75-Hard Challenge (my way) + TIPS to make it easy!
Hey there!
This is the follow on to “How I Transformed My Life with 75-Hard.”
If you haven’t read or skimmed over that blog, I highly recommend it, though I’ll just reiterate briefly how the challenge helped change my life for the better :)
My results with 75-Hard:
lost a stubborn 15 pounds and kept it off
toned my body
gained self-love
gained self-confidence
gained willpower
got glowing skin
became genuinely happy
developed attractive energy
developed a radiant, positive attitude
Here are the basic, DAILY rules of the challenge:
take a progress picture
drink 1 gallon of water
do two 45-minute workouts - separately, and 1 MUST be outside
follow a diet (a healthy one) with no cheat meals and no alcohol
read 10 pages of a non-fiction book
Since you get to choose your own “diet” to follow and how you did your workouts, I wanted to share what I was doing along with all the helpful tips I can think of that made the challenge easier and more fun! :)
Diet
(This is what I did)
intermittent fasting (18 hours; eating window: 2:00 - 8:00)
I had to work up to 18 hours, but started out with 16, beginning at 12:00 noon. Whatever works for you, and you can always improve.
vegetarian/plant-based
no processed sweets
anything sweet was homemade
one of my favorite go-to’s that I allowed myself was a handful of dark chocolate chips with cashews
keep good food stocked; especially if you’re “diet” includes certain foods, keep them on hand!
have a plan B; if you know you’ll be crunched for time on certain days, have easy meals and snacks ready to go; this will become easier and easier as you go on
don’t let yourself get too hungry to avoid binging or being tempted to cheat; keep healthy snacks ready to eat (ex. apples, bananas, mandarins, carrots, celery sticks..)
always take on-the-go snacks (and your water) with you when you run errands, etc.
food prep; cutting up and preparing things as you go so they’re ready to go in your meals and be used for snacks will save you time and energy later on!
meal prep when you can; it makes things easier, faster, and you can plan out how you’re going to use the food you already have, thus helping prevent food waste and save money
Exercise
(This is what I did)
walking is okay, but try for a brisk to fast pace
set your timer for 45 minutes and JUST. KEEP. MOVING!
cleaning the house can count, as long as you’re constantly moving (ex. dusting, sweeping, mopping); don’t include stationary tasks
get your workouts in early; try to get at least 1 down in the morning
check the weather to plan for your outside workout, and shoot for the nicest part of the day
schedule your workouts in your calendar and set an alert; plan them around work and events to ensure you have time and give time to shower
have an idea of what workouts you can do during travel and holiday; easy ideas I did a lot were walks/jogs and/or setting an interval timer for 45 minutes for a mix of whatever full-body moves I liked (crunches, squats, leg kicks, etc.)
go just a little further (do one more rep, run a little farther..) you’re going to need to push yourself and increase your intensity to see physical results faster; HIIT was the best thing that whipped me in shape!
Water
“detox” water counts
My idea of detox water is adding the juice of lemon and/or lime with part coconut water, ice, and regular water; it tastes like a light, healthy lemonade 🍋
get your water in early; try to get half of your goal by lunchtime
get a half-gallon jug; it’s big, but easier to carry than a gallon, you only have to fill it twice, and it makes it WAY easier to keep track of because you only have to drink 2; maybe get a couple of jugs you can alternate between
take your water bottle with you everywhere, just don’t forget to bring it back with you (like I always do!)
Progress Picture
get it done first thing in the morning
have your same outfit ready to go; I used a bikini
set your camera up for an easy shot; if you can set your settings to wave at the camera to signal it to take a pic, do that!
Something Special
This is where the radiant, positive attitude came in…
During the time I was doing the challenge, I was also touching base with my spiritual side.
I started learning a ton about the Law of Attraction, how to create the life I want, be more intentional, and begin feeling how I wanted to feel.
This was the most internal and profound shift that amplified everything I was doing- my performance and satisfaction with my job, my relationships, my self-talk, mood, and even my workouts.
(I won’t go in-depth here on that because that’s what this entire site will touch on, so stay tuned! 😉)
General Tips
have a way to track all of your habits with an app, habit tracker, etc; it feels great to check things off!
try this one that I made! Best Life daily planner
you might have to let people know you’re prioritizing your health right now, and are dedicated to this mental toughness challenge; good friends will understand and you’ll probably inspire others
just to reiterate, scheduling in your workouts and making a routine around taking your picture, drinking your water, reading, and killing your diet is going to make these habits so much easier and really help them stick!
if something’s not working, don’t quit, just change it up to make it work better for tomorrow; it’s all about learning, course correcting, and improving
That’s all folks!
I hope these tips were helpful, and if you’re going on your own 75-Hard / Mental Toughness challenge, I wish you the best of luck!
You got this!!
Stay fli!
