Decided I wanted to feel vulnerable
If you are one of the people wondering what the 75 Hard Challenge is or need a reminder, here's a quick rundown.
For 75 Days, you must obey these 5 rules:
- 2 45-minute workouts (one must be outside, and they must be at least three hours apart)
- drink a gallon of water
- a diet of your choice, and you must abstain from alcohol
- read 10 pages of a self-development or business book
- take a progress photo
There were definitely mixed reactions when I told people these rules. Some people were impressed, some were worried I'd die from hyponatremia, mostly people admitted they didn't know how much a gallon was (I also didn't know until I looked it up, and as a fun fact the British Gallon and American Gallon are different).
A common question though was exactly why was I doing this, or what I was hoping to gain from it. The truth was I honestly wondered how hard this challenge would be if you lived a lifestyle that wasn't that far from the rules. For the few months preceding, I had been witnessing fitness influencers and gym-goers sharing their experiences online, but I became cynical - how hard is it to carry out a challenge like this when fitness is already a big part of your daily existence?
The TL;DR summary of my experience: it was harder than I had anticipated, but more mentally rather than physically.
The challenge has been branded as a mental toughness challenge, and having completed it I agree. The daily tasks are not physically draining if you are already active and not suffering from any health issues. The mental load of remembering to carry out five little tasks every day was different issue - not to mention how tedious the challenge is and upon completion you gain bragging rights but no medal or new skill.
But I am glad I did it because I did experience what's akin to the runners' high when I woke up 76 days later. Plus, a lot of fitness challenges and goals can take years to achieve. You're out the other end of the 75 hard challenge much earlier than you would be if you took up a form of dancing or decided to run a marathon.
HOWEVER, I wasn't in a rut before I started the 75 Challenge; I was just curious. I think the only people who really benefit from this challenge are people who struggle with discipline or need a pick-me-up.
I also learned a lot about my body. In the next few weeks, I'm planning to play around with the rules and see what made me feel so light and energised come the two-week mark. Was it the water? Was it the fizzy juice ban? Was it doing low-impact daily exercise? Or a combination of everything?
But before I do that, let's deep dive into my experience of each of the rules - and I've thrown in a few top tips if you're thinking of taking on this challenge yourself.
But before I do that, let's deep dive into my experience of each of the rules - and I've thrown in a few top tips if you're thinking of taking on this challenge yourself.
Two exercises a day
People usually tout this rule as the reason why people shouldn't do it. It's excessive they say, but reading through the 75 Hard website I found nothing to say that the exercises had to be high-intensity. I did take up running in the second half of the challenge, but my weekly exercise schedule was a mix of walking, yoga, mat pilates, and lifting weights. I always chose something that I knew my body could recover from quickly.
Drink a gallon of water
This is the other rule that had people concerned - but I kept to this rule and did not end up in hospital.
I opted for the American Gallon (sue me), which averages out to five water bottles a day. During the week at a desk job, I paced these bottles really well, leaving a flask of water beside my bed at night ready for the next morning, ensuring my first bottle was taken care of immediately.
At the weekends, I'd sometimes leave it too late and would be downing two bottles of water before bed, which was very uncomfortable but didn't result in any damage.
The diet
As someone who already eats a plant-based, healthy diet and was already trying to stay in a calorie deficit, there wasn't much I could change. I decided to give up fizzy juice, energy drinks and coffee in their entirety.
Abstaining from alcohol was weird. I only drink when I'm socialising so for the bulk of this challenge I didn't notice the absence. But when I was out and about it was a weird feeling to not enjoy a drink. To try and make the experience more palatable I'd opt for a non-alcohol cider or a mocktails (that didn't use fizzy juice).
10 pages of a self-development book
I love a self-development book anyay, so this was no problem to tick off daily. I read How to Break Up With Fast Fashion, The Psychology of Money, How to Talk to Anyone, and on my final day I had to start the first ten pages of Girls That Invest. This was the simplest task to complete.
A progress picture
This one wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. It's not strenuous or time-consuming, but it's so easy to forget. If I were to do this challenge again, I'd leave a note by my mirror to remind me or add an alarm to my phone.
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Whether the 75 Hard Challenge is right for you or not is a personal call. I was glad I did it in the end but I know it depends
