What I Learned from 37 Days of 75 Hard
Hitting the halfway point in any challenge can be rewarding. It can feel like you’ve gotten into a groove and that it’ll get easier from here. However, 75 Hard has not felt that way for me. Yes, I feel like I am accomplishing something difficult, but it hasn’t let up.
As I was approaching the halfway point and thinking about this blog, I realized there are three key lessons I’d like to share with you.
If, for whatever reason, you want the short and sweet version, here are the three things I learned:
Don’t ask yourself questions. Once questions start coming to your mind, it becomes easier to talk yourself out of something.
Front-load the water early in your day. Getting up to go to the bathroom multiple times a night is exhausting. I typically drink 86 oz before 3 pm.
Pace yourself. 75 days is a long time, and doing two 45-minute workouts a day is not sustainable for the average person. Find a way to push yourself but not too far.
Now, for those of you interested in more detail, here are my in-depth learnings from halfway through the 75 Hard challenge.
What is the 75 Hard Challenge?
The 75 Hard challenge involves completing specific tasks every day for 75 days. The tasks are:
Follow a nutrition plan of your choice
Two 45-minute workouts - one must be completed outside.
Drink 1 gallon of water
Read 10 pages of a nonfiction book
Take a progress picture
Don’t Ask Yourself Questions
One of the hardest things to overcome when tackling something challenging is the little voice inside your head. That voice, while it can be helpful, is also what holds you back. Whether it tells you that you are too sore and should rest, or that you can catch up on things tomorrow, that voice ultimately slows you down. When I was doing 75 Hard, I realized that the little voice has another tactic: asking questions.
We know ourselves better than anyone else, and unfortunately, we know how to persuade ourselves not to do things. During 75 Hard, I learned that one of the most common ways my little voice tried to persuade me was by asking questions like, “It’s snowing right now, should I wait to do my outdoor workout?”, “Should I switch to a different nutrition plan? Is this one working?”, or “Is now a good time to go workout?”
All of these questions and more were painfully hard to overcome in the first 14 days of 75 Hard. I quickly learned that what works best is to stop the questions. If it was snowing, I still went out and completed my outdoor workout. I stopped asking if the nutrition plan was working and trusted the process. As soon as there was time to go work out, I went and worked out. Ignoring the questions goes far beyond just a challenge like this—it has helped me in numerous other ways to accomplish goals in work, family, and other personal endeavors. I would highly recommend you start to pay attention to when you are asking yourself questions that are holding you back and consider reading this book: The Motivation Myth: How High Achievers Really Set Themselves Up to Win by Jeff Haden
Front-load the Water Early in Your Day
In the first two weeks, I thought it would be best to space out my water intake evenly. This was a huge mistake. I had to go to the bathroom all the time, including multiple times a night. When you are already exhausted from two workouts, staying up to get your 10 pages in, a good night’s rest is one of the most important (and rewarding) parts of the challenge. So, when you aren’t getting sleep because you need to go to the bathroom, it feels like the challenge is punishing you.
That’s when I switched to front-loading my water. This was a game-changer for me. I typically drink 86 oz before 3 pm and only 42 oz the rest of the evening. Sometimes, I drink the 42 oz at dinner and be done for the day. Doing it this way allowed me to sleep through the night, get the full water intake every day, and even though I thought this was the hardest part of the whole challenge, doing it this way was so much easier.
Pace Yourself
The last piece of advice is to pace yourself. Something I heard about mountain biking progression is to do trails that scare you but not ones that make you freeze up. For 75 Hard, 75 days is a long time. We are talking a little over 10 weeks to accomplish the challenge. So, if that means for one of your workouts you stay at a zone 2, do it. If you aren’t enjoying the nonfiction book you are reading, switch to a new one. It means that you should do all of it to a point that pushes you but doesn’t leave you unable to get out of bed in the morning.
Final Thoughts
The 75 Hard challenge is designed to be tough, and it certainly lives up to that reputation. However, the lessons you learn along the way can be incredibly valuable. By not letting self-doubt creep in, managing your water intake effectively, and pacing yourself, you can make the challenge more manageable and rewarding.
I hope that this advice helps, and I would love to hear if you have tried 75 Hard, completed it, and what you have learned to accomplish hard tasks. Share your experiences and insights in the comments below. Good luck to you all, and remember, the key to success is consistency and perseverance!
