75 Hard Review
I just completed 75 Hard, and I am eager to get back to it.
Never heard of 75 Hard? This challenge was created by entrepreneur Andy Frisella, as a “transformative mental toughness program,” not a fitness challenge. However, many people do see results physically because of the program.
There are six rules to follow every single day:
Follow a diet. While it can be a diet of your choosing, the diet must be a structured eating plan with the goal of physical improvement. No alcohol or meals outside your chosen diet are allowed.
Complete two 45-minute workouts, one of which must be outdoors.
Take a progress picture.
Drink 1 gallon of water.
Read 10 pages of a book (audiobooks not included).
I know it seems hard, and it is, that is the point; however, this challenge is worth it for so many reasons that I didn’t even realize until I did it. They say you’ll gain mental toughness, and I have to say I cannot believe the mental changes that I have seen. Looking back I can’t believe how much time I wasted in my daily life before I completed 75 Hard.
I think the old saying “if mom’s not happy, no one’s happy” really fits our home's situation. This challenge was the perfect reset for my household. Because I am home everyday, how I feel and what I do really sets the pace for everyone else in my house. Of course, I can and do have off days, and my family is there to support me. However, I went from thinking there is no chance I have the time to do these tasks to actually getting more work done and having more quality time with my family because of these 6 tasks.
So yes, I completed the diet, the pictures, drinking the water, two workouts a day, and reading all while being a mom, being a wife, and being a business owner. Although some days were hard, I actually thrived more than ever before. One of my favorite things about this challenge for me was my three girls being able to watch me get my brain and body in a healthy state. They do as they see, and even when I had to walk in -20 degree temperatures outside, one of my girls would want to bundle up with me and go “exercise.”
Overall, I realized how valuable my time is. I have gotten more work and personal projects completed while doing 75 Hard. How? Because I finally realized that I had to say no to things. But, I didn't feel like I was missing out. It became so obvious to me what I should prioritize. I had to budget out my days, and if something didn't fit, it simply didn't fit, and the world did not stop spinning. It was really important to me not to quit, and so I made sure I didn't create excuses that would make me want to throw in the towel.
As humans, we have a really easy time creating excuses. We tell ourselves, "I'll do that tomorrow," "It has to look perfect before I hit send," or "It needs to feel perfect." You really just have to do it. Do it imperfectly. Andy Frisella says it doesn’t matter if you’re up till 1am, just get it done.
Something that helped me prioritize was looking at every task I had as plastic or glass balls. I could drop plastic balls if I had to, and they wouldn’t break. However, glass balls would break. I couldn’t drop those, and I wouldn’t let myself. My glass balls became my family tasks and 75 Hard tasks. A big component of getting through this challenge was also doing it alongside my friend and virtual assistant Jesika. Doing this challenge with someone was a game changer. We were able to call each other when things got hard, complain if we had to, vent to each other, and most importantly be each other's accountability partner.
My biggest takeaways:
I have transformed as a person. Right before I finished my last couple of days of 75 Hard, I was thinking about not stopping. I was so disciplined and felt so good and accomplished that the thought of stopping actually scared me. Since then, I have put some leniency back into my life, but I am eager to get back to the tasks and start over.
My values and goals have become more aligned. I personally have no desire to drink. I only say yes to things I truly want to do, and see the value of putting my mental and physical health first.
Time flies. Weeks, months, and years are going to go by anyway. I encourage everyone to do this–to try and conquer it. I am proud of myself and feel like now I can do anything.
I shared this process with others along the way, and in the scheme of things, I have had a ton of women reaching out saying that they want to start the challenge. I want to empower more people, and this felt like such a beautiful way to do it. As you sit and contemplate if this is something you want to do, think about everything you can possibly gain from this experience rather than what you can lose. And if you decide to do this, let me know so I can cheer you on!
