One morning, as I was practicing my morning ritual of scrolling through Tik Toks, I stumbled upon a young woman who was trying out the “75 hard challenge.” This challenge tests your ability to stick to a regime and work out your mind through physical training. I was immediately intrigued and,after going down a hashtag rabbit hole of #75hardchallenge, I found out that a lot of people are starting to do this “mental toughness” challenge created by motivational speaker, podcaster, author, and supplement company owner Andy Frisella.
The concept of this challenge was introduced to the world via Frisella’s podcast, “Real AF.” In the episode that spurred the challenge, Frisella claims that it is mostly a mental challenge, but considering what goes into the 75 days, there are sure to be some very physical results.
There are basically five rules that you must abide by for the “75 hard challenge.” There are no ifs, ands, or buts on whether or not you can modify it to make it more comfortable for you, because the whole point of this extensive challenge is to put you out of your comfort zone. So, let’s find out what is so uncomfortable with this challenge.
- Exercise twice each day for 45 minutes
-
Part of the mental toughness is being able to adapt to uncomfortable situations. So, one of the rules about exercising twice a day is that one of the workouts has to be outside, rain or shine. This is because it will make you adaptable and, according to Frisella, will give you a stronger mindset which will make you a stronger person.
- Drink a gallon of water per day.
-
Original Illustration Designed in Canva for Her Campus Media Drinking this much water sounds really intense, but if you get the special water bottle that has time stamps/goals for the pacing of your water intake, you can do it. Considering that we are mainly water, adding this extra water intake is extremely beneficial to our overall health.
- Pick a diet or eating plan, and stick to that plan. You don’t necessarily have to count calories but be intelligent—no chocolates, no cake, no soft drinks, and no alcohol.
-
Here is where it starts to get tricky. I listened to the podcast and while talking about this step, he said that it doesn’t matter if it’s somebody’s birthday or holiday, you cannot cheat. Personally, I think this is a bit much because I do not think it is healthy and may lead to eating disorders. However, he says that this will build mental toughness if you have the discipline to stick to a diet for 75 days.
- Read a minimum of 10 pages every day of growth mindset material or self-help book.
-
This is the only one I actually agree with. I think this is a great way to get off of the phone and focus on yourself. Ten pages really is not that much to read, and you may even start preferring the reading over Tik Tok! I know it seems like we don’t have the time to read, but if we take away the time spent on our phones, there is a lot more time in the day than we think.
- Take one progress photo each day — even though this is more of a mental challenge, the byproduct will be a physical change at the end of the 75 days.
-
Yes! Going into this challenge, you are supposed to be focused on your mind and mental toughness, however, you will definitely see a physical change after the 75 days. How fit you get at the end of the 7 days is really just a byproduct of all of the effort you made to get stronger mentally.
So, do I endorse this? Yes and no. I do endorse this if it is something you genuinely think you can do. There is no need to try and push yourself to do something that may be detrimental in the long run. If this does seem like too much, there are so many healthier ways to improve your discipline or physical health and well being. This is just something for those who like to be very intense with their life and would like a dramatic change.