75 Hard Week 1: Lessons Learned

I’m back, baby!

It’s been a hot second since I’ve posted on this blog, and that’s honestly because I haven’t been paying as much attention to my health in recent times. With it being my senior year of college, I was a lot more focused on making it through finals and getting my degree, but that’s all changed now.

As you can see from the title, I recently decided to participate in a challenge called 75 Hard. For this challenge, I need to:

1. Take a progress picture every day
2. Read 10 pages of a non-fiction, entrepreneurial book each day
3. Stick to a diet (No cheat meals, no alcohol)
4. Drink a gallon of water each day
5. Complete two 45-minute workouts a day (one of which has to be outside)

I’m only one week in, and I’ve been surviving so far. However, even though this looks like a fitness challenge, it’s really a test of your mental toughness, and I’ve already learned so much about myself and what I’m capable of. I wanted to share some of these lessons with you in case you need the motivation to start or stick to your own health journey.

Lesson 1: Treat Yourself…Within Reason

Before this challenge, I would “treat myself” after a hard day by eating a pint of ice cream or drinking a glass of wine in the tub. However, with these new dietary restrictions, that’s no longer a possibility for me, and I’ve discovered a whole new reward system because of that.

Now, if I complete everything I need to do for the day, I reward myself with a hot bath or a face mask. Even with food I’ve gotten better, treating myself to breakfast for dinner or an extra snack rather than going overboard and eating an entire pizza because I deserved it. I came to realize that eating foods that were bad for me felt really good in the moment, but rewarding myself with these healthier alternatives made me feel better in the long-term. Not only would I feel comforted because I was taking care of myself, but I would also avoid the food coma or the bad body talk that comes with eating way too much.

Lesson 2: Progress is Progress, No Matter How Small

A lot of people I follow on my 75 Hard Instagram page are fitness gurus. They’re runners, personal trainers, or they’ve been doing challenges like these for years. Because of that, I felt equally inspired and anxious about what they were posting. I would want to do exactly what they were doing and then be embarrassed or stressed out when I couldn’t.

Personally, I can’t even run a mile without feeling like my legs are gonna fall off. Running isn’t my strong suit, but for some of my outdoor workouts, I’ve done it anyway. I’ve pushed myself to do something that is entirely out of my comfort zone, and I’ve learned to celebrate that rather than worrying about what my times are or how difficult my run may be.

Now, the focus of my workouts is working up a sweat. As long as I’m breathing heavy by the end of a session and at least one of my body parts can no longer move properly, I’ve done something right. I don’t care if I walked 3 miles, did a full HIIT workout, or hiked a trail. Anything that gets me moving and meets the goals I and this challenge have set, I’m satisfied.

Lesson 3: That 5-Minute Rule Really Works

I tried to find who originally created the Five-Minute Rule, and it looks like it was Rory J. Aplanalp, so props to you if you end up reading this. I originally heard it from Lindsay DeFranco, who uses it to help her stay motivated on days when her depression tries to get the best of her.

Basically, the Five-Minute Rule states that if you don’t want to do something, try doing it for five minutes. If you absolutely hate it, you can stop. For me, this is just enough time to get out of my head, and by the time my five minutes are up, I’m completely immersed in the task at hand and ready to finish it.

Today especially, I did not want to complete my second workout, as I was still sore from my first and not feeling 100%. I decided to put on a workout video, try it for five minutes, and stop if I felt that I couldn’t complete it. Long story short, I ended up completing the longest workout I’d ever done after starting in such an unmotivated, tired place.

We Bought a Zoo said that it takes 20 seconds of extreme courage to do something amazing, but sometimes I think it really takes five minutes.

Conclusion

I’ve learned so much from this challenge already! I couldn’t even fit all the epiphanies I’ve had about myself and my abilities throughout this challenge, and learning how strong and capable I truly am has been so amazing. I haven’t been keeping track of my weight or measuring my physical progress because this is a mental test more than a physical one, but I’ve already seen so many changes in how I feel and how I’m spending my time. Week one has been so transformative, and I can’t wait to see what the next weeks will bring!