75Day Hard Challenge and Why I am doing it again!

This 75 Day Hard Challenge was HARD. But it was also AMAZING! I am going to discuss my preparation, my challenges, my results, and why I want to do it again. Do you want to join me on my next 75 Day Hard Challenge?

Who Am I?

I want to start off by saying, I am a wife and mother of 2 girls under the age of 5. (At the time of this challenge, they were 1 and 3). I was also working full-time (remotely- at home) until they laid me off at the end of June. I was able to plan all and complete this challenge with the juggling of getting the girls breakfast and lunches prepared, the girls dressed and taken to daycare, picking them up from daycare, still prepared, and having family dinner together.

Why Did I start?

As it probably was for most people. 2020 was a bombshell of a year. There were a lot of eye-opening things that happened, and I let myself get into a rut. I had been yo-yo dieting with the Keto/Low carb diet for 2 years. In April 2021, I knew I was going to be let go from my job of 9 years in June, I needed something to keep me busy and focused, and I knew I could and wanted to be healthy from the inside out. It was then, in April 2021, I saw someone post that they were going to start a 75-day hard challenge. I had never heard of it before, so I was intrigued. I did some research on it, and it sure did sound HARD. I immediately started thinking about the ways I could do it with manipulating the rules… then, it just HIT me. I thought to myself “NO! If you are going to do a challenge, do it exactly the way it says.” And I did! I started May 3^rd, 2021, and ended on July 16th, 2021. Those 75 days changed my life! It wasn’t just a diet challenge. It really was a MIND challenge. I have developed habits now that keep me happy and healthy. I am planning on doing it again in 2022, for many reasons that you will see as you keep reading.

Rules of the Challenge:

1. Drink 1 Gallon of Water a day
2. 2- 45 min exercises (1 of them MUST be outside and needs to be at least 2 hours between the 2 workouts).
3. Stick to a specific diet (you can pick what you prefer) *NO Cheating
4. No Alcohol
5. Read 10 pages from a non-fiction /self-help book a day
6. Take a daily progress picture

Crazy list, huh? I know it looks and sounds impossible. But keep in mind that this is a mental toughness challenge. You must WANT to challenge yourself. You must WANT to be held self-accountable. One of the best things about this challenge, you get to pick what you want diet you want to follow, what exercises you want to do, and what books you want to read.

How I prepared for my 75 Day Challenge

I made a calendar – A countdown!

I made a menu- I did this weekly and put it on my calendar. I had each dinner fit into my Ketogenic Diet of 20 or less net carbs for the day.

I planned to fast for 24 hours EVERY Monday, but I would still cook and have dinner ready for my family.

I planned to fast most mornings and have my lunch/snack around 1-2 pm. (staying around 5 net carbs)

I used a ½ gallon pitcher filled with water every day- knowing I would have to drink through it twice.

I planned to walk in my neighborhood twice (morning and noonish times) for my 2 workouts. I had already planned to WALK outside for my first exercise. NO MATTER WHAT. I wanted to make sure my first exercise was complete outside. For the second exercise, I planned to do HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) workout inside (which I did a few times and hated every minute of them!). I much preferred the relaxation of the outside walks (even in the rain, over HIIT).

I planned to use the 75 days to get closer to God and become a better ME through Him. The non-fiction books I selected were Christian books that I wanted to help me to be a better wife, better mom, and better child of Christ. I purchased several books online and borrowed several from my mom.

Books!

All of these were excellent, and I highly recommend each one.

My Weekday Routine

• Prepare ½ gallon of pitcher with water for next day (knew I had to refill by noonish each day)
• Set out my workout clothes every night
• Woke up every morning at 5 am
• Put on workout clothes
• TOOK PICTURE (Front, Side, and Back)
• Read – Daily Bible Reading
• Go for a 45 walk Outside (after taking girls to daycare)
• At desk for work by 8am.
• Fasted through breakfast most mornings. LOTS OF WATER
• 45 minute walk @ Lunch break.
• Refilled ½ gallon picture with final half of water
• By 5 pm- my water was usually gone, or almost gone
• Read at least 10 pages of my non-fiction book.

Hiccups in the Weekday Plans

There were a few days where the girls were home from daycare for whatever reason and I had them all day. My biggest challenge when the girls were home on a weekday was to get my workouts done.

On these days, I would make sure my husband was awake so he could watch them while I Got my first outside workout done. The second workout, weather permitting, I would take the wagon with both girls in tow on my normal walk outside. This was HARD! But I knew it had to be done! If it was bad weather, I would wait until the littlest one was down for her nap so I could do the dreaded HIIT workout.

Weekend Routine:

The Weekends were the hardest to get everything in (especially water) because with 2 toddlers at home, it is especially hard to stick to a strict schedule.

• Prepare ½ gallon of pitcher with water for next day (knew I had to refill by noonish next day)
• Set out my workout clothes every night
• Woke up every morning at 5 am
• Put on workout clothes
• TOOK PICTURE – (Front, Side, and Back)
• Read – Daily Bible Reading
• Go for a 45 walk Outside (once husband was up to take care of girls)
• Start Breakfast for family
• LOTS OF WATER
• 45 minute walk @ between 10-12.
• Prepare lunch for family
• Refilled ½ gallon picture with final half of water
• 5pm prepare dinner
• By 6-7pm- my water was usually gone, or almost gone
• Read at least 10 pages of my non-fiction book.

This routine seems mundane, but it really worked! The routine is what made it easy. The weekends were the hardest because it is hard to have a strict routine. Especially when you want to go out to dinner or go out of town.

Hiccups in the Weekend plans

I would think about the hardest things to do each weekend, which is the 2 workouts (1 being outside) and the full 1 gallon of water. Meals when not at home- This was always fairly easy for me because I would usually fast in the morning and in the afternoon. Or if there was an option that was easy and in my keto diet plan, I would do that.

Training Seminar

& how I still got everything done.

There was a weekend where I attended an all-day women’s seminar with my mother and sister-in-law’s which was about 1.5 hours away from home, but closer to my sister-in-law’s houses. It was on Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm.

Water Plan

I purchased a half-gallon insulated jug from Academy so that I could keep my water cold and keep track of the volume of water I was drinking. I was going to drink as much of my first ½ gallon as possible before the seminar. So that I could focus on ½ gallon during the seminar.

Exercise Plan (remember 1 exercise MUST be outside)

I knew I was going to have to wake up at 5 am to go for my walk outside (just in case I couldn’t walk outside for my second exercise). For my second exercise, I had 2 plans because I wasn’t sure about the weather. 

Plan A. I had picked out a park that was not too far from one of my sister-in-law’s house so that I could walk the park walking trail; however, it was supposed to rain that day.

Plan B. I had planned to use my sister-in-law’s treadmill.

I woke up at 5 am- went for my walk (exercise #1). I drank almost half my gallon of water by 10 am. The other half gallon that I needed to drink was in my prepared water jug. At lunchtime, I focused on my water, and had planned to fast through lunch; however, they had some link sausage that I was able to eat for my lunch instead of the box lunch of high carb sandwiches, chips, fruit, and cookie. After the conference, which let out a bit later than expected and it was pouring rain, I was able to get my workout done using my Plan B.

Training Conference

& how I still got everything done.

There was another weekend that we went to Dallas for the weekend to see my mother-in-law and for me to attend a training conference, which was another all-day training at a church about 1 hour from my mother-in-law.

Water Plan

For that weekend, I had purchased 2 1-gallon jugs of water from the grocery. Each jug was for Saturday and Sunday. I knew there were going to be some breaks during the conference, so I took my 32 oz water cup and went to the car to refill on the breaks.

Exercise Plan (remember 1 exercise MUST be outside)

The week before our trip, I called the facility that was hosting the training and explained that I wanted to utilize the lunch hour for exercise and requested if there was a place to walk. She confirmed that there was a walking trail on their campus and that I could walk the halls if there was inclement weather. These were great options for getting my second workout done.  On Sunday, I planned to walk my mother-in-law’s neighborhood for my Saturday morning and both exercises on Sunday before we left to go home.

The day of the seminar- I woke up at 5 am- went for my walk, went to the seminar (about an hour away). During the breaks, I went to refill my water cup from the jug in the car. On the 1-hour lunch break, I went for a walk on their walking trail around the church/campus then refilled my water cup at the car before returning back to training. I did have a pack of snack mix that I ate when I got back into the conference. I do like having something in my purse when my body starts to tell me that I need to eat.

Here is a compilation of my physical transformation

What things have changed in me?

• I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength! Philippians 4:13
• I am now closer to God than I have ever been.
• I was filled with the Holy Spirit!
• I was able to Plan, Do and Succeed!
• I learned that I do not need to eat the exact same thing when everyone else is eating.
• I can bring my own meals, snacks, and water to someone’s house or to an event.
• I learned that I do not need to have a meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day.
• I was able to listen and understand my body when it needed something.
• I developed amazing routines that I have kept to this day. (Almost a year later).
• I still walk almost EVERY morning.
• I still read non-fiction books before bed

Thank you, Jesus! I give Him All the Glory; I could not have done it without Him.

Why do I want to do this again?

Since the challenge, I have been able to keep most of the weight off; however, with the holidays, I did splurge a bit on the sweets and the carby foods. I want to get back to a good routine of healthy dinners every night. I have always been goal-oriented and doing this challenge once a year is exactly what I think I need to draw myself back in and have a commitment to myself to become a better and healthier me each year.

I felt so empowered and confident by the first challenge, I want to feel it again! The results were amazing! It changed my mind, body, and soul.

They say practice makes perfect, right?

Next 75 Day Challenge – Want to Join Me?

Would you want to join me on my NEXT 75 Day Challenge? Leave me a comment and subscribe to my blog. I plan on starting on Jan 31, 2022, and ending on April 15^th, 2022. If you decide to join me, you will be feeling confident and motivated for the summer!

I will post weekly about my meal plans, books, planning hiccups that I had to overcome, results, and motivational words that may help you stay motivated in whatever challenges you may have.

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