75 Hard Challenge
January 18 2024 – Delikate Rayne
You may have seen people have insane transformations from the 75 Hard Challenge on YouTube or TikTok, but what is the 75 Hard Challenge? The 75 hard challenge was created by Andy Frisella, who doesn’t describe it as a diet or a fitness plan, but rather a ‘mental toughness’ program. The 75 Hard Challenge is believed to challenge your mental toughness by teaching you the skills of confidence, self-esteem, self-worth, self-belief, fortitude, and grittiness. Is it safe and is it effective in the long term? Let's discuss the rules you have to follow for 75 days straight to complete the 75 Hard Challenge.
The first rule of the 75 Hard Challenge is to follow a diet. You can follow any diet of your choosing, so it is accommodating to plant-based diets! The diet you choose must be a structured plan with the goal of physical improvement in mind. Consumption of alcohol and cheat meals are also not allowed.
While you won’t be drinking alcohol during the 75 hard challenge, you will certainly be drinking a lot of water. Every day you must drink a gallon of water. It is recommended to start drinking water early and to be consistent throughout the day to prevent having to chug a gallon of water before bed.
Another rule of the 75 Hard Challenge is that you must complete 2 45-minute workouts daily, one of which must be done outside. One of the workouts must be completed outdoors, regardless of weather conditions. Andy Frisella added this aspect to the challenge because “one of the reasons that most people can’t get through life in an effective way is because the minute conditions are tough, they throw the towel in on their plan.”
During the 75 Hard Challenge, you may be taking some extra trips to the library. Every day you are required to read at least 10 pages of a non-fiction book, specifically personal development and self-help books. Frisiella says that reading a non-fiction book is important because you must use these 75 days to learn new things and grow.
The last rule of the 75 Hard Challenge is to track your progress. Every day you must take a progress photo to track your transformation. It can be difficult to remember the little details in the long run, and these progress photos can help you remember every aspect of your journey. Taking progress photos can also be beneficial to gain confidence, especially if you’re feeling insecure about your body.
How does following these rules for 75 days benefit your life? The 75 Hard Challenge can potentially be beneficial for people seeking drastic changes in their life. The 75 Hard Challenge promotes consistency of healthy habits such as reading, exercising, and a healthy diet, which can benefit people who want to incorporate these behaviors into their lives. This challenge also shows people how much you can achieve in a day if you put your mind to it.
What are the drawbacks of this challenge? The all-or-nothing mentality of this challenge can make it difficult to sustain in the long term. Not being able to complete all the rules one day doesn’t take away all the work that has been put in up to that point. Because this challenge is all-or-nothing, the program doesn’t teach you how to handle slipping up, which would be more beneficial for the average person. This challenge is also very time-consuming. Not everybody who is looking to better their lives has enough time to work 90 minutes daily and read 10 pages of a book.
The challenge itself also can be potentially harmful if you complete it. Exercising twice daily with no breaks can raise participants' risk of having overtraining injuries. This extreme challenge can also potentially cause yo-yo dieting, negative self-esteem, body image issues, discouragement, and disordered eating.
Will you try this challenge? This challenge has the potential to bring healthy habits into your lifestyle while teaching you skills of determination and confidence, however, it is potentially unsustainable. If you try the challenge, it is important to understand the potential benefits and drawbacks that the 75 Hard Challenge offers.
Images:
Pinterest
Sources:
Andy Frisella
Today
Forbes