It’s been three days since the kick-off of the Alcohol Free for 40 Challenge, and so far, so good. Yesterday, my co-challenger Melanie and I travelled to the kick-off event held by Ochsner Fitness Nutrition and Eat Fit NOLA (other events were also held all across Louisiana) to celebrate the start of the challenge, enjoy mocktails and snacks, and undergo a biometric screening. The screening will track changes to our body composition, weight, blood pressure and more, along with before-and-after photos.
The crowd of people we encountered were pumped, psyched and a little relieved to move away from the festivities of the holidays and dive into the challenge. Plus, we got cookies! Everyone loves cookies.
The Eat Fit app is a great companion tool to help with the Challenge, and includes recipes for healthy snacks (such as the scrummy, three-ingredient peanut butter cookies we enjoyed) and mocktails, as well as bars and restaurants that have alcohol free concoctions.
I also highly recommend downloading the “Try Dry” app, a free tool created by Alcohol Change UK, a charity organization formed by Alcohol Research UK and Alcohol Concern, which work to educate and provide tools for those looking to go sober, for either a short period of time or longer. It’s been a huge success overseas (the United Kingdom pioneered the original “Dry January” movement) and is a great way to earn badges for not drinking, tracks how many calories you’ve saved and how much money you haven’t spent on another bottle or glass. There’s even an option to donate all or a portion of that money to your charity of choice.
So far, onward and upward. Next challenge, staying busy over the weekend and enjoying brunch with a sparkling herbal tea concoction instead of a mimosa! Next week, Melanie will be back with an update on our progress, plus a few mocktail and NA beverage reviews and more.
If you want to take the challenge, go ahead and get started now — better late than never! It runs until Easter (April 12). Sign up for free on Ochsner’s #AlcoholFreeFor40 page. If you decide to participate, use the hashtag #AlcoholFreeFor40 and share your progress in the comments. For questions about the program, email Kimball at mkimball@ochsner.org or follow her on Twitter at @mollykimballrd.
Follow Melanie’s stone cold sober bon vivanting on Instagram at @melaniewarnerspencer.
Follow Ashley’s NOLA sober swizzle trip through mocktails and more at @taraashleymclellan on Instagram.
The Eat Fit app is a great companion tool to help with the Challenge, and includes recipes for healthy snacks (such as the scrummy, three-ingredient peanut butter cookies we enjoyed) and mocktails, as well as bars and restaurants that have alcohol free concoctions.
I also highly recommend downloading the “Try Dry” app, a free tool created by Alcohol Change UK, a charity organization formed by Alcohol Research UK and Alcohol Concern, which work to educate and provide tools for those looking to go sober, for either a short period of time or longer. It’s been a huge success overseas (the United Kingdom pioneered the original “Dry January” movement) and is a great way to earn badges for not drinking, tracks how many calories you’ve saved and how much money you haven’t spent on another bottle or glass. There’s even an option to donate all or a portion of that money to your charity of choice.
So far, onward and upward. Next challenge, staying busy over the weekend and enjoying brunch with a sparkling herbal tea concoction instead of a mimosa! Next week, Melanie will be back with an update on our progress, plus a few mocktail and NA beverage reviews and more.
If you want to take the challenge, go ahead and get started now — better late than never! It runs until Easter (April 12). Sign up for free on Ochsner’s 