I have been keeping a secret! I was going to say it's not a huge one...but you know, it has the potential to be huge! Now I have to be honest, I've only been keeping this secret for a week!....or actually 5 days at this point. Obviously I can't keep secrets, but it is what it is.
I have hesitated about sharing this secret. How many times have I come on here and had some grandiose plan or a wonderful challenge that I was gung-ho to start? I don't have a number of how many times, and quite frankly I don't think I want to even KNOW the number. Why? Because if the number were ten then I can pretty much guarantee that there would be at LEAST 9 corresponding failures. My success rate on these seemingly awesome plans is pretty much non existent! (Just for the record, the number of grand ideas is MUCH higher than 10.) So for me to come on and share my secret and spout off yet one more challenge that I am embarking upon is insanity at it's best. Yet, here I am ready to embark upon another round with a new somewhat ludicrous idea for myself.
Years ago I had started to hear about the 75 Hard. This is a challenge that lasts for 75 days (surprising right?) and involves some very specific actions that need to take place every day. It's only five things, nothing to worry about right? Hold onto your hat, until you see what the five things are!
1. Follow a Diet Plan
2. Exercise 2 times a day (45 minutes each)...one of which HAS to be outside.
3. Drink a gallon of water
4. Read 10 pages of a non fiction book daily
5. Take a progress picture each day
The rules are that if you miss a day, you go back to day 1 and start over. Yeah, a bit all or nothing! There is no room to fail in this challenge!
Easy right? Maybe for some, but for me this sounds huge! I've actually written about it before (you can read it here) but even then, I shied away from the 75 hard challenge. Instead I tried a Project 50 Challenge. The project 50 had similar rules but the guidelines were a bit more relaxed. So I tried the project 50 Challenge. And of course, I failed. Seriously, I don't even think I made it two weeks!
So this past Sunday morning when I was messing around my computer and stumbled upon someones post about their successful 75 Hard journey I started watching. Inspired, I decided right then and there to start the 75 Hard challenge. No, I didn't wait until the next day or the next week. I immediately hopped onto my IPad and downloaded a non fiction book from the library and within minutes I was in the office and riding the exercise bike! Talk about starting something on a whim?
Oh yeah, and I started a plan that requires outdoor exercise for 45 minutes a day in the middle of a snow storm and at the beginning of a week where the temps were forecasted to be in the single digits. I can't help but think of the parallel to my running adventures of 2013 when I started to run with the couch to 5K program in January and ran through some really cold days in those first few weeks! (You can read about that time here.) That was one of my rare successes...I completed the Couchto5K program and actually ran regularly for a few years. Maybe suffering through hellish torture in the cold is what spurred me to continue on when I wanted to quit, since I was able to say to myself, "nothing is as bad as running on those really cold days". Hmmm...maybe my VERY COLD beginning to the 75 hard will be a good thing!
I completed the first day of 75 hard 100% as the challenge is written...water, exercise, reading, picture and food! Check check check check and check. But after the dust settled on my impulse decision I was able to realize that I DID want to institute a few minor changes in my plan. SOOOO the 75 hard-ish that I am following is thus:
1. Follow a Diet Plan - I did not change this, but only cemented the 'rules of engagement' in my head. My rules are that I need to keep my calories under 1,500 a day. Since I do not historically lose at 1,500 calories, I will NOT be eating the calories that I "earn" via exercise. With one exception. I will allow myself to eat my earned calories one day each week. That goes along with the plans and ideas that I have adopted throughout the last few years. And that is that 100% restriction does NOT work!
2. Exercise 2 times a day (45 minutes each)...one of which HAS to be outside. Here is where one of the two major changes in the plan takes place. The indoor 45 minute exercise is remaining as that. However, the outdoor segment of exercise only has to be more than 30 minutes. Seriously, it's dang cold out there. I heard them say on the news to not leave your dog out for more than 20-30 minutes. So I am giving myself the grace to stop at 30 minutes. There was one day that even my Newfoundland....the quintessential winter dog was done and ready to go inside at the 30 minute mark!
3. Drink a gallon of water. I actually made it to one gallon on day one. But I am also giving myself grace on this one. However, I NEED to be over 64 ounces of water each day! My hope is that throughout the 75 days that I can build up to the gallon. But honestly, going from near nothing to a gallon is a HUGE jump! So 64 ounces it is!
4. Read 10 pages of a non fiction book daily. Yeah, no problem!
5. Take a progress picture each day. Easy, but just have to remember!
I am worried about one thing.....and that is when/if I get a job within this 75 Hard challenge. Learning a new job will be exhausting enough...but to do so on top of trying to complete this challenge. That might be hairy! And part of me says "well if/when I get a job all bets are off". But you know what, that is not HARD...and this challenges name is 75 HARD. So Win...Lose...Draw, I'm going to attempt it!
So I am on day 5. Stay tuned for an update on how my week one went!
