75 Hard - Day 0
It’s always a good idea to start something as soon as you’ve decided to ‘do’ it. If you can’t do something big towards it, at least take some form of action to cement the decision and start building that momentum. The worst thing you can do is tell yourself you’ll start Monday, next week, next Month etc.
I’ve seen more and more people doing the 75 hard challenge and I feel like this is going to be something that will really help me shake myself out of my own head and give me something constructive I can do every day.
So what is the 75 Hard Challenge?
Well in short it’s a 75-day mental toughness plan created by motivational speaker, podcaster, author, and supplement company owner Andy Frisella. In March 2019, Frisella, who is not a certified trainer, dietitian, or licensed clinical therapist, introduced the concept of the 75 Hard Challenge on his podcast, Real AF, suggesting that it’s a way to change your life for the better and lose weight. “I’ve spent more than 20 years figuring out how to master mental toughness and I’m putting everything I’ve learned into a program I call 75HARD,” he writes in the episode notes.
The basic principles of his challenge include:
Follow a diet. No alcohol or “cheat meals.”
Work out twice a day for at least 45 minutes. One of these workouts must be an outdoor session.
Drink 3 liters of water per day.
Read 10 pages of nonfiction a day.
Take a 5-minute cold shower.
Take progress photos every day.
So there you have it! And the part that makes it a real challenge is that you have to do these things every single day, no exceptions. If you fail to do them all you have to start the 75 days over again.
Preparations for 75 hard
When I look at this list I know the hardest part for me would be fitting in 2 decent workouts, which is why I want to do this! To prioritise my health and improve my fitness. The next hardest thing looks like the cold shower, not only is it winter here in Australia but 5 minutes is rather wasteful given we are asked to have 3 minute showers to save water. So here are the parameters I’ve made for my 75 hard challenge.
Follow a caloric deficit of 1800 calories a day. No alcohol or “cheat meals.”
Work out for 45 minutes at the gym each morning.
Go for a 45 minute brisk walk outside.
Drink 3 liters of water per day.
Read 10 pages of a personal development book.
Take a 2 minute cold shower.
Take progress photos every day.
To fit this in with my full time job and other commitments I’ve decided to revamp my morning and evening routines. Until now I’ve fallen into a re-active state, I’ll get home and get on social media, watch some TV, have dinner and before I know it I’m up really late. I’ll go to bed and snooze my alarm until the last minute, fall out of bed, get ready for work and head off for 9 hours. When I get home it all starts again.
For me, mornings are the best time to workout, I don’t know why this seems to keep me going but it does. I like to be able to cross off as many tasks as possible in the mornings before my inner voice of doubt kicks in and tells me not to do the things. So I’ve been going to bed earlier and waking up earlier in preparation of the new start time of 4.30am… I know this sounds crazy and for most people it would be. For me this just makes sense. I’ll be at the gym before 5am ready to do my first 45 min session, start drinking my water (which seriously takes all day), I’ll have time to get home take a shower, take my photo, read, then have breakfast and pack my lunch. I’ll be able to get lazer focused and start the day right. And if I miss anything I’ll still have time to get it done.
The plan is to get in a walk at lunch time as my second 45min outside workout. The sun goes down early this time of year so trying to do anything after work is more difficult. If it’s raining I’ll do a hiit workout outside at home after work. It’s always a good idea to have a back-up plan so you don’t get tempted to write off the whole day.
The other things I’ve done in preparation of the challenge is to get some personal development books lined up ready for me to just grab the next one when I’m ready to start it. While I only need to read 10 pages I’m keen to allow at least an hour a day for reading whenever possible. The first book I’ve chosen is ‘Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies: And Other Rituals to Fix Your Life, from Someone Who's Been There’ by Tara Schuster. It sounds like a really good read and I’ve heard good feedback about it.
I’ll be reporting in each Wednesday night with an update on how my week went. I’m planning to do a video journal each night also we’ll see how that goes, if I share it or just keep it until I’ve finished and make one video of my overall experience.
I’m nervous but excited and eager to start!
