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When summer is around the corner, it’s common to look for a health ‘restart’ – a way to break old habits and improve fitness.
One programme, called The 75 Hard Challenge, sets out to do those things, but its prime aim is to increase mental resilience. It requires sticking to strict rules that include daily exercise and no alcohol (see below) for 75 days.
It was created in 2019 by entrepreneur Andy Frisella, and remains popular, helped along by people posting photos of their progress on platforms like TikTok. There are also plenty of articles and blogs about issues with aspects of the programme, so Hibiscus Matters decided to talk to someone who knows a bit about health and fitness, and recently completed 75 Hard herself.
Stanmore Bay Leisure Centre fitness team leader, Julie Bish, already exercises most days, including instructing Les Mills Grit and Core programmes.
She did not need to lose weight, or increase her fitness, but says she needed a personal challenge – not tied to the exercise that is part of her job.
“I just wanted to see if I could do it,” she says.
Julie says the 75-day period was key to instilling new habits – a month is not long enough.
“I like a Friday night glass of wine, and after a month of no alcohol I was still thinking about it, a lot,” she says. “But after that, it wasn’t such an issue. It takes you beyond that, to really change things. I had a drink on day 78, and it was actually a bit disappointing – I had lost the taste for it. It definitely broke a habit.”
One of the rules is to exercise outdoors, whatever the weather, and Julie says her biggest take-out was learning to love walking, especially while listening to podcasts.
“I used to run a lot, and wondered why you’d walk a half marathon instead of running,” she says. “Surely the goal was to do it quicker?”
On 75 Hard, she began to enjoy a daily walk home from work, or in the morning seeing the sunrise, or a blanket of fog along the peninsula.
“It slows you down, and you process, de-stress and plan, before you get home to the next busy part of the day.”
She has carried on walking regularly now that the challenge is over.
Sometimes fitting the rules into her day was very difficult, but Julie enjoyed the mental challenge, and the structure, and misses it.
One thing she doesn’t miss is having to read 10 pages of an “inspirational” book.
“I stopped that on day 76, and I’m so glad it’s over,” she says.
Julie thinks while there are real benefits from 75 Hard for some people, it is extreme and not for everyone. “There are other ways to challenge yourself. If you want to change your lifestyle or habits, perhaps start with one element, depending on your needs and capabilities. If you take it all on, there is a high risk of failure and that could be disheartening.”
75 Hard – the rules
• Pick a diet to follow, with no alcohol
• Drink 4 litres of water daily
• Complete two 45-minute daily workouts, one outside
• Read 10 pages per day of a non-fiction book
• Take a progress photo every day
• If you skip a day, you must start over.
Issues raised about the programme by those who completed it, and health professionals, include that drinking 4 litres of water could be harmful for some people, that not having rest days factored in could cause injury, and that the high risk of failure could be damaging to self-esteem. Anyone contemplating 75 Hard or a similar regime should seek advice from their healthcare provider or a fitness trainer, and perhaps consider adapting the tasks to suit their fitness level or personal goals.
