75 Hard: Update 1 (21 Days Completed; 54 Days To Go!)

I am so excited to report that I have successfully completed 21 days of the 75 Hard Challenge! As I write this I am sipping on my water on Day 22. I wanted to share an update sooner but I also thought it was important to take enough time so that I had some fair thoughts and opinions as to the initial experience and experience so far. So let's dive right in.

Initial Thoughts

I was really excited to take on this program to see if it really delivers that "mental toughness" and transformation it claims to. I think I'll only be able to comment on that once I have actually completed the challenge but for me right now I think completing the various tasks does prove motivational and make me feel like I will do what I say I'm going to do.

I was initially not thrilled about buying the 75 Hard app for my phone (it's $6 or $7) but I am really glad I ultimately went for it. It makes tracking the tasks a lot simpler and gives the whole experience a more formal feel. 

To give you an idea here is my completed Day 1 versus the completed Day 21 (yesterday). As the days turn red it feels more and more motivational to keep going. I wouldn't want to lose all of that progress! Then in each day (so for me I am on Day 22 today) you can see the task list, where you can set reminders, and you can even take your progress pic right from the app itself which is convenient for those last minute pics! There is also a Notes section that pops up and I used to use that to track my water intake before I got a fancy water bottle that tracks it for me. Now I don't put any notes in the app.

Do you need the 75 Hard app to do the challenge? Absolutely not. But I do really like having it.

Task by Task Recap

1. Drink a gallon of water per day.  - This has been my favorite part of the challenge so far. I have a fancy water bottle that tracks how much you drink and you can check your progress in an app. Is it absolutely necessary to have an app-connected water bottle? Of course not. But it does make it easier for me to keep track so I really like it. There have been a few nights (one was two nights ago) where I got really behind on my water and ended up chugging water between 8 PM and 10 PM but other than those it has been somewhat easy to accomplish this. 

The key seems to be start early and keep your water bottle within reach throughout the day. Small frequent sips add up to a lot of water consumption. One last thing is you do use the bathroom MUCH more often so that has been somewhat annoying to get used to. But it's less frequent than it was during the first 7-10 days so that's good. 

2.    Follow a diet of your choosing. No alcohol. No cheat meals. - I thought this was going to be a lot harder than it was. Incorporating one salad per day has given me the opportunity to try a lot of the bagged salad options at the grocery stores. Maybe I'll do a random review post of the tastiest bagged salads or at least listing all the options I try during the challenge. My personal favorite is either the everything bagel salad or the classic caesar. 

I'm not a big drinker so that has been a non-issue to have zero alcohol. I know some people who are much more social than I am have shared that they struggle with this, especially during the summer when there are parties, barbecues, and holidays to celebrate. No summer shandies for me!

3.    Complete two 45-minute workouts. One must be outside. - This I knew was going to be the most difficult item of all based on the sheer time commitment alone. I have stuck to a morning walk as my first workout every single day and that has been a really nice almost relaxing time to enjoy outside. So far it hasn't rained on me but that's about to end because the forecast for the next week calls for consistent rain. If I can't work it in during any brief dry spells well....I'm going to be getting wet. 

For the second workout I have done either a second walk, a run, a tread bootcamp, or some yoga. I really like doing a 30 minute run and then 15 minute strength. On more than a few occasions so far I have woken up feeling sore in my abs, arms, and legs. I was particularly impressed with the fact that I managed to incorporate both workouts (3-4 hours apart as required) even when I had to go up to New York City for an event with my firm. 

My dog has joined me on some of the walks which has been a lot of fun.

4.    Read 10 pages of a non-fiction book. - I have been really enjoying this task. I started with just reading the bare minimum 10 pages each time but then I started to read as much as I want. Some days I'll read a whole chapter. I finished The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson and I am now reading Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins. Of the two, I am really enjoying Can't Hurt Me. 

I try to be eco-conscious where possible so I just buy from my online thrift bookstores for cheap rather than buying new. This is my stockpile of books that I stockpiled for this challenge. 

5.     Daily progress pic. - This has actually been among the more difficult tasks believe it or not. It almost seems like it's too easy that I don't take it seriously and then I find myself scrambling at the end of the day to snap a quick photo. It's nothing intense -- it's literally just a photo of me standing there facing forward -- but for some reason it's the one I almost forget. I need to get in the habit of just waking up and taking the progress picture immediately. Then it's done and out of the way.

These were my progress photos from Day 1:

Ugh you can see dimples in my legs, my muffin top, back rolls, complete lack of arm definition. I almost didn't even include these but I wanted to give a true starting point for the challenge. I can't believe that a year ago those shorts fit me comfortably. Weight can really sneak up on a person, can't it?

Shortly before starting 75 Hard I had a realization that I had put on weight. A lot of weight. It seemed like all of the sudden my clothes weren't fitting me well, my skin felt flabbier, and I had a moment where I looked at my body and thought when was the last time you stepped on a scale to check in? It was getting uncomfortable to cross my legs because of my thighs. I know 75 Hard is not a weight loss program but I am hoping to make some significant progress in that avenue. My starting weight was 160.6. My highest weight ever in my life was 166. So that's no bueno.

Here are some other progress photos from Day 2 through Day 21. I was posing with my tablet reflecting the day for a while but then I stopped because I just wanted a clear photograph of my body. One change I will make going forward though is to choose one "Progress Pic Outfit" to use for all of my remaining progress photos. It will be easier to see body changes when the clothes are always the same and I think I'll try to use the same photo spot too. 

And my Day 21 progress pics:

I cannot wait to see my continued progress! 

Plan for the remaining 54 days:

- Continue to achieve day by day success in the app and watch all of those days turn red!

- Incorporate more strength into my second workout.

- Use the same outfit and location for progress photos so it's easier to see developments.

That's all for now! I'll check in again soon but you can see daily updates on my Instagram.