Another month brings with it another reason to cut out something ‘naughty’ from our lives. With dry January not yet a distant memory we are now being encouraged to give up another guilty pleasure.
As March looms, chocoholics across the UK are gearing up for the British Heart Foundation’s ‘DECHOX’ which is a nationwide sponsored challenge to give up chocolate for one month in order to raise money for life saving heart research.
For those who are thinking ‘great, I’ll give up chocolate bars and just have the odd chocolate milkshake to satisfy my craving’, think again because according to the British Heart Foundation website, any sort of cocoa is a no-no, which means chocolate bars, sweets, treats, biscuits, ice cream, cake – and even the chocolate sprinkles on your cappuccino – are off limits during March.
Last year, over 19,000 people took on the challenge, raising nearly £800,000 in the process. This year they hope to raise even more money for the BHF, and have even upped the ante for those amongst us with super willpower – introducing the ultimate DECHOX. Should you choose to accept it, you can now choose to not only give up chocolate, but also any other form of sweet treat – that means no dessert, cookies, cakes or gummy sweets.
What makes the DECHOX challenge extra cruel this year is that Easter Sunday falls on 27th March, meaning that participants will have to wait an extra five days to start on their Easter eggs. Cruel, but remember, it’s not only good for you, it’s also for a great cause. Good luck!