I am a little nuts when it comes to these fad diets and lifestyle programs. I'll do them and I'll essentially suffer through them, and I will lose weight in the process (which is always the only good part), and then I'll jump right into former bad habits. The weight will come back, the laziness will return, and I'm just back to square one.
When I heard bout Andy Frisella's 75 Hard challenge, I *obviously* immediately prepared to do it with my two best friends. At first, I was so excited! I created these awesome trackers in my planner, made food lists and got myself ready for, well, 75 hard days. And before I go on with this post, let me just say that I am in no way shitting on them nor this program - I am just telling you why I stopped, like, 8 days in.
Andy's program has a few rules - follow a diet, drink a gallon of water per day, do two 45-minute workouts (and one MUST be outside), no alcohol, read 10 pages of a book per day, and snap a progress picture of yourself every day. If you cheat or miss a step, or even half-ass a step, you need to start over on day one. Seems fine, right? I thought so, too, so I joined a Facebook group and dove right into his podcast. Even though he makes a lot of excellent points, I was immediately turned off by Andy's loud voice and abrasive attitude. But he's a disciplinary guy, so I brushed it off and figured that I could modify the program to meet my needs. 20-minute workouts and a sustainable diet. But Heaven forbid I mention that in the 75 Hard Facebook group. They'd tear me apart for simply trying my best. Anywho..
Day one was alright, but drinking an entire gallon of water after literally years of drinking less than half of that amount made me feel more bloated than my pre-pandemic days at the Chinese buffet. I was totally miserable, but I pressed on. On day two, I decided that I'd modify my water intake - a half gallon or more and I'm good. I did my two workouts. I snapped my progress picture. All that jazz.
By, like, day eight, I was exhausted and miserable. I was forcing myself to go for walks outside, in freezing weather, after long, tiring, physically-daunting work days. And even though my boyfriend told me that I could count my work days as indoor workouts (I work an extremely physically daunting job), Andy and his clan of nut-jobs would have told me otherwise. Instead, I was struggling through workouts that made me feel like my feet might fall off, and even though I was doing said workouts, I was modifying.
I'd say I was averaging 25-minute workouts twice a day. But that was the problem - I was still falling short of the challenge and, even though I was doing some really incredible things, I felt like I was a failure. And if you were to ask anyone who has successfully followed this challenge - they would agree - I was failing.
So, even though I was improving myself by working out, reading, drinking more water and the whole nine, I was still failing? Yes. I was doing good, but I absolutely was not doing 75 Hard. And I hated feeling like I was failing compared to my friends who have been able to handle it.
And that brings me to my next point - our bodies are all different and they can all tolerate different amounts of physical and mental stress. If the 75 Hard challenge is too much for you - it's fucking A-OK. I wasn't happy dedicating all that time to the challenge - and that's totally fine! I'd rather spend my time planning, or taking warm baths, or Netflix-and-chilling - that doesn't mean I lack discipline; it just means that I lack the desire to stick to something that doesn't make me feel happy. So, instead, I walk my dog, I read when I can, I drink waaay more water without engorging myself, I park a little further from the entrance to get more steps in, and I eat better - all without worrying about failing 75 Hard.
You can plan it out, log your progress, habit track and do everything to make sure you stick to something - but at the end of the day, you won't stick to it if you don't love it.
What's the moral of the story? I guess I'm just trying to tell you that life is fucking short. Even when trying to better yourself - make sure you don't stress yourself out and do what truly makes you happy.
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