the detox workout; Could 30 days without alcohol lead to faster-and better-results at the gym.

Byline: Veronica Chambers

In order to reconnect with my inner athlete and ramp up my yawning workouts, I recently decided to abstain from alcohol for a month. I assumed the hardest part would be to last four weeks virtuously sipping seltzer while my friends got happy drinking cocktails. The real challenge, however, was mustering the willpower to begin. There was the issue of geography-I am spending six months in a little French coastal village called Cassis, where I can almost dive from my window into the Mediterranean and wine is offered at every meal except breakfast.

Then there was the matter of a looming book deadline. There are those who can finish a book without the incentive of champagne. I, alas, am not one of them. And so, two weeks later, I handed in the manuscript and celebrated with a bottle of Madame Clicquot's finest. The next morning, groggy and slightly hung over, I finally joined the ranks of teetotalers.

Days into my experiment, I discovered that what I'd done over the past few years was sacrifice physical performance to attend to my (very) active social life. Yes, I'd been faithful to a three-times-a-week gym routine, with a day of yoga thrown in for good measure. Having a glass or two of wine with dinner never seemed to get in the way, but perhaps I was too dazed to notice the grandmas who were hitting the treadmill harder than I was. On my detox diet, I had more energy and more desire to work out harder and longer. I got up at 5:00 a.m. without an alarm. The gym doesn't open until 9:30 or 10:00 (this is the South of France), so I spent the wee hours of the morning writing. Whereas before I might have been content to do 30 minutes on the elliptical, now I skipped from machine to machine: elliptical to rowing machine to bike, and then on to weights. Sometimes I even managed two workouts in one day. In just a few weeks, I started to think and feel more like an athlete-focused, motivated, and, yes, more fit. Losing five pounds was a happy bonus.

I can see why professional athletes hop on the wagon while training for big events. "During exercise, you're putting glucose into your blood, and you break down fat into free ...