This past week, I have started to see progress pictures from some friends that completed 75 Hard. To complete around now most people started around New Year’s. I did this program last year as a way to get back into the swing of things after just giving birth to Zoey at the end of October 2020. Seeing people post their progress pictures and accomplishments from the past 75 days had me remember my year with the 75 hard program; the first phase of which is 75 hard.
In the first phase of 75, every day for 75 consecutive days one needs to: Drink 1 gallon of water a day, workout for at least two 45-minute sessions (one of which must be outside, and the workouts must be at least 3 hours apart), actively read 10 pages of a non-fiction book, follow a diet (your choice), no alcohol, and take a daily progress picture. Many people think drinking a gallon of water is the toughest part—but I was and still do drink at least a gallon of water every day. So, the toughest part for me was going out and working out in the cold sometimes with Zoey attached to me, as I went on walks around the neighborhood in the winter cold. People who complete 75 hard, usually have progress pictures (their daily pictures) that show substantial weight-loss, as well. I lost the rest of the pregnancy baby weight I had, but nothing beyond that (but I didn’t have anything to lose beyond that). Seventy-five hard is a program that teaches discipline, and when I shared with my husband last year that I was going to do it, his response was, “I don’t see how this is any different than what you do every day anyways.” I am a fairly disciplined individual, but outside of my time competing at university (in running and in cycling), I have/would not do two-a-days (two workouts a day). After doing the first phase of seventy-five hard, I chose to complete the 75 hard program—which has three phases to it. Phase two of the program consists of the same tasks described in phase one, plus these additional tasks each day: 10 minutes of active visualization, cold shower for 5 minutes, and three additional power tasks (to move your career or life forward). Phase two can be started 30-days after phase one so I took a month off and then entered this phase, which lasts for 30 days. My power tasks each day were: 2 lessons of Duolingo Spanish, a gratitude journal, and to consciously be present in play with my kids for 30 minutes. In this phase, the cold shower was the daily task that definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone the most. I did get used to it at about two weeks into this phase, as I learned to put music on and dance to make the time go faster. This is not something beyond 75 hard I would choose to continue on a daily basis though. The last phase of the program (phase three) is completed 30 days out from when phase one was started—so for me this was at the end of November. This phase consists of all the tasks from phase two (so phase one plus the additional added tasks noted above), plus: a daily random act of kindness, and a daily conversation with a stranger. The last phase was probably the hardest for me because I would rarely (if ever) go up to a stranger and make small talk. I also still was not thrilled about the cold shower task, but did it—dancing every day waiting for the five-minute alarm to indicate I was done. The reasoning behind the cold shower is not only to push one out of their comfort zone, but also because of the health benefits associated with a cold shower. Ben Greenfield in a number of his bio-hack podcasts discusses these benefits of cold therapy, some of which are: strengthen the immune system, improve circulation, increase metabolism, reduce swelling and inflammation, and to regulate the nervous system. So, I know this was the task that I disliked the most, but I knew the “why” behind it which made it more tolerable, I guess! There are a number of people that start each year by doing 75 hard to refocus their attention for the year. I did not choose to do that. I am glad that I did the program once to see what it was like, but like I said before I live a pretty disciplined life. This program, therefore, was not a huge stretch for me in terms of sticking to a schedule and making progress towards accomplishing goals or living a “better version” of me. I would, however, recommend this program to anyone that needs more discipline and to kick start or reset where they are in life. So, with that being said, there may be a time in my life where I try the program again—just not right now.
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AuthorKristina Scott Archives
February 2023
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