75 Hard: The Remix

I’ve heard of it before, but where from?

For those of you familiar with 75 Hard challenge, you may have seen it on TikTok or on a friend's “story”. For those of you unfamiliar, 75 Hard is the newest, latest, and greatest new year’s challenge. It includes following a diet, two 45 minute workouts, no alcohol or cheat meals, 1 gallon of water, 10 pages of reading, and finishing the day with a progress picture for 75 days.

Some of the rules allow you to make room for your own personal preferences.

A diet follows the basic definition of having a structured plan to benefit you nutritionally. This means, you can pick whichever plan that is most suitable for you and your dietary needs. Two 45 minute workouts can be somewhat subjective depending on who is sharing the challenge with you. For example, the challenge above lists one of the 45 minute workouts to be performed outside and one of the 45 minute workouts to be performed anywhere else.

Drinking a gallon of water may be different for every person. It may not apply to everyone because how much water intake we need everyday can vary by person. According to Mayo Clinic for example, the recommended amount of water for men is about 15.5 cups or about 3.7 liters. For women the amount changes. The recommended water intake is about 11.5 cups or 2.7 liters of fluid. For reference, the recommended water intake for men in ounces (for all of you who keep up with your water bottles) is about four 30oz water bottles and about three 30oz water bottles for women. This may seem excessive for some but....

Progress pics!!! Whenever I take them I always feel a little weird because it is a strange way to keep record. However, when you can pull your phone out and see a past picture of where you were and compare it to your current progress, it feels great.

Lastly, 10 minutes of reading. Choosing which genre to read may vary depending on where or who you learned the challenge from. The consensus seems to be that we should read non-fiction, personal narratives, or a book/text about professional development.

Notes: If you miss one of check list task, you have to start over again from Day 1! If that is not challenging enough, audiobooks do not count for your 10 page reading!

The difference between this challenge and other challenges is that it targets more than only physical health improvement. Rather, the goals also target nutrition, our mentality, and provides us opportunities for encouragement when we acknowledge our progress. That being said, 76 Hard sounds great but incorporating it into the day can quickly become a bigger challenge than the 75 Hard itself.

75 Hard for a Reason

When I learned about 75 Hard, I felt excited. I love health challenges because finishing them can be so satisfying. BUT CAN WE BE REALISTIC? If you have the time in your life to follow this challenge to a T, I applaud you. However, I found it to be difficult incorporating and completing some of these goals, which can easily lead a person to quit the challenge.

It is definitely called the 75 Hard challenge for a reason. For example, I have a hard time drinking 90oz of water in a day. By placing a goal of 1 gallon (or 128oz), I am aware that I may not complete the goal at all. Not being able to scratch off the goal as completed can easily make the challenge feel very unrealistic or unattainable. Achieving goals may seem harder to reach.

Another example could be about working-out. Since I usually commute (about an hour to an hour 1/2 to and from work) everyday and I leave at 6:30am, the sun is usually rising and setting at those times. This makes it extremely difficult for me to get in an outside workout during the day. I know many of you may face similar challenges with one or maybe all of the components to the 75 Hard.

Would it be easier to not even start it?

Although not starting may sound enticing, you might end up favoring the long term results and develop beneficial habits.

The 75 hard: The Remix

Afterall, they say it only takes three weeks to build a habit. 75 days should seal the deal. An easier solution is to remix it. Change it up to benefit you. An avid reader may ask why am I adding 10 additional pages to my daily tasks? A personal trainer may not need to add another 45 minute workout to their day. 75 Hard is solely dependent on your own personal goals.

Why not just edit the framework?

The ultimate goal of the 75 Hard is to have challenging goals that will improve yourself in multiple ways within 75 days. Make YOUR own 75 Hard. We are only in mid-February and we have time. I say, if you are looking to be more social join an organization when it makes the most sense. Seize the day!

Victoria Villanueva is ILAC's Recruitment Team Lead.

Edited by: Victoria Villanueva and Chief Editor, Norbaya Durr