75 Hard as a Christian & Little Ways to Make Big Improvements

Thinking of doing 75 hard or 75 soft? Me too. As a freshly postpartum mama, I feel like my body has been totally through the wringer in the past year. It’s not that I feel bad about the way that I look– I can accept that I will not look like I did pre-baby, and I don’t want to! However, as I write this at 7 month post cesarean section my body does not feel healthy. I know I need a change.

This post is all about 75 Hard and 75 Hard Christian.

My biggest obstacle in trying to live a healthier lifestyle has been, well, myself. I struggle to eat healthy meals and move my body. Partly due to the fact that becoming a mother is an absolute whirlwind and I’m just starting to get grounded. But, it mostly comes down to one thing: priorities and comfort. 

See, I’m comfortable eating a pie in place of lunch. I’m comfortable not embarrassing myself by attempting to run in my neighborhood. If I really cared all that much about my health as much as I cared about scrolling through instagram, I would be in much better shape right now. However, I’ve chosen to stay comfortable. Until now.

One really important thing about the 75 Hard program is missed out by so many. That is, Andy Frisella refers to 75 hard as a “transformative mental toughness program.” 75 Hard in its creation is not supposed to be just about the exercise. It is becoming disciplined– with the benefit of a healthier lifestyle. So, this viral 75 Hard program comes with some pretty serious promises. The real question is, will I do it? And will it be worth it?

The Basics of 75 Hard

What are the 75 Hard rules? To finish 75 Hard, everyday you must:

1. Work out twice for 45 min each, one workout must be outside.
2. Read 10 pages of a book.
3. Drink one gallon of water. 
4. Follow a diet, no cheat meals or alcohol.
5. Take a progress photo.

Sounds like simple instructions right? Sure, it may be difficult… but it’s doable… isn’t it?

Really, the most challenging part of doing 75 Hard is the fact that you MUST follow everything for 75 days without stopping. You don’t take a picture before the end of the day? Back to day 1. After all, this isn’t geared to just be a workout challenge.

Personally, I’ve had a hard time sticking to healthy habits. I think average people do. I am also a perfectionist that gives up at the very first sign of struggle. Am I about to fail? Well, then I will just give up! With that in mind, I am leery of doing such an extreme program like 75 hard. Do we really need such grand gestures to promote discipline within ourselves? I don’t think so. I don’t even think that Andy Frisella would say so. Sure, 75 Hard is a program that can definitely make you a more disciplined person, there’s no doubt about that.

So will I be participating?

Meh, probably not. I will be doing something different, though.

 Some people have made up challenges of their own echoing 75 Hard. Some content creators have coined the terms “75 Soft” or even “75 Medium” (maybe I should make up 75 poached or over easy… hmmm).

Frisella even mentioned in a podcast that people will likely come up with their own rules to it. People will try to scale it down to something more tolerable for the average person. However, I would argue that this is missing the point. If you scale 75 Hard down enough, you are left with just another long workout challenge. If we are really following his idea, then it would be more geared toward mental-toughness. Instead, most who have coined their own version focus on being mostly healthy for 75 days. If you really wanted to make a 75 Hard program of your own, you may want to consider things that are more applicable to discipline in your life.

I believe that making lifestyle changes does involve a lot of discipline. Self-control is one of the Fruits of the Spirit, and therefore is a worthy pursuit. It is dying to ourselves in the little actions every day. If you want to do 75 Hard to give yourself that discipline reality check- GO FOR IT! But of course, you don’t need to do THAT program to become disciplined.

The Problem of Diet Culture

Programs like 75 Hard are short term. Sure, some things carry over as learning experiences in the after period. However, programs with an end date aren’t geared toward long term habits. Usually they are aimed at a fixed result, not the practices that will continue after the result is achieved.

This might be an even more difficult suggestion in lieu of 75 Hard. However, I think it is worth your consideration. Poco a poco: Little by little. Inspired by St. Therese of Lisieux’s Little Way, which involves doing small, ordinary tasks with diligence and love.

Here’s the thing: we can’t try and do a program and suddenly become the epitome of virtue when it comes to discipline. It is the choices we make through our entire lives that grow us in self-control. People are so eager for a quick fix or a prescription for positive attributes (or rock solid abs). Truthfully, you probably know exactly what you should be doing to change your life. You’d just rather not do it.

My Challenge: The Little Way

I realize that it is easier said than done to grow in temperance little by little each day. It is easy to procrastinate the important things if you have no rules to live by. So, I am doing exactly that– implementing a rule.

I mentioned a while ago about reading Holly Pierlot’s book A Mother’s Rule of Life. The concept of having your own rule as a mother, similar to the rule of religious life, is quite appealing. I plan on experimenting with this concept and coming up with my own rule. For now, I am implementing a few things to start making progress. I will see where these fit best in my day throughout the next 40 days and start my rule from there.

• No social media before 10am
• Scripture reading at breakfast. Prayer after lunch.
• Active movement at least once a day. This can be a workout or long walk. I hope to have some sort of plan with specifics to start with, but still looking into it.
• At least 30 minutes of outside time a day, preferably an hour.
• One fruit or vegetable for each meal. Must have 3 meals a day.
• Baseline house cleaning. One load of laundry, dishes in dishwasher by EOD, clean counters, toys picked up.

These are all habits that I find difficult but well worth my time. I will be challenging myself by doing these things from now until Christmas, which is 40 days from when this post was drafted. I will update on my experience afterward and my Rule of Life I’ve established as a result.

 

So, are you up for a challenge? Will you be a new person 75 days from now? In that case, I wish you all the best. I truly do enjoy writing about wellness and self-improvement, so if this interests you, please join the email list to read more. Send me a comment as well if you plan to make some habit changes now or in January.

 

In Christ,

 

Caroline