Thinking About Starting 75 Hard? Here's What You Need To Know!
75 Hard is a challenge invented by Andy Frisella. The rules of this program must be completed everyday for 75 consecutive days. If you don’t complete all of the assigned rules within each 24 hour day, you fail and must start over.
The Rules:
Two 45 minute workouts– one workout must be outside and must be spaced out at least two hours apart
Follow a diet– no cheat meals
No alcohol
Drink one gallon of water
Read 10 pages– must be a physical copy of a nonfiction book
Take a progress photo
I first heard about 75 Hard through friends and originally interpreted this as a fitness challenge. And to be honest, I thought this was a pretty dumb fitness challenge.
With my background in Nutrition and Exercise physiology, I interpreted these goals for what they were at face value. Working out twice a day? For most people, this would be too strenuous and probably dangerous. A diet? I stand by wiping out diet culture.
For the average person, I thought this challenge was too intense. I believed (and still believe) if you want to build a healthy lifestyle, you need to develop healthy habits gradually over a period of time. Going 110% from the get-go will not lead to long lasting changes, especially when those changes are unrealistic to sustain for the rest of your life due to the intense physical demands and high probability of burn out.
Although I was not completely sold on this challenge after first hearing about it, I still felt some sort of inclination towards completing it. I liked the idea of having something hold me accountable. So I thought I would make my own version of 75 Hard… 75 “Soft”.
75 “Soft” Rules:
One 45 minute workout a day
One 30 minute walk a day
At least a half gallon of water a day
Mindful eating
No alcohol
10 pages of reading a day
To me, this version felt more realistic and attainable… something I know I would be able to do and possibly carry on after the challenge.
Once I decided to commit to my own 75 “Soft” challenge, I listened to one of Andy’s podcasts on 75 Hard for inspiration. This was when I actually understood what the concept of this challenge was invented for.
Listen here:
This was not a “fitness challenge” like I initially thought. 75 Hard is a mental toughness program… a program designed to push your body and mind to its limits, putting discipline front and center stage. The podcast was inspirational and allowed me to recognize all the excuses I have been making in different aspects of my life.
After some self-reflection, I realized I was holding myself back from reaching my full potential by letting all of these excuses stand in the way. So I decided I was going to do the full version of 75 Hard… and so I did.
Throughout my 75 Hard journey, I learned a lot.
I learned the challenge was easier than I thought it would be. Actually, I kind of enjoyed the challenge. It gave me another sense of purpose and it was nice to have something specific I was working towards. I’m not at all saying it was easy; I just realized I am capable of more than I thought. If I put my mind to something without excuses standing in the way, the task doesn’t seem so daunting and tasks are typically accomplished quicker.
However, I did struggle with completing my personal, real-life tasks because I was hyper focused on accomplishing the daily goals of 75 Hard. I recognized this problematic behavior as it was occurring, but I did nothing to solve this issue.
Another speed-bump I came across was the idea of following a diet. For me, I knew following a diet would not adequately serve my mental health. I also knew following a diet did not align with my goals for starting this program. So I came up with an idea I thought would better suit me and still fit protocol for the challenge: no eating out at restaurants. This would require me to be thoughtful about what I’m eating because I’m preparing meals on my own and I would be saving money. The only exception to this was if I was invited out by friends for a special occasion. Having to say no to social situations did not align with my goals during this period of my life. So to me, this deal seemed justifiable.
I also learned that I enjoy working out at 5:00 in the morning. I never would have known this if I didn’t do this challenge. Because I couldn’t use the excuse of “I don’t have time to go to the gym today,” I had to make time to go to the gym each day. Believe it or not, waking up early to start my day at the gym gave me energy and motivation throughout the rest of my day.
This challenge is not for everybody. And that’s okay. If these goals seem too out of reach for you… I stand by one of my first statements: if you want to build a healthy lifestyle, you need to develop healthy habits gradually over a period of time. Going 110% from the get-go will not lead to long lasting changes, especially when those changes are unrealistic to sustain for the rest of your life due to the intense physical demands and high probability of burn out.
Start small and build from there.
It’s been almost a year since I completed 75 Hard and from this perspective, I will say this program has influenced me in a positive way. It gave me a sense of empowerment and allowed me to look at things through a different lens. Although the lens is interchangeable, it manages to make its way back around and still impacts my way of thinking.
“Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time.” – John C. Maxwell.
“Rule your mind or it will rule you. ” – Horace
