This past Saturday I completed a program that two years ago I said I could NEVER do.  I started following/reading/learning about the 75Hard program in February of 2020.  (If you have never heard of what I am talking about you can read more here.)  At first thought, when reading through the 5 rules you have to follow, I immediately said, “there’s no way.”  The thing that scared me the most was the no alcohol.  Exercise was already a major part of my life.  I drank a lot of water and I loved to read.  But I honestly thought there was just no way I could give up alcohol for 75 days.  I kept following a long and reading and learning from people who had completed the program.  I became more and more intrigued.  I even created my “own version” of the program (I learned later that a lot of people do this).  So I set a goal to exercise every day for 100 days, read every day, and try to limit my drinks per week.  I accomplished this but knew that it was not even close to doing the real thing.  So this past October I decided that I was going to attempt to complete this before I turned 40.  There are almost exactly 75 days between Kenny’s birthday and my birthday so that seemed like the perfect time.  The only issue is it did not leave any room for error or for me to start over if I failed.  I planned and prepped.  Joined all the groups and read and took people’s advice who had completed it.  Told my close friends and family.  My attitude going in was that I was going to take it one day at a time and go as far as I could go.  Well…I did it!  If you want to read more about how I went about completing the 5 tasks everyday you can read more details below!  But I will leave the good stuff here.  My before and after photos and my stats.  My starting weight was 141.  My ending weight was 130.  I lost 8 inches from day 38 to day 75 (I forgot to take measurements on day 1…yes that was a major mistake on my part…but taking measurements is not a requirement of the program). 

1.  Drink a gallon of water a day.  I thought this would be pretty easy for me.  I carry my hydro flask everywhere I go.  I bought a gallon sized jug and I would fill it up every night before bed (I would fill it from our fridge where the water comes out in a slow stream…it took me about 3 minutes to fill it up…yes I timed it…it was so annoying but I knew if I didn’t fill it up before I went to bed I could forget in the morning so this was something I stuck with).  I would fill up my hydro flask from the gallon jug so I could measure and know when I drank the entire gallon.  I definitely had nights where I would forget to drink water throughout the day and have to chug a bunch of water before bed.  That sucked. 

1. Follow a diet.  Prior to 75hard I was already following a vegan/plant-based/gluten free diet (have been for years) but I was also eating my weight in French fries on a weekly basis.  Also potato chips.  Because those are vegan and gluten free.  I also ate a lot of gluten free oreos and dairy free ice cream.  While my diet seemed healthy because I was eating A LOT of fruits and vegetables…I was also eating A LOT of junk.  So for my diet I stuck to my vegan/plant-based/gluten free diet but eliminated all those things.  Once I got going I realized how much harder this was than I thought it would be.  I had given up alcohol 4 other times in my life (during pregnancy) I have never in my entire life gone this long without French fries and BBQ chips. 
2. 2 45 minute workouts.  One must be outside and they must be 3-4 hours a part.  Like I said before exercise was already a major part of my life.  I basically worked out every day already.  If you listen to Andy Frisella’s podcast or read his book, he explains that he makes the rules this way so that it is inconvenient.  It would be much easier to do one longer workout or to do the workouts back to back.  There were days when I had to do a workout at 9:30-10:00 at night.  There were days I had to go for walk at night after my kids went to bed.  I tried to do one strength training workout and make my second one a cardio of some sort (a run, a walk with my weighted vest, running hills, etc.)  We happen to pay for BOD so I did some programs on there.  I will say that going into this I planned to workout in my garage and leave the door open and have that count as my outdoor workout.  The rules are pretty clear that that does not count.  You cannot workout in a pavilion or a garage.  I kept true to the program and always worked out outside no matter what the weather was like.  There was day where I met my friends at the parking garage for a workout.  We ran steps and the ramps.  I worked out for over an hour and burned over 500 calories.   It was snowing and windy and freezing.  But when I got home I knew that couldn’t count as my outdoor workout.  So 3 hours later I bundled up, put on my weighted vest, and did a 45 minute walk. 

1. Read 10 pages.  Again, I like to read so I really thought this would be easy.  One piece of advice I read was to have your books selected and ready to go before you start.  You really never know when you’re going to finish a book and people have said they have failed because they didn’t have their next book ready and waiting.  If you know me you know that my faith is front and center in my life.  I wanted to use this program as an opportunity to grow that.  I also did my reading first thing in the morning.  I typically like to read at night before bed.  But once again, I read about people failing because they fell asleep while reading!  I was not about to let this happen! 

1. Take a progress picture every day.  Andy explains his reasoning behind this rule.  You can listen to his podcast or read his book to better understand.  This was another task that I completed right when I woke up.  It was one of the first things I did.  Again, I was not about to leave this for the end of the day and risk forgetting!  You wouldn’t believe how many people fail because they forget to take a picture!

I finished two days ago I am still mentally processing what I just did.  I am trying to figure out next steps.  I am trying to embrace what my new normal might be.  All a long people say this program changes you.  I honestly did not believe that.  I wanted to get in great shape and be really healthy before I turned 40.  I was hoping to feel the best I have ever felt physically.  I had no idea I would feel the best I have ever felt physically, emotionally, and mentally.  If you are thinking or considering doing this I would encourage you to listen to the podcast, read the book, follow people who have completed it.  The last thing I will say is this is NOT a weight loss program.  There are 1000 easier ways to lose weight!