Before I get into this, I want to make this clear. I think this is more of a personal thing of mine, but I am writing about this merely as a reflection. I don’t want to come across as someone who thinks they’re better than you because they did this and saw good things come of it. I am also not a medical professional, so there’s that.
Last year I did my own spin on the “75-Hard” challenge. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, the challenge is this: you don’t drink for 75 days, you do two workouts a day, stick to a strict diet, read a set number of pages of a non-fiction book a day, drink a gallon of water and journal each day. There are different variations, but that’s the gist, and that’s normally what people abide by. That being said, the more extreme 75-Hard guidelines don’t build in any rest days or “cheat” days.
What’s the problem with that? It’s not realistic. At least to me.
I only have so much time in the day, as well as so much sanity, and I think I would lose myself and become incredibly critical trying to fit in two workouts in one day and if I couldn’t let myself have an Oreo or a large coffee with half and half creamer.
Thus, my own challenge was born. I referred to it as 50-Hard. Here are the general guidelines I set for myself:
- Exercise forty-five minutes or one hour a day, even if that means going “only” for a walk
- Read 20 pages a day of my non-fiction book (I read “Educated” by Tara Westover– amazing!)
- Dedicate 30 minutes a day to a new skill or studying for my Social Studies certification exam
- Drink one gallon of water a day, which equated to around three of my 40 oz. Stanley cups
- Journal at the end of each day before bed
- No fast food and…
- No alcohol
It was a learning experience for sure. I noticed some incredible changes. For those fifty days, I did not experience any anxiety after drinking with people. We have a carnival every year in our small hometown during the summer, which means that under the late-night drinking tent, it is practically a high school reunion. One of the highlights of this was being able to be with my friends yet not having “bad belly” the next morning as I call it, because I wasn’t drinking and saying things I either won’t remember or that I would regret. That was a win! That was probably the best part.
I also got to try some fun non-alcoholic seltzers. It was a bit sad going to a few concerts and not being able to have a drink or two, but it was fun being able to still have a seltzer in my hand to mesh in with everyone else. Plus, they were tasty, and once again helped me not feel out of place about being empty-handed.
Disclaimer: Not that there is anything wrong with not drinking with others. It’s a personal preference more than anything to at least be sipping on something, alcoholic or not!
I noticed clearer skin. Combined with the sun I encountered on my daily exercise outside on nice days, the gallon of water I was required to drink, and the no drinking, my skin was thanking me. Day-to-day I also had way more energy, once again probably due to hydration I wasn’t really used to.
But here was the beauty of all of this.
I was my own boss! Therefore, if I didn’t or couldn’t work out one day, it wasn’t time to scrap the entire challenge and forget I had even done it. I forgave myself, and I moved on. The most important thing was that I was listening to my body. If it wasn’t happening, it wasn’t happening. All good!
Most of all, I finished it. I followed through. Even though I only did 50 days of this challenge I set for myself, it still felt long at times, especially towards the end. When it was finally done, I was proud of myself for sticking with it and finishing strong.
Sure, the empty, plastic gallon that I refilled every day that sat on my counter made my parents confused. My dad said to me at one point, “You know you can drown drinking that much water”. They also questioned if I would really follow through with the no drinking because after all, it was the summer, and I was approaching one of the most exciting years of college. Those types of comments bothered me, but I didn’t let them invalidate why I wanted to do this to begin with.
The biggest thing is that I did it, and I did it for myself. I completed this goal of mine in order to enjoy a much-needed body cleanse after a fun year at college. Plus, it was perfect because I was home, and there was less going on at home for me than there is when I am at school; it made sense in my brain to do it then. During this time, I was also able to hit a milestone of the longest distance run I have done, which was seven miles. That was cool to see.
But, will I do it again?
Ehhhh.