75 Hard is a mental toughness regime created by Anthony Frisella. It was designed as a way to adjust your mind, body, and soul for the better. Most people begin this because they are unhappy with how something in their life is and they make the effort to solve it. I started 75 Hard on April 12, 2021 and my Day 75 is June 25, 2021. There are several parameters that you follow for 75 days and if you fail to complete even just one of the parameters, you start over completely at Day 1. The parameters are as follows:
- Two 45-minute workouts a day (one of them has to be outside): I have been doing an hour session of heavy weightlifting in the morning and going on a 45-minute walk in the evenings.
- Take a Progress Picture Every Day: I can already see a difference from my Day 1.
- Read 10 pages of a Non-Fiction Book: I’ve been reading a lot of Brene Brown; she is an absolute queen whose books will speak to you. My favorite is Dare to Lead.
- Drink 1 gallon of water: This honestly is not as hard as you think it would be. If you wake up in the morning and consciously remind yourself to start drinking water soon after you wake up, it’s a piece of cake.
- Follow a Diet: I am doing the keto diet for the 75 days, and after will be incorporating complex carbohydrates back into my diet.
- No Cheat Meals or Alcohol: Saying “I’m not going to drink for 75 days” as a college student is a lot easier than actually not drinking for 75 days. I have been pressured into drinking by my friends, my family, everyone around me, and you do not realize how much our culture functions around alcohol until you’re not actively drinking it.
I am going to be completely transparent with you all. I started this as an effort to lose a whole lot of weight as well as change my lifestyle habits. Nothing was working for me. I was binge-eating, binge-drinking, and sleeping all the time. I wasn’t happy with my body and I wasn’t happy with my sedentary lifestyle. On my Day 1, I weighed in at 234.6 pounds. As of yesterday, I weigh 222.4 pounds. This is a major accomplishment for me. In addition to this, I have been lifting very heavy weights, so I am starting to see some muscle definition in my legs and arms.
Let’s break down what my day looks like during 75 Hard.
8:00 AM – I go to the gym and do a 45 minute – 1-hour lift session where I work my entire body. I hate leaving the gym feeling like I only worked out two muscles.
9:00 AM – Shower and eat breakfast.
10:00 AM – Do homework for the day. I am consciously drinking water this whole time.
1:00 PM – Eat lunch.
4:00 PM – Read my non-fiction book. Right now, I am reading “The Gifts of Imperfection” by Brene Brown.
6:30 PM – I go on a 45-minute walk around my neighborhood.
7:30 PM – Eat dinner and shower.
10:30 PM – Bedtime.
Now here’s the tea: This is not an easy program, and it is really easy to say “Well, I’m just really tired today”. Trust me, I’ve done it over the past 20 days. But here’s where your support system comes in. Find at least one person who is as committed to cheering you on and you are to doing it. For me, I have my roommates and my fiancé; one of my roommates is even doing it with me! My big setback is actually going on the walk at night. It is so easy to just continue lying in bed for the rest of the night, but my roommate will walk into my room at 6:30 PM sharp and say “Let’s go on our walk,” and I get my booty out of bed and go. Once again, this program is not going to be easy, and it will take a lot of dedication if you’re wanting to commit to it.
Changes I’ve noticed: Over the past 22 days, I have noticed incredible changes in my life. I went from eating whatever I wanted, drinking whatever I wanted, and doing whatever I wanted to being on a strict regime that is 75 Hard. While the scale shows that I have lost 10 pounds, the progress pictures I have been taking have shown an immense difference in my body shape because I am losing fat and gaining muscle simultaneously which confuses the scale. Overall, I would definitely recommend this program as something to try over the summer! It is easy to lay in bed all summer with nothing to do, but 75 Hard will give you a reason to get out of bed and move your body!