75 Hard Challenge 2024

By definition, the 75 Hard Challenge is a 75-day program that involves six daily commitments to improve fitness, health, and mental strength. Here are the six commitments.

1: Workouts: Two 45-minute workouts per day, with at least one outside.

2. Diet: You must follow a structured eating plan. NO ALCOHOL or meals outside of your diet.

3. Reading: Read 10 pages of a non fiction self-help or educational book.

4. Hydration: Drink a gallon of water.

5. Progress Picture: Take a daily picture to track your progress.

6. No Changes: Don’t make any changes to the program.

If you miss one of these daily goals, your progress is reset back to day one! Let me tell you…once you gain your stride and you hit anything past day 7, you will not want to mess up and start over.

What I love most about this challenge, is that you get to create your 75 Hard within the rules. If this challenge was specifically for runners only…I would have moved on and found something else to do. The key to my success with 75 Hard was ROUTINE!

Morning- 4:00 AM wake up call. I began each day with a morning walk with my dog Crosby! We started around 5:15 and we would walk for a mile. Once home, I would gear up and go for my morning bike ride. This would be around my neighborhood for 5 miles. With everything timed, my outside workouts ranged from 45 minutes to an hour.

After my ride was over, I would head straight to my basement and do my 45 minute workouts down there. This consisted of a BODI video with a time of 30-40 minutes, and me finishing off whatever time was left on the treadmill. My morning routine was the most crucial part of my day. The only time my husband could watch and take care of Oliver for me was early in the morning so I could get all my workouts done before he had to clock in for work at 8 AM. If I don’t start my day with a workout it just doesn’t get done.

Afternoon- Once I got Oliver down for his mid-morning nap, I could get my 10 pages read uninterrupted. This was also my time to run to the grocery store, come home prep and cook my meals for the week. (God willing he was still napping). Not every day was perfect! I found myself reading right up to bed time more often than I liked, but it had to be done. All the while…I was drinking off of that Gallon jug of water.

Evening- My water intake was definitely the hardest part of the challenge. I learned quickly that I needed to consume the full gallon before 5PM every day in order to sleep through the night without having to go to the bathroom every couple of hours. Again, not every day was perfect. I found myself drinking my last full glass of water around 7! It happens, especially if you are out and about and not in your “normal” routine.

Diet: I chose to keep it as simple as possible so I had a better chance of staying on track. There is no alcohol consumption during 75 Hard…perfect, I wasn’t drinking anyways. Absolutely no sugar or desserts, no fried foods, and everything had to be portion controlled. My meals were loaded with veggies, proteins, small portions of fruit, and healthy fats like avocado and peanut butter. I’m human…some days were easy, and other days were challenging, but I got through it. Here is a sample of my daily breakfast. 3 Eggs scrambled with Spinach and broccoli. 3-4 slices of Turkey Bacon, and Honey Crisp Apple Slices.

Water: I kept track of my water with a Gallon jug that sat on my kitchen counter all day every day. When you see it all day, you’re reminded to drink more because you can see you have more to consume. I would fill my water bottle with it, as well as a pint glass. The pint glass was my HAIL MARY! In a pinch to finish that gallon, I would pound a pint every 30 minutes until my gallon was complete. Once done…I would refill the jug and set it aside so it was ready to go for the next day.

Books: Okay, 10 pages a day means you could finish a 210 page book in 21 days. I would suggest you pick your books ahead of time before you start your 75 day journey. Grab at least four! I had two books surrounding around fitness, diet, and mindset. The other two books tackled emotional trauma, as well as the power of positivity. I found a great balance when I read a fitness book in between emotional books. Trust me…75 Hard brings up a lot of mental stuff that you clear out. It’s amazing and also exhausting. My favorite book was Cameron Diaz’s book The Body Book. I highlighted some of my favorite quotes and paragraphs to reference.

Daily Progress Picture: I used my daily picture as an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Meaning I put my picture next to my tracker to mark off what I accomplished that day. This helped me keep track of which day I was on, the date, as well as what I needed to check off my list. I apologize, this picture keeps getting cropped off. It reads as follows: DAY 23 Outdoor, Indoor, Gallon, 10 Pages, Picture! The date is in the top right hand corner.

And here is my end result. The proof is in the pictures! According to my personal log entries, this is a 11-13lb weight loss in my 75 Hard Journey. Day one on the left and Day 75 on the right! I’m beyond proud of myself for completing this challenge! I gained so much of myself in those 75 Days!

This is a challenge designed specifically for you. No one can help you through this but yourself. Never could I tag my husband in to help me on the days I was sleep deprived from my baby keeping me up at night. I stayed strong and committed to my diet when we were at my parents house or out for dinner. I woke up every day with a prepared readiness to start my day with pretty much two hours of working out in the early mornings. Through rain or shine…I got through every single day and conquered! At the end of this, there is no trophy, no certificate to hang, no medal to pin on your jacket, it’s just YOU! A completely disciplined version of yourself. What you take from this experience is what you will carry with you. And that is the reward at the end of this journey.