This past summer, I did the 75 Hard Challenge. It was truly a life-changing experience that I would recommend to anyone striving toward self-improvement. That being said, the level of commitment required shouldn’t be underscored. 75 Hard is challenging, but that’s the point! Improving your mental and physical health requires implementing changes to your life daily and staying consistent.
However, it’s important to recognize that the intensity of the 75 Hard Challenge — while effective in fostering self-discipline and growth during the program — may also pose challenges post-completion. The structured regimen and rigorous demands of the challenge can inadvertently create an “all-or-nothing” mindset, where individuals feel compelled to maintain extreme behaviors even after the challenge ends. This can lead to potential pitfalls, such as rebounding to old habits or engaging in unhealthy behaviors as a form of compensation.
Therefore, it’s crucial to approach the aftermath of the challenge with mindfulness and balance. While the discipline instilled during the 75 Hard Challenge is valuable, it’s essential to transition into a sustainable lifestyle that promotes overall well-being without resorting to extremes. This may involve adjusting goals, seeking support from others, and prioritizing self-care practices that nurture both physical and mental health. Here are a few things I’ve been able to implement post-75 hard to sustain my best possible self.
Walking 10,000 steps a day
Working out doesn’t have to be high-intensity. This is something I learned with 75 Hard, and it’s truly life-changing. I used to think that all my workouts needed to be two-hour long intense lifting sessions, but having to work out every day with 75 Hard no longer made that a sustainable reality. This is when I discovered the health benefits of getting 10,000 steps a day and how easy it is to do.
One way I do this is by walking to every single class even though I have my car here. This is a super easy way to help you increase your step count even if you don’t have time to work out. I’ve also found that walking more drastically increases my mood and calms my mind.
Following a diet that works for me
One thing I love about 75 Hard is that it doesn’t specify a diet. I’ve never enjoyed strict diets because they’ve always just resulted in me either binging or restricting, which is not sustainable or healthy. With any diet mindset, I feel like that flexibility has truly helped me meet my fitness goals without having to worry about cheat days.
I’ve found that soft goals like reducing the amount of dairy or increasing the amount of protein I eat are more successful than a diet that focuses on what I can’t eat.
Getting more sleep
This one is not technically specified on the 75 Hard but has been the most helpful in my journey to better physical and mental health this year. Some things I do to help me achieve this are:
Making tea before bed
This is such a yummy classic, and it’s a natural remedy to calm you down. I also started buying lots of different flavors, which made my tea drinking feel like something to look forward to each night and something I associated with going to sleep.
Falling asleep to podcasts
If you’re someone who likes to fall asleep to noise, I highly recommend listening to podcasts. This allows me to relax and close my eyes while still listening passively to noise. I find this helps me a lot because I’m not thinking about having to fall asleep but instead thinking about a story or conversation.
The daily discipline required by the 75 Hard Challenge reinforces the understanding that progress isn’t achieved through sporadic bursts of effort, but rather through the steady accumulation of small victories over time. Each day presents an opportunity to reaffirm your commitment to growth and to cultivate the habits necessary for a better self.
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