Why My Wife and I Are Doing 75 Hard
Sitting around a bonfire in college, I remember some friends telling me about a new fitness challenge that was going around. It had all of these different daily tasks, mostly centered around being active and drinking a gallon of water every day. I really didn’t know much about it, and it was presented to me as a fitness fad to lose weight. It wasn’t until years later that I learned more by listening to Andy Frisella, the entrepreneur who created the 75 Hard program.
The 75 Hard program is a program designed to build mental toughness. It is not a fitness challenge, instead, it is intended to create resiliency, maximize your time, and strengthen your ability to do hard things no matter what the conditions are. The program consists of five critical tasks that are to be completed every day for 75 days straight:
1. Choose a diet and stick to it with no cheat meals. This includes eliminating alcohol.
2. Drink 1 gallon of water a day.
3. Complete two 45 minute workouts every day. One must be outside and they cannot be consecutive.
4. Read 10 pages of a nonfiction book every day. No audio books are allowed.
5. Take a progress picture every day. Doing these not only helps with showing physical transformation but in paying attention to little details every single day.
I’ll admit, it took me a while to come around to starting this program, mostly because I didn’t understand its meaning and what it does for you. When you first look at the daily tasks, it’s overwhelming and inconvenient. And that’s the point.
Our lives are often tailored to convenience, relaxation, and the path of least resistance. The point of 75 Hard is to train your mind to do what is best for you when it feels uncomfortable, inconvenient, and difficult. Each task is centered around accomplishing that. Most of us are accustomed to compromising — to adjusting our lives to be easiest for us. While it might make sense initially, this mindset can be harmful because it doesn’t train our brains to do what needs to be done without compromise. That’s why the rules of 75 Hard are so strict and specific. You have to do 100% of it or you don’t do it all, and that creates a compounding effect of discipline and effectiveness in all other areas of your life.
Are there other ways to create discipline and mental fortitude without 75 Hard? Of course there are. This is just a simple structure to practice it, and if that’s a current goal of yours, it might be for you. Completing the 75 Hard program creates confidence and belief in yourself because it shows you that you can do what you said you were going to do. It shows you can commit to something and follow through with it, day after day.
That’s why my wife and I decided to hop on board and complete the program — we want to build the mental toughness that is required for life. Though we may not be in a challenge currently, we eventually will be. 75 Hard is a way to practice self-discipline, hone in on what’s most important, and strengthen our resolve to do hard tasks. If this at all interests you, you’re welcome to join us, and I’ll link some resources down below. We start tomorrow.
No matter what you do, life will require fortitude. Unfortunately, events and trials come our way and it’s up to us to fight through to the end. But there can also be a silver lining in that, because what is painful in a moment can transform us into something special. As Andy Frisella says, “Your hardships, your challenges and your situation will either be the reason you don’t make it or it will be the story you tell when you do.”
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Resources for 75 Hard:
· 75 Hard Program (podcast explanation): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/208-75hard-livehard-winning-the-war-within-unlocking/id1012570406?i=1000546696601
· Andy Frisella on the Megyn Kelly Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccMuY9Wcwuw&pp=ygUZbWVneW4ga2VsbHkgYW5keSBmcmlzZWxsYQ%3D%3D
· Link to Andy’s Book: https://andyfrisella.com/products/the-book-on-mental-toughness
