75 Days, 0 Compromises

Instead of thinking how hard your journey is, think how great your story will be.

Andy Frisella

Week 1 of the 75 Hard Program created by Andy Frisella is in the books. I’ve challenged myself to complete this program before, and this is my second time around the block. The second time has less initial excitement, to be honest. There is no wondering ‘can I really do this?’ because I know I can. I’ve done it. I didn’t see the physical results I wanted to see, but I gained a new perspective on just about everything else in life, so I call it a win.

Lessons During Round 1 of the 75 Hard Program

The first time around, I was a little bit complacent at first. I thought, ‘I already do most of this stuff, so this won’t be so hard.’ Boy, was I wrong. By day 50 I didn’t want to take any more progress photos! I got tired of fitting reading into my schedule (those who know me, know that is not like me at all.)

I learned a lot about myself during this process.

My biggest takeaway, and the lesson that helped me the most: I need to front-load my day. I need to wake up early and get as many tasks checked off my to-do list as possible before about 3 pm. Otherwise, I drag my feet and avoid the tasks important to me. Or I lose sleep–and believe me, you don’t want to see me when I am low on sleep.

The second thing I learned is I really like the easy way out. It was a constant mental battle with my whiny inner voice. I had to tell my whiny voice to shut up and get things done, and then I had to push through and do it. Most days…I was able to go to sleep at my normal (admittedly early) bedtime and wake up recovered and ready to face the next day. We all have this whiny inner voice, but how often before this program did I actually persevere and do what I promised myself I would do? Not as often as I should have, that is for sure.

Starting over again

After completing the first 75 days, I procrastinated starting Phase 1. I made all the excuses. Once I started, I realized I wanted to complete the Live Hard year, but quickly understood that I had waited fifteen days too long to start. I wouldn’t complete Phase 3 by the required date. I knew if I really wanted to complete this year, I had to start all over.

That is an entirely different mental challenge to overcome. My whiny inner voice is complaining about starting all over, like a pre-teen child who doesn’t want to do their chores. Having three teenagers…I know all about the pre-teen attitude. 😉 It’s a little humbling to admit that I have these tendencies, too.

The first book I read this time was The Power of One More by Ed Mylett. One of the lessons is to focus on one more day. (By no means is this every lesson in this book, and I highly recommend it for everyone.) This concept of just reaching for ONE MORE one more is continuing to be a fabulous reminder to me to take everything one day at a time. I am trying not to think about how many days I have left. I’m focusing on today. What can I do to make today successful?

There are a couple of things I’m doing differently this time around.

Number 1, I’m focusing on recovery. One day per week will be full recovery. This doesn’t mean I don’t move, or I sit around on the couch wishing I could eat bon bons. My recovery workout options are walking, yoga, stretching, foam rolling…basically anything that keeps me moving and also keeps my heart rate in a lower zone than my usual workouts.

Two, I’m focusing on a much higher number for protein in my diet. I’m not going to lie, this one has been very difficult so far. It feels like I am eating SO. MUCH. I am full by lunch and almost don’t even want to eat dinner! 😆 But, I am working through it and gradually getting used to the new numbers. I’m excited to see results!

10 more weeks to go!

Okay, I know I said I was focusing on one more day at a time. And I am! But I want to update here weekly with any new happenings, discoveries, or insights. So for the next 10 weeks you will hear all about my struggles and successes on this journey (you’re welcome). I have a few battle buddies going through this with me. We are all succeeding so far! I’m excited to see what we all accomplish. I know the Spartan Beast is in our future…two of us are doing Hyrox doubles…and one of us is doing some 100 mile bike race in the hottest month of the year (you know this one isn’t me, right?)! We’ve got a lot coming up this fall and it will be an experience, for sure. So buckle up and get ready for a wild ride!