KB56 - One Year No Beer

HABITS
One Year No Beer

I've got a bit of a confession to make…

I've never been big on the whole New Year's resolution thing, but after soaking up the sun and the vibes in Mexico this January, I made a pact with myself:

"One year, no beer."

Now, hold your horses; this isn't some grand proclamation of sobriety or anything.

I relish nothing more than those peaceful Saturday nights. Kids are finally snoozing, a bottle of Malbec breathing on the table, while my wife and I spend what feels like an eternity scrolling through Netflix's endless abyss, trying to find something to watch.

I'm not ditching alcohol altogether, just beer.

Why beer, you wonder?

It's all about tweaking those habits.

I've got a few habits that aren't necessarily catastrophic but aren't doing me any favours.

• If the sun's blazing on a Saturday and I'm out for lunch, you bet I'm pairing that meal with a beer.
  

• Or those Friday nights when I can't resist grabbing a couple of craft beers to kickstart the weekend.
  

• And if I'm hanging with my brother-in-law, watching football (which, by the way, I don't even like), I'll still end up nursing a beer, just because.

But here's where the plot thickens…

My other loves are wine and bourbon whiskey.

By limiting my choices to just these, I'm basically making it impossible to fall back into my beer-drinking habits due to the way I “think about my drink”:

• Out for lunch on a sunny Saturday? I can't have a beer, so a Diet Coke it is since wine and whiskey are "Evening Drinks" in my head.
  

• Friday night chill? A glass of bourbon or an Old Fashioned will do. Just one, and I'm set. There will be no temptation for a second.
  

• Watching the game at my brother-in-law's? I will not even entertain the thought of asking for wine or whiskey. That'd just be awkward, ha!

This tiny shift in habit is my game-changer for the year.

I still enjoy some of the good stuff, but I have crafted a simple rule to keep me on the straight and narrow.

Now, you might wonder, "How can I pull off something like this in my life?"

It's all about setting up a rule that helps curb the habit you're trying to kick or refine.

Let me share a couple of personal favourites and client successes:

• No Carbs After 8pm: Sounds like a Gremlin rule, right? But it's a surprisingly effective way to cut down on late-night munchies.
  

• Booking an Early Morning Saturday Fitness Class: Nothing deters me from a Friday night drink like the prospect of sweating it out in a Jiu-Jitsu or Metcon class the next morning. Trust me, it works wonders.
  

• Register for an Event: Go online this weekend and book yourself onto a tough mudder or 10km race six weeks from now. It's a fantastic motivator to keep your training and habits in check.

I'm eager to hear about your habit-hacking plans for 2024!

Slide into my DMs on Instagram and hit me with your strategy.