Tomorrow, I’m Starting 75-Hard

Tomorrow I’m starting a program called 75 Hard. It’s pretty intense. Basically, you have to do 6 things every single day. If you ever miss one thing, you have to start all over.

Personally, I want to lose weight, but I also like the discipline associated with an extreme challenge. And this one is quite extreme. Here’s the list of things I’ll have to do every day:

1. Eat a healthy diet 

This one is easy enough for me. If you read my post yesterday, you know I want to be the rich auntie who has a smoothie for breakfast. My plan is to do just that. Smoothie for breakfast, some sort of salad or veggie bowl for lunch, and then another smoothie at night. If I’m hungry at night, I’ll cook a healthy meal. But I usually only eat one big meal a day. 

I’m not going to overcomplicate this with a rigid diet. Instead, I’m taking this one quite literal – I’ll be eating a healthy diet by making healthy choices when I select what I eat. Simple.

2. Drink a gallon of water a day

Also, an unintimidating one for me. I drink a lot of water. Like, a lot a lot. Keeping track of my water intake will probably be the most challenging part of this requirement. I’m thinking of going to buy one of those gigantic water bottles, so I’ll know I need to drink two of them instead of seven of my current half liter bottles.

3. Read 10-pages of a book

Easy peasy. I have a book club. I love reading. The rules state this cannot be an audiobook, which I’m fine with. I don’t possess the mental focus to follow along without seeing the words. So, this one doesn’t scare me at all. It should be a book about self improvement or development. My first book is going to be The Year of Yes, which is January’s book of the month for the Bestie Book Club.

4. No Alcohol & No Cheat Meals

Not sweating this one either. I didn’t drink alcohol for a few months to end the year and it wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d anticipated. And, honestly, I’ve never been able to drink responsibly, so this is a good change for me. I drink to get lit, and I’m too old to be acting like I’m at Homecoming on a random weeknight. I like me sober. 

Also, I’m trying to get slim, trim, and rich. Alcohol and food are the bulk of my monthly budget. So, I’m with changing the diet and sticking to it. Plus, Jarrell is going to do it with me, which means I have no temptation. It sucks when you’re on a diet and your significant other is having fried chicken. Thankfully, that won’t be the case.

I will have a good time finishing the wine in our house, though.

5. Take a Progress Picture

I’m not going to like doing this one, but I suspect I will be grateful to see the progress as time passes. I’ll probably take the photo of my back, because that’s where I want to lose the weight. Why is that where my body wants to store fat, anyway? My back?! When my butt is just a few inches away? Anyways, I bought the app, so I can click on any date during the challenge to see my photo and how many of the six tasks I completed.

6. Exercise Daily – TWICE

Saved this one for last, because that’s how I read about the challenge. And I was nodding along until reaching this rule. You must complete TWO 45-minute workouts every day. And one of those workouts must be outdoors. Like, what? Huh? Why?

And that’s when I decided I needed this. I needed something that felt too hard. I needed something that would push me into a routine. I needed something to kick off my year with a goal, and a plan. 

And I have plans of flying home to the states this year, where I’d like to debut my new slim and trim, rich auntie physique. So, there’s vanity involved.

My plan for the exercise requirement is to get up early, and complete my first workout near the pool, which can even include swimming. Maybe a 30-minute workout and then 15-minutes or water aerobics? Or I can bring the exercise bike onto my balcony with all the plants for an outdoor workout. There’s plenty of room out there.

And then, for the second workout, I’m going to overlap the physical and mental health. Ready for this? Yoga! I’ll have a nightly session with a short meditation to end the day. I’ve always been pretty good at having a morning routine, but my nightly routine sucks. It’s just like, ‘get tired, go to bed’. And I want something more intentional. I want to wind down and ease myself into bed prepared for the next day.

So, I’ll spend my second 45-minute session doing yoga, which will end with a meditation that eases my mind, calming my anxious thoughts that tend to keep my mind racing. 

And that’s it!

I can do that for 75-days, right? It’ll be mid-March when I finish. My physical goal is to lose 20 pounds. My mental goal is to meditate regularly and have a solid morning and evening routine. I also want to read three books and save $10,000. I know that last one isn’t directly related to any of the rules. But, I need to save more money, so every goal I set is going to have an attached financial goal.

How I’m feeling

I’m hella excited. Almost giddy. And I do not like exercising. So, I know this is going to fade after day one. Probably within the first 10-minutes of my first workout, I’ll question all of this. Which is why I’m telling you. Pride will push me through. Knowing you know will fuel me to keep going. 

I start tomorrow and have already mapped out my plan. I’ll complete half the tasks early. My morning routine will take three hours (yikes). So, I have to get up early. Then, in the evening I’ll do my reading and second workout. Because I’m me, I wrote a schedule I plan to follow loosely. Check it out below. 

The countdown is on. The challenge begins tomorrow. Wish me luck! 

If you’re interested in all the rules about the program, you can see it here.

XOXO