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HEALTH | FITNESS
I’m Enjoying the 75 Hard Program
I heard about 75 Hard during the summer of 2022. Someone I work with was 18 days in. She told us a few details at a time; she wasn’t eating bread or any sweets, she was drinking a gallon of water a day, and she was exhausted from her workouts.
It was July and temperatures were over 100°F, but a gallon still sounded like a lot of water. I definitely wasn’t drinking enough during the day, especially when it was that hot.
My coworker said the program lasted 75 days. That sounded crazy to me, especially since no alcohol was allowed on the program. No wine for 75 days? Really?
I completely forgot about 75 Hard until a blog post from Wellness Mama came across my Instagram feed a few days after Christmas. The post was critical of the program while recognizing that it did have some good qualities. I took a screenshot, sent it to my coworker, and asked if that was what she’d done over the summer. The reply came quickly, “Yup.”
I read Wellness Mama’s blog post, looked up the website, and decided to start on New Year’s Day. I was tired all the time, wanted to exercise more, and even though I didn’t want to give up my wine, I knew it was a good idea.
The program
“Think of this as an Ironman for your brain.” Source
The 75 Hard program was developed by social media influencer Andy Frisella. There are five tasks to complete every day for 75 days:
- Two separate 45-minute workouts a day. One of them must be done outside (you choose your own workouts).
- Drink a gallon of water.
- Take a daily progress photo.
- Choose a diet and stick with it (you choose your own diet, but cheat meals, junk food, and alcohol are not allowed).
- Read at least ten pages of a non fiction, self-development book.
I’ll admit that it sounded easy, except for the part where I had to give up my wine. I knew I was drinking too much wine and that it was full of sugar. It was interrupting my sleep, and I’m sure there were days where I’d drank…
