Like so many, I picked up a few less than desirable habits as I entered adulthood. I didn’t work out regularly, I enjoyed cocktails a bit too frequently, I didn’t always eat healthily, and I started accumulating a few extra pounds. These habits were gradually leading me away from the person I wanted to be.
Then I saw a headline that said something like this:
Completely transform your body and mind in just two-and-half months.
I was introduced first introduced to a program called 75 Hard after listening to a podcast in which Andy Frisella the creator of 75 Hard was a guest last year. Andy explained what 75 Hard was and its rules. The rules were simple but stringent.
What is 75 Hard?
Two workouts every day of at least 45 minutes - ONE WORKOUT MUST BE OUTSIDE.
Take a progress photo every day.
No Alcohol.
Must follow a diet with no cheat days.
Must read 10 pages of a non-fiction book- once you start the book you must finish.
Drink a gallon of water.
If you fail to complete any of those requirements, you must start over.
My immediate reaction was - that sounds really hard. It wasn’t for me. I made excuses and I kept proceeding down the same path I was on. But one day I took a look in the mirror and realized that I didn’t like the person I was becoming (or had become). I was undisciplined and becoming unhealthy. I realized that I needed to take massive action.
I then listened to Andy Frisella’s own Podcast about 75 Hard. In all honesty, Andy Frisella’s personality was a bit over-the-top and grating for me. He comes off a bit of a braggart, he uses a lot of profanity. In all honesty, I didn’t like the guy. He’s not someone I could ever see myself hanging out with but I saw his point: In just two-and-a-half months of consistent effort, one can teach themselves self-discipline and develop the confidence to do anything.
Andy has made it clear that 75 Hard is not a fitness program or a weight loss program - but exercising 2x a day and following a diet pretty much guarantees that you’ll become fit and more healthy.
How did I start?
I’m a planner. I wanted to make sure I would be able to do all the tasks before starting the program. So I tried out all the individual components before starting. Then I felt ready and picked up the second workout and I was off.
I was fortunate enough to have listed to Brene Brown’s podcast interview with James Clear (Atomic Habits) by happenstance as I was beginning the program. Viewing the program in the context of Clear’s explanation of Atomic Habits made a lot of sense to me. Create systems. Consistency > Intestitiy. Big things come from constant small action.
Diet
For the diet, I was heavily influenced by the book Natural Born Heros. The book describes a group of British and local resistance fighters on the island of Crete who successfully kidnapped a Nazi general as they fought off the invading Nazi army.
The story then gets into the diet of Cretians and examines their relative excellent health compared to other regions. Crete is a mountainous island that makes growing grains difficult, so Cretians adopted a high-fat low-carb diet. The resistance fighters adopted the local diet and thought their bodies to use fat as fuel. The book then covers how modern triathletes and distance runners are using the same methods. The champion for this type of training is Phil Maffetone and the book introduces his methods. I was impressed and I ultimately decided to follow the Maffetone Diet approach for my 75 Hard.
The best way to explain the diet is that it means no processed foods and no added sugars. I didn’t make any attempts to limit calories or otherwise count them.
Read 10 Pages a Day
I love reading so this was not part of the program was painless other than the requirement that if you start a book you have to finish that book. One of my selections was a dud and I dreaded reading that book (I forced myself to get through it by reading large chunks at a time). Getting up early, making a latte and reading was one of my favorite parts of the program.
During the program I read the following books:
Ageless - Andrew Steele. This book is about the science of aging and some of the things we can do to slow down the process. Although it was scientific, Steele did a nice job of making it approachable. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
The Mental Game of Trading - Jarod Tendler. As a speculator, this book was fantastic and what I needed to work on my mental systems for trading. I could probably do an entire post about this book (and probably will) so I won’t get into it here other than to state that it should be required reading for traders, speculators, and investors.
Beginners - Tom Vanderbilt. This book is about how adults are afraid to try new things because they are afraid to look silly in their beginner phase. The author then proceeds to try a bunch of new things. Chess, surfing, metalwork. The concept of the book is good but the main idea is just to try new things. This was a pretty quick read. I’d recommend it for that.
The Maffetone Method - Phil Maffetone. This book covers methods for training and eating healthy. I got a lot out of it and will continue using the Maffetone diet and will begin training on the schedules outlined in the book.
Tiny Habits - BJ Fogg. The concept is to start with small steps and build to larger steps. It’s a good concept. That said, I found that this book was a bit too much on self-promotion. This was the book I would have stopped reading but for the program. I would recommend Atomic Habits by James Clear, which I had previously read, instead.
The Changing World Order - Ray Dalio. Full disclosure, I’m a Dalio fan. I thought his book Principles was excellent and his current book does not disappoint. Dalio covers how nations rise and fall. Dalio does a great job of making the complex economic data very approachable.
Exercise Twice a day
The two workouts a day is the requirement that scares most people away from 75 Hard. The workouts can be anything from low-intensity activities such as walking or yoga to higher intensity activities like weightlifting, running, cross-fit.
This part of the program is challenging because in addition to the workouts you have to find the time to do the two workouts. One workout must be outdoors. For me, this presented the additional difficulty of doing this in a Wisconsin winter and I had a handful of days with sub-zero temperatures.
My outdoor workouts were mostly walking. Even in the subzero temperatures before dawn, I began to look forward to these. I felt like I had the entire world to myself. I realized I could make productive use of my time and began to listen to Spanish lesson podcasts. I found myself on roads less traveled and it was amazing to have some time inside my head.
The time component of this made it crucial to begin early. I found that I was naturally getting up between 4-5 am. I would typically do a workout then do my reading.
My indoor workouts mostly consisted of doing workouts fromYouTube videos. There are many excellent programs. A few days a week, I would use the rowing machine. I also used this time to work on learning Spanish and would watch Netflix shows in Spanish.
I found that being able to do a workout at home was crucial for me as it saved a lot of time. I bought a dumbbell set, some yoga mats, and a few other things that made it possible to work out at home.
No Alcohol
Over the last couple of years, I was known on Twitter as the cocktail guy. I enjoyed making craft cocktails such as this Old Fashioned:
That said, I realized that a cocktail every night wasn’t particularly a good thing. I was also concerned about the example that I was setting for my kids.
For me, stopping drinking wasn’t particularly difficult. I did miss a glass of wine with dinner a few times but I got over it. I noticed that I began to sleep much better (also probably related to the exercise). I felt more rested in the morning and sharper and I didn’t toss and turn trying to fall asleep.
Gallon of Water
This was the component that most concerned me before beginning the program.
A gallon is a lot of water - roughly 133 oz. Drinking this much water required starting early as you can’t catch up if you are behind by a lot. This was the most difficult part of 75 Hard for me because I was peeing constantly for the first couple of weeks. Your body does adjust; however, and it gets better.
I found the smaller bottle was more manageable for my schedule since it was easier to travel with. I drank at least 5 of these every day + an extra 8 oz extra which I called “the stub” to fill out the gallon requirement.
Progress Photos
The final requirement is to take a progress photo each day. This requires both planning and a habit. Although it’s the easiest of the tasks, a lot of people fail. It’s nice to see the results but no grown man needs 75 half-naked selfies of themselves.
In addition to the required photo, I would weigh in every day. I have a Renpho Scale that sends the data right to my phone. It measures body fat, BMI, body water, metabolic age, and several other things. It was interesting to see the fluctuation. You can’t get too caught up in the numbers as my weight would vary by as much as 2lbs from day to day but the trend needs to be in the right direction.
Challenges
The biggest challenge to 75 Hard is that life happens Every day cannot be planned out in advance. There’s work stress and projects, overnight guests, events, and various other things that impact our schedules. Some days are a grind. I had to do a few workouts later than I would have hoped.
I found that journaling in the morning was helpful as it forced me to think through how I would get everything done. I typically did my journaling after my first workout so I had something accomplished every day.
Through this process, I learned how important it is to listen to your body. If your body is sore, make the next workout easy. When tired, go to bed.
I also had the experience of getting covid about a month into 75 Hard. The signs were there:
Fortunately, my case of Covid was pretty mild and I was able to push through.
Results
My mantra for this program was Clear’s quote, “consistency is greater than intensity.” As silly as I thought the progress photo requirement was, I’m glad to see the results:
Day 1:
Day 75
Weight
The program, helped me lose 17 lbs from my high (I was less consistent with the weighing before the program, which is why the spike upwards seems so sharp).
Other Results:
In addition to the physical results, I found that I was sleeping better and had much more energy. I’ve become less tolerant of excuses. I realized that I could start stacking other tasks on top of what I was already doing so I started learning Spanish. I’ll continue to work on that.
What’s Next?
This was the question I started asking myself a lot as I neared the finish line. I had my celebratory whiskey and a slice of cake. After eating a small bit of cake I could physically feel how the sugar was affecting me. I didn’t like how it made me feel so I will continue to live a low sugar lifestyle.
I liked the results I had achieved and do not want to slip back into the old habits. That said, I realize that the intensity of the program is a bit much to maintain for years. I don’t really have a desire to continue with the program and do 75Hard Phase I, II, and so forth. At this point, I figured I can design my own path.
Instead of a reading requirement, which has never been a challenge for me, I’ll adopt writing and mediation. I will continue to work out (I did 2 yesterday) but won’t be concerned with the 45-minute length requirement. I like having a goal so I’m going to train for a half-marathon, which I’ll run this fall— I’ve never done anything more than an 8K before.
I’ll take these next steps without fear as I know I can do anything I want.
Cheers!
Disclaimers
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