Every New Year, millions want to change their habits, become more fit, or improve their mental state. Most of those New Year’s resolutions are thrown away within weeks. What if the challenge was so gruesome it pushed you past your limits and helped you grow physically and mentally? That’s where the 75-Day Hard challenge comes in.
I chose this bold challenge for my New Year’s resolution because my life lacked the routine and focus that would enable me to prosper. Stress from school and continuous distractions in daily life had started affecting my mental health. I wanted to find discipline and a healthy lifestyle, and the 75-Day Hard Challenge would be the perfect way to do this.
What is the 75-Day Hard Challenge?
The 75-Day Hard challenge requires following a strict daily routine for 75 continuous days: no shortcut, cheat code, or nothing. Building discipline, focus, and perseverance in all aspects of life is driven from fitness to mental well-being.
A Day in the Life of 75 Days Hard
Let me take you through a typical day for me on the challenge:
– Morning Yoga: I start my day with a 20-minute yoga session to get my body and mind up and running. Which is an essential part of my daily routine and helps relax my nerves ahead of school.
-Protein-Rich Breakfast: I power myself with a protein-heavy breakfast, either from eggs, protein smoothie mixers, or oatmeal. That can give me great energy for a busy day ahead.
– School: I go to school but with much more liveliness. Compared to the latest routine, I am less distracted, pay more attention, and do my school homework much faster.
– Gym Workout: This is my first workout of the day after school. Whether lifting weights or doing cardio, I get a full 45 minutes of physical activity.
-Post-Workout Meal: Proper nutrition is essential; hence, I eat a balanced meal to help recover.
-Homework/study: There is a lot of homework/studying, and it takes one hour to do homework/test prep. Studying helps maintain discipline at points in time when one is better off procrastinating.
-Dinner and meal prep: During/after dinner, I portion out my next day’s meals so I don’t leave my diet for the next day.
-Journaling: I do this right before bed, reflecting on my day and jotting down my thoughts in my journal.
– Winding Down: I end the night with a meditation to ease me into a good night’s sleep.
The Power of Flexibility and Accountability
While the 75-Day Hard is all about rigid rules, some flexibility allows me to be more committed to the process. Either I do weightlifting or cardio, whichever my body feels up to on that particular day. I also change my meals so I will not get bored with my diet.
However, an accountability partner is one of the big keys to this tracking. I wrangled a friend into taking the journey with me, and it has been a game-changer. Anytime I was tired or less motivated, she reminded me of the bigger picture. In words of encouragement or knowing we were in this together, having a partner made this challenge not overwhelming.
Overcoming Challenges and Staying Consistent
Of course, there are rough days, mainly because life’s distractions or pressures from school have kept me away from the routine. It is not a challenge to complete all these tasks but to learn to overcome adversities and grow stronger because of them.
Conclusion: What I have Learnt and Would Advise
75 Hard has taught me a lot up to now: it’s not all about the fitness or diet one is on; it’s more about resilience and learning to show up for yourself daily. I can stay the course through the power of consistency, clarity of mind, and much-needed structure in these fast-moving lives.
I also recommend doing the 75-day hard trend with someone who will do it with you so you have someone to keep you motivated and support you when it’s hard to keep up with the routine. I am doing it with my sister, and we created a group chat to text about the things we accomplished and lift each other up if one needs motivation.