I am currently on day 20 of the 75 hard challenge, but to clarify I am doing the softer version.
The challenge consists of 5 rules-
- Take a picture of yourself daily
- Drink a gallon of water daily
- Stick to a healthy diet/ zero alcohol
- Exercise 2x a day, 45 minutes each (one must be outdoors)
- Read 10 pages of a nonfiction book/ journal everyday
Although this challenge seems intimidating, I have stuck to it. I am doing the softer version for time management reasons, because I don’t have much time to workout twice a day so I try to do it a few times a week at least.
I started on January 13th, 2022, kind of randomly. My anxiety from drinking was ruining my mental health and I began to feel a sort of pressure to always be doing something, and not always for myself.
The week leading up to my start date I bought a journal, a new water bottle and a nonfiction book called Living with Less by Jessica Forrest. I made a list of all the meals I wanted to try and new healthy snacks to make. I told myself I won’t eat out during the time period, unless it is a special occasion like a birthday or something. The hardest part of all was going to be no alcohol, because I am a senior in college and that is something my friends and I do very often.
I talked to my closest friends and roommates about it and they all supported my decision.
The first few days went by smoothly and I started getting into a routine, especially starting classes back up again and having a part-time job too.
Throughout the last two weeks, I still have gone out with my friends to the bars on the weekends, being the designated driver and just ordering water, which actually has been good for my mental health. I used to get really bad hangover anxiety the day after drinking and so far I have already felt 10x better, not waking up hungover and in a bad mood. People watching has become my new favorite activity while at the bar, and I haven’t felt pressure to do anything because now I have my own priorities.
I am still grinding and following each of the rules, already feeling better mentally and physically.
I would recommend this if you are someone that struggles with doing things for yourself and finding time to work on you. This will push you to keep a strong mindset and follow a routine. Don’t let the exercising intimidate you because you can be flexible and do what works best for you.