is easy especially if you already do that. What makes this challenge difficult is resisting the desire to have what you can't have, trying to develop a new habit and resisting peer pressure. And of course, I definitely missed my favorite drinks, but really it was only in social interactions or early mornings that made the challenge rough.

Drinking water, and more of it, had great benefits. I had more energy, I felt healthier, my meal portions were down, and I saved a ton of money. Interestingly enough, I found just as many studies and articles that downplay the importance of "eight cups a day" as I did touting the importance of enough water/hydration. I personally, will be drinking more water from here on out, but the biggest takeaway for me was my growth in self-control. Saying no to something my mind was telling me I wanted or needed. My current thought is that I can take the principles I practiced this month and apply it to other areas of life that need greater self-control. Hey, I might actually become a better person!

However, the million dollar question right now is, "what will be your first none-water drink?"

What would yours be?

5 comments:

  1. Well done, Mr Goodwin! You are a star.
    Can't wait to read about the next challenge.

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  2. Whohoo! I was never a doubter. haha. Well done. I admire your self-control!

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  3. I would break yourself in slowly - add a slice of lemon to your glass of water :)

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  4. I'll take that idea into consideration. Okay, I've considered it, now where's my beer. :)

    Thanks for the comments Dalton and Jessica.

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