If you are unfamiliar with the original 75 Hard Challenge created by Andy Frisella, then here is a list of the original rules:
- Two 45-minute workouts a day, with at least one outside.
- Follow a chosen diet, with no cheat days.
- Read 10 pages of a self-help or educational book each day.
- Drink one gallon of water.
- Take a progress photo.
- No alcohol.
According to my guy Andy, if you follow these six simple rules everyday for 75 days you will achieve a complete mental transformation, as well as, a physical one. If you were to ask Andy Frisella if you can change the rules of the 75 Hard Challenge he would tell you “absolutely not!” This is an actual FAQ he answers on his website (andyfrisella.com). If you’re reading this Andy, I’m sorry, I’m breaking some (most) of your rules.
The rules I am going to follow are very similar to the ones Andy Frisella has laid out. Here is a list of my rules and explanations for why I felt change was necessary.
- Two 45-minute workouts.
- I got rid of the outside rule because at this moment, it is winter in Wisconsin. I bet you think I changed it because it is too cold outside, you would be wrong(mostly). I changed this rule because I simply don’t feel safe walking alone in the dark. To me, my safety comes before anything else and yours should too. Of course, when it starts getting lighter in the mornings and stays lighter after work, I will most likely choose to go outside. Until then, I will have to settle for my walking pad.
- Follow a chosen diet, no cheating.
- no changes here! I will be following a flexitarian diet (which honestly, maybe is designed to be a cheat diet lol. I don’t know if our friend Andy would approve.) Basically, I am going to stop buying meat at the grocery store. If I am out at a friend’s house or a restaurant I am allowed to eat meat. Which is why I feel like this diet choice is cheating a bit, but whatever! This is MY VERSION of the 75 Hard!
- Read 10 pages of a self-help book or educational book.
- I am going to focus on reading the hundreds of memoirs and self-help books I have sitting on my shelves waiting to be either finished or opened.
- Drink 80 oz of water.
- I will probably end up drinking more, however, drinking 20oz of water is a challenge for me at times so I feel like 80oz is a good challenge for me. And if I end up drinking more each day then I will just up this goal.
- Weigh myself each day, progress picture once a month.
- I changed taking a progress picture each day to doing a weigh-in each day for the simple reason that I have less than no space left on my phone. I literally had to delete six apps and over 20 pictures the other day JUST TO SEND two pictures…it’s ridiculous, I know, but…whatever.
- No buy.
- I have decided to swap out the alcohol rule because I simply don’t drink very often and it isn’t challenging for me to spend 75 days sober…I do it often. My real drug of choice is spending all of my money… So, to make the 75 Hard Challenge more of a challenge, I have incorporated my other New Year’s Resolution into it. If you’ve heard of a “no buy year” then you know that everyone sets different rules based on their own lives, here are mine:
- No impulse spending, if I want something I am going to have to set aside money specifically for that item over the course of the next month or more.
- Limit eating out/take out to twice a month.
- Making a grocery list AND FOLLOWING IT! (The last part is the most important part.)
- I have a few planned vacations over the next year. When I go on those, I will cap my spending at 100 dollars.
- I have decided to swap out the alcohol rule because I simply don’t drink very often and it isn’t challenging for me to spend 75 days sober…I do it often. My real drug of choice is spending all of my money… So, to make the 75 Hard Challenge more of a challenge, I have incorporated my other New Year’s Resolution into it. If you’ve heard of a “no buy year” then you know that everyone sets different rules based on their own lives, here are mine:
And that’s it! Those are my rules for the 75 Hard Challenge (Karma’s Version).
What I am hoping to get out of this challenge is really just to increase my mindfulness. I think for me personally, when I start living a more mindful life, I will have less stress overall. If you feel the same as me then follow along with me on this journey!
See you in my next post,
Karma ❤️