The 75 Hard Challenge: Results & Review

What is The 75 Hard Challenge?

The 75 Hard Challenge is a mental toughness challenge that is meant to create positive habits for a person’s full well-being (physical, mental, spiritual).  It’s a program that can be modified to ensure each challenger is equitably challenged and given the results they desire. 

To complete the challenge, one must complete the following list EACH day for 75 consecutive days:

Why I Decided to Try 75 Hard

I read about The 75 Hard Challenge in the Winter of 2020, and it intrigued me because it seemed “do-able” yet “challenging to do for 75 consecutive days.” I was curious to try it for myself to see if I could do it and what the results would be if I could.

Even though I was intrigued by the challenge, I kept pushing it off. Looking back, I made excuses about why I couldn’t/shouldn’t do it. “It’s Winter, and you don’t want to workout outside in this cold.” “I want to use this summer to fall in love with working out again, and this challenge might make me hate it.” “I want to be social this Fall, and that will be impossible to do on 75 Hard!” 

I made a commitment to finally try it this Summer (2022) mainly so I could say that I did it and be done with it already! No more excuses.

My Experience During 75 Hard

I woke up nervous on my first day! I realized that I had just made a 75-day commitment to remain on a plan that might or might not be “do-able” (working out in the rain? Ew!) I wanted to quit just as the nerves were forming, but instead I wrote in my journal to reflect on why I was drawn to try this challenge when I first heard of it. Here’s what I wrote:

I think I’ll gain confidence in myself. I’ll trust in my ability to do hard things. I’ll develop a habit of staying more “on schedule.” I’ll be stronger. I’ll control my sweet tooth (a bit! haha) I’ll Remember how to prioritize my goals in moments of temptation.”

And with that, I went for it full force! Everyone can choose their own diet plan on 75 Hard, and mine was “No sweets; No baked goods” (I have the BIGGEST sweet tooth so this was gonna be a CHALLENGE!)

Every day was different, but most of my days went like this:

  • Wake up ; Take Progress Picture ; Drink 8 oz of water
  • Do Morning Workout (usually running, walking, HITT, or Pure Barre) & drink 16 oz of water
  • Eat breakfast (usually scrambled eggs or oatmeal) & drink ~8-16oz of water
  • Enjoy the day (Work, Chores, or Chill) & drink ~32-48 oz of water
  • Do evening workout (usually running, walking, HITT, or Pure Barre) & drink 16 oz of water
  • Eat dinner (changed ALL the time) & drink 16 oz of water
  • Do 10 pages of reading before bed

Doing this list on repeat every day turned the challenge into a rhyme which then created habits. Instead of dreading going on a morning run and talking myself out of it, I just got up and did it without thinking about it. It had become a habit–they all had!

The main challenges I faced in my journey was traveling to a new state, starting a new job, and going on vacation.

I started 75 Hard on May 9th in Mississippi and moved to West Virginia on June 3rd to start a job at my aunt’s law firm. I thought the change in schedule would make the challenge VERY difficult to stick to since my rhyme in Starkville had been working so well for me. Could I still keep the momentum up while working 40+ hours a week and starting work at 7am each morning? The answer: yes–easily. I learned that once you form habits you enjoy, you WILL find a way to adapt any schedule or schedule change to make them work. I realized within the first two weeks of 75 Hard that I felt better not eating as much sugary foods and sticking to my daily workouts. I loved my daily readings which encouraged me to keep going and give my best effort every day. I woke up with a lot of positive energy, and that energy carried throughout each day. I wanted to make the schedule work so I could continue to feel my best, and when there is a will there is a way! I ended up including a scheduled workout hour in my job, continued following my diet, worked out after work as well, and everything just fell into place. 

I was also worried about how 75 Hard would work while I was on vacation at The Outer Banks (side note: this beach is a MUST for EVERYONE!!) How was I going to enjoy myself without alcohol or sweets? How was I going to make time to relax while drinking a gallon of water, reading nonfiction, and fitting in two workouts? It sounded so hard, but the reality is that it wasn’t. Again, once you form solid habits you will find a way to make them work. I basically kept to the same schedule of waking up early before everyone to get one workout in, drinking water throughout the day, eating fruit or protein bars for dessert/breakfast instead of sweets/baked goods, saying “no” to alcohol, and taking a walk along the beach with my friend during the afternoon/evenings. I had just as much fun as I always do, and I felt great everyday! 

My Results from 75 Hard

Every one of my ambitions from the start of the challenge came true!

There was a point when the scale wasn’t changing much, and normally that would discourage me. However, I could tell a HUGE difference in my body through the progress pictures and my workouts. I was SO much stronger–I could do more reps, use heavier weights, run faster/longer, etc. I could also tell there was a loss of fat & gain of muscle through the progress pictures. It really boosted my confidence and reminded me (for the 1000th time) not to give the scale power over my self-love.

I’ve reminded myself by completing this challenge that when I set my mind on something; I CAN achieve it. I’ve learned a structure of habits that help me feel amazing, and I have a desire to continue these habits beyond the challenge.

I would like to preface these before/afters: I had eaten nothing but sweets & baked goods ~2 weeks before the “before” picture AND I had just started my period that day. Therefore, the difference looks more drastic than I think it was.

75 Hard: A Review

I decided to post my 75 Hard journey online, but I was nervous in the beginning because I feared it might read as “trying a fad diet” or being “extreme.” I was nervous people might think I was promoting these ideas, but I cannot emphasize enough that The 75 Hard Challenge is all about mental toughness. It’s not a fad because it uses 75 days to get you to create positive habits that are meant to last beyond the required 75 days. Yes, 75 Hard is extreme because it’s meant to be challenging, but it can be altered to your liking. You don’t HAVE to do two intense workouts everyday; there were days I would go on two calm walks! You can pick your own diet plan and create a schedule that fits into your daily life. I know people whose diet was to stick to eating 3 meals a day! There is nothing wrong with making a choice to better yourself, and you should just do the darn thing if it appeals to you!

I recommend this challenge to EVERYONE in ANY stage of their health journey because it focuses on the whole-self (mind, body & soul), can be changed by & for each person, and focuses on forming positive habits. 

Here are some tips I have for anyone who would like to try 75 hard:

  1. Make your challenge reasonable yet difficult.
    • I only know of a few people who tried and didn’t complete 75 Hard, and each of them said they fell short because their ambitions were extremely high when setting up their plan. Remember that the goal is to have habits that last after 75 days, so I’d recommend imagining what you want your long-term lifestyle to look like (ex: a balanced diet / working out 5 times a week / vegan / member of a fitness club / etc.) and think of a way you can jump-start those habits through this challenge. It will help keep you motivated and be easier to manage. Remember that slow and steady DOES win the race 🙂
  2. Read a self-help book for your first non-fiction reading.
    • The beginning of this challenge is ROUGH. All these changes are happening at once, and the “to-do” list of the challenge will feel overwhelming when trying to balance daily life. This is usually why people either quit or don’t try the challenge; therefore, I highly recommend reading a self-help book in the beginning of the challenge to help you find a routine and stay the path. It’s harder to break your challenge/give up when you’ve just read a chapter about how strong-willed and amazing you are. It lifts your spirits up, and it gives you tools you can use during your day to help you balance everything.
    • I feel like I say this in every post I write, but I CANNOT recommend the book “You Are A Badass” enough!!! Please, please, please buy this book and then start your 75 Hard Challenge! 😀
  3. Find ways to hold yourself accountable.
    • Accountability will help you A LOT during this challenge. 75 days isn’t a long time in the grand scheme of life, but anything can happen during those 75 days. Therefore, starting the journey with an accountability system will help you stay the course on the difficult days. I recommend you think of a system that will work for you BEFORE you start the challenge, set it in place, then start. Everyone has different accountability systems that work for them, but here are some ideas:
      1. Post your journey online. It will help make you feel like people are watching and encouraging you to finish, and you will be more motivated to continue.
      2. Write a check to a person or organization that you HATE & send it to them if you don’t complete your challenge. I read about this one in my book and thought it was a bit extreme… but I tried it, and y’all it WORKS! You would rather roll over dead than have your money go to a person/organization you loath, and seeing the check that will do exactly that WILL motivate you to keep going.
      3. Join a workout group or volunteer to walk animals. Some of my favorite workouts during this challenge were when I was working out with people (even for a walk on the beach!) or animals. I took my dog, Rosie, out for a walk almost every day in May and enjoyed every moment of it. I went to the local humane society in June & July to walk the shelter dogs and felt amazing doing it.

I sincerely hope this post has helped answer any questions/curiosities you’ve had about The 75 Hard Challenge, AND I hope it encourages you to try it for yourself! My only regret is not trying it sooner. I made excuse after excuse, and they only prevented me from feeling my BEST! If you do have any questions, please contact me!

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