SIOBHANO’CONNOR Dry January is a real pain as MAMILS take over the gyms..
Barry stands out undie red carpet...
DRY January is wrecking my head because the gym is rammed.
The lycra brigade come out at this time of year to pump up their pseudo muscle mass.
I witnessed one man in the jacuzzi last weekend proudly lifting up his armpit under the jet, giving it a good scrub and spraying everyone in the tub.
When he saw myself and my friend recoil in horror, the exhibitionist ramped up his weekly wash, practically spraying us out of the jacuzzi.
There was another Dry January enthusiast doing stretches in the sauna as he announced: “I’m just sweating out all the toxins.”
I felt like saying: “Go sweat out your germs in your own bed!”
Forgive me for man bashing, but in what other month do we witness MAMILS (middle-aged men in lycra) cycling six abreast, sucking on protein pouches?
There’s a new phrase being bandied about too – how to overcome gymtimidation.
SOBER
Apparently this condition dreamt up by some PR company happens only in the month of January, when people who never go to the blessed gym any other time of the year feel intimidated by equipment and bodybuilders kissing their biceps.
There’s an easy solution to this, just go to the gym regularly throughout the year.
There’s even a Dry January festival in Dublin this month where you can paint your own mug sober, do storytime without Dutch courage and partake in clay and coffee a la Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze in Ghost.
The Drinkaware barometer 2023 revealed that 63 per cent of Irish adults want to drink less to improve their physical health.
So why wasn’t there tighter legislation around alcohol adverts over Xmas?
Why are Big Alcohol allowed to fuel desire to get
Gym is overrun this month wasted in December and then elicit feigned concern in January that we are drinking too much? Do you reckon drinks companies want us to drink less? Quitting is condoned for a month. Sure that won’t affect sales margins too much... I’m all for people quitting booze – but it’s overkill in January.
Enthusiasts doing Dry January won’t shut up about it, making those who aren’t partaking feel miserable.
I’d love to see people try a 100-day booze-free challenge instead of this month-long same old same old sheep fest.
If you want to see real change around booze, either cut back your yearly consumption or quit on a month where you aren’t wearing Dry January emblazoned on your T-shirt.
It’s almost fanatical.
Barry’s pants got A-list treatment
THE nation is so proud of Cillian Murphy. At 47 he secured his first Golden Globe win for his unbelievable performance in Oppenheimer. But we have to talk about fellow nominee Barry Keoghan and his underpants. The Saltburn actor’s stylist shared a behind-the-scenes video of someone carefully ironing his grey underwear. Oh to be a Hollywood superstar!
EVERYONE is talking about a “grand stretch in the evening” and the positive effects of more daylight hours are already evident. The brighter days are a real tonic and are boosting all our moods. We even see it in our pets, there’s more bouncing energy around.