75 Hard has been a trend for a bit, and it’s called “hard” for a reason. Growing in popularity through TikTok, many users shared their transformations through progress pictures.
Andy Frisella is the mastermind behind these amazing health lifestyle changes, testing mental and physical resilience. Frisella is the CEO of 1st Phorm International, a supplement company, author, podcaster, and creator of 75 Hard. It’s emphasized on the program’s website that this isn’t a fitness challenge but rather a “transformative mental toughness program.”
Through its popularity on social media, this program has been modified, and people have adjusted it to be sustainable by creating terms like 75 Soft. Despite only five rules in the original program, it’s the 75-day consistency that makes it difficult.
Like others on the Internet, I also wanted to attempt 75 Hard, so I created my own flexible ruleset to adapt the program to my college girl lifestyle.
Rule 1: Follow a Diet
This is a very subjective rule: you can follow any diet of your choice. The only caveat is that there are no cheat days. Cooking food can sometimes be impossible in a dorm, so my solution is a more mindful and aware diet.
This is a rendition of the 80/20 diet, which optimizes for healthy foods being consumed 80 percent of the time and 20 percent for unhealthier foods. It’s not perfect by any means, but it’s the start of something sustainable.
If I lived off-campus or somewhere with easier access to a kitchen, I’d love to cook most of my own food, eat more whole foods, and limit the amount of processed foods I eat, similar to the 80/20 diet. These diets are more practical even with the busy college schedule while attempting to be realistic and get the maximum nutritional benefits from the foods being consumed.
Rule 2: Workout Routine
The original rule book dictates that someone does two 45-minute workouts: one indoors and one outdoors. This can be a tad tedious with a busy schedule. My solution is this: I take one hot girl walk outside for 30 minutes and then do my normal gym routine for 45 minutes to an hour. In this way, I can incorporate the outside and inside activity rules.
I schedule my gym time around my classes, and I plan it the day before to avoid rushing on the day of, which also helps me to figure out a good gym time. Another benefit of planning out my routine the day beforehand is distinguishing between needing a rest day and simply being lazy. I know I cannot make excuses for myself; staying motivated and consistent is essential!
Rule 3: Water Intake
Water is essential, regardless of the diet. 75 Hard says we should drink one gallon of water each day. My goal is to do 64 ounces, which is half a gallon. If you can do one gallon of water a day, that’s impressive, but overall, my goal is to just drink more water.
Rule 4: Reading Requirement
I feel like I’m back in elementary with a daily reading requirement, but maybe my teachers were on to something, and Frisella agrees with them. The 75 Hard program dictates that we should read 10 pages of a self-help or educational reading. For most of my classes, I already have academic readings assigned to me, so I’ll be opting out of this rule
However, to add to the motivational or self-help aspect of the reading requirement, I want to listen to self-improvement podcasts once a week. I love the podcast The Happiness Lab, but if you want something shorter, Do You F*cking Mind is also a great podcast with variations of how long the episodes run.
Rule 5: Progress Pictures
Taking pictures is perhaps the easiest rule for anyone to follow. Friscella recommends taking a picture each day to visually see the difference consistency can make. Sometimes, when we change something, the journey of that change can be blurred. These pictures allow us to physically see the difference between implementing a healthier lifestyle.
College is a time to discover and improve yourself. While this is a TikTok trend, it’s amazing that something popular can also be motivational and encourage others to better their lives. Although I did modify the exact rules, the whole point of integrating these rules into our lives is to have a sustainable and healthy lifestyle, especially in college!
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