Do you often tell yourself on your journey to fitness or weight loss: never give up, keep going, and you can accomplish anything? When faced with difficult challenges, we will try to encourage ourselves, stick to these ideas, and complete the challenge. So what is our goal? Strive to improve, break through our comfort zone, and be confident in our strengths.
When we talk about fitness or physical health, we also try some new exercise habits or diet plans or even try some small challenges, which can help us. But we also need to know in advance whether we risk overexertion in the process of challenges. How do we know if we are doing well? Should we know when to rest instead of rushing for success?
In this world dominated by health and exercise, it is not surprising that fitness challenges are being carried out on social media. This year, I accepted one of the most popular challenges: 75 Hard Challenges.
This challenge subverts the above problems. It encourages people to participate in a strict life plan for 75 days. During the 75 days, participants must complete some important daily tasks, including exercising every day, adhering to a strict diet plan, and strengthening the challenger's mental willfulness. All of these cannot be rested, replaced, or interrupted. If a task is not completed during the challenge period, the challenger will have to start the 75-day challenge plan again.
So is this strict challenge plan harmful to health? Will it cause more harm to people in the long run? Experts have shown that 75 difficult challenges are still beneficial for most people, regardless of their physical, mental, and health conditions. This challenge plan can be used well in some ways.
Before this, I had never accepted any fitness challenges, but the results of the 75 difficult challenges posted on social media inspired me to take action and accept the challenge.
Complete one indoor exercise every day, time 45 minutes
Complete one outdoor exercise every day, time 45 minutes
Stick to a healthy and nutritious diet
Drink about 4.5 liters of water every day
No alcohol
No dietary cheats
Take progress photos every day
Read 10 pages of non-fiction books
I learned a lot from this challenge, but my biggest takeaway is that to achieve effective change, you must have consistency and discipline. Next, Relife Sports will tell you more about the 75 difficult challenges.
What is the 75 Hard Challenge?
The 75 Hard Challenge is a mental toughness program by entrepreneur Andy Frisella. It is designed to build mental resilience, discipline, and personal growth through daily tasks over 75 consecutive days. The challenge is not just a fitness program but also focuses on improving various aspects of personal development, including mental strength, consistency, and habits.
What are The Rules?
The 75 Hard Challenge has five rules you must follow every day for 75 consecutive days. If you fail to complete any of the tasks on any day, you must start over from Day 1.
1. Follow a Diet
What it means: Choose any diet plan that works for you (e.g., keto, vegetarian, calorie tracking, etc.), but you must stick to it strictly.
Purpose: This rule is designed to help you develop consistency and discipline in your eating habits.
2. Two 45-Minute Workouts Per Day
What it means: You must complete two separate 45-minute workouts each day.
One of the workouts must be outdoors, regardless of weather conditions.
The two workouts can include activities like weightlifting, running, yoga, or walking.
Purpose: This rule encourages physical discipline and promotes the habit of regular exercise, regardless of external circumstances.
3. Drink One Gallon of Water
What it means: Drink one gallon (3.78 liters) of water every day.
Purpose: Staying hydrated is a key element for physical health, and this rule encourages you to develop the discipline of consuming a large, consistent amount of water daily.
4. Read 10 Pages of a Non-Fiction Book
What it means: You must read at least 10 pages of a non-fiction book each day. The book should be educational or related to personal development (no fiction books or audiobooks).
Purpose: This rule encourages self-growth and continuous learning, helping you improve your mental capacity and focus.
5. Take a Daily Progress Photo
What it means: Take a photo of yourself every day, showing your physical progress over the course of the 75 days.
Purpose: This rule helps track physical changes and keeps you accountable to the challenge, while also motivating you to stay consistent.
Summary of the Rules:
Follow a diet (no cheat meals or alcohol).
Two workouts per day (one must be outdoors).
Drink one gallon of water.
Read 10 pages of a non-fiction book.
Take a daily progress photo.
Key Points:
No exceptions: If you miss even a single task on any day, you must restart the challenge from Day 1.
The challenge is designed to build mental toughness, resilience, and discipline, with a focus on consistency in every aspect of life.
Does 75 Hard Work and Is It Healthy?
While 75 Hard can be beneficial in some ways, it's not necessarily suitable for everyone. Its health depends on factors like your current fitness level, mental state, and how you approach the rules. Here are some potential health benefits and concerns:
Health Benefits
Physical Fitness: The challenge encourages a lot of physical activity, which can improve overall cardiovascular health, muscle tone, and fat loss when paired with the right diet.
Hydration: Drinking a gallon of water daily is generally healthy, especially if you are physically active. It helps with hydration, digestion, energy, and muscle recovery.
Mental Health: While physically demanding, the challenge also focuses on mental toughness, which can lead to improved self-confidence and resilience. Completing the challenge can foster a sense of achievement and mental clarity.
Health Concerns
Overtraining Risk:
Two 45-minute workouts per day can be excessive, especially for beginners or those who are not used to frequent, intense exercise. Overtraining can lead to injuries, muscle fatigue, and burnout.
The intensity of the workouts may not allow for adequate recovery, which is crucial for avoiding overuse injuries and ensuring long-term health benefits.
Dietary Restrictions:
Strict diets may lead to nutrient deficiencies if they aren't well-balanced. For instance, if you cut out essential food groups or don't focus on proper nutrition, you may experience fatigue, dizziness, or other health issues.
It's important to choose a sustainable and balanced diet that aligns with your goals (e.g., muscle gain, fat loss) rather than an extreme diet that could be hard to maintain.
Hydration:
Drinking a gallon of water is generally healthy, but for some people (especially those who are less active), it might be too much. Overhydration (also known as water intoxication) can lead to a dangerous condition called hyponatremia, where sodium levels in the blood drop too low.
Mental Stress:
The challenge can create a lot of mental stress due to its intensity and strictness. Missing a day or not completing tasks can make people feel like they've failed, which can be mentally taxing. It's important to approach it with the right mindset and not let it become overwhelming.
Sustainability:
75 Hard is a 75-day challenge, but it’s not meant to be a lifestyle that lasts indefinitely. The intensity might be unsustainable long-term, so it's important to have a plan for what happens after the challenge is over.
5 Things The 75 Hard Challenge Taught Me
The 75 Hard Challenge is a demanding program that can teach valuable life lessons, not just about fitness but also about discipline, mental toughness, and personal growth. Here are 5 key things the challenge might teach you:
1. Discipline is the Key to Success
75 Hard is about building discipline in every aspect of your life. Completing the challenge requires strict adherence to daily tasks, including workouts, reading, hydration, and diet. The program teaches you that discipline is not just about willpower; it’s about committing to something and consistently doing it, no matter how difficult or inconvenient it may seem.
Lesson learned: Success, whether in fitness, work, or life, is driven by the small, consistent actions you take every day.
2. The Importance of Consistency
The most significant lesson of the challenge is that consistency beats perfection. Completing 75 consecutive days of daily tasks, even if some days aren't perfect, teaches you that progress happens through steady, consistent effort rather than waiting for ideal conditions or perfect execution.
Lesson learned: Progress is made through consistent action, not by waiting for the perfect moment or trying to be perfect every time.
3. Mental Toughness and Resilience
The challenge isn’t just about physical endurance; it's about building mental toughness. There will be days when you feel exhausted, unmotivated, or tempted to quit. But pushing through those moments builds resilience and teaches you that the ability to keep going, despite adversity, is what separates success from failure.
Lesson learned: Mental toughness isn’t about being tough all the time; it's about learning to keep going even when things get hard or uncomfortable.
4. Self-Awareness and Accountability
The daily tasks of 75 Hard (e.g., taking progress photos, tracking hydration, and reading) create a constant level of accountability that forces you to face your habits and weaknesses. If you miss a day or don't stick to the plan, there's no one else to blame. It’s a powerful way to develop self-awareness and take full responsibility for your actions.
Lesson learned: You’re the only one who can hold yourself accountable, and acknowledging your actions—both good and bad—is crucial for personal growth.
5. Self-care is a Priority, Not a Luxury
The challenge requires you to make time for things that are good for your body and mind—exercise, hydration, reading, and nutrition. This focus on self-care teaches you that taking care of yourself isn’t selfish; it’s a necessity if you want to perform at your best in any area of life.
Lesson learned: Prioritizing your physical and mental well-being is essential for long-term success, and it's a non-negotiable part of living a balanced, fulfilling life.
Final Thoughts
The 75 Soft Challenge is probably more in line with most people's health guidelines and is a safer approach to goals. But it's important to make conscious choices. Give yourself challenges to face failure. Don't just take the self-improvement approach, give yourself positive influences that can help you grow. This is true whether you want to start a new area of your life or change your lifestyle to focus on one area.
We are all imperfect, and it's hard to stay perfect, even for just 75 days. So taking challenges is more sustainable in the long run.
