I have had a love/hate relationship with the challenge for a long time. I started and stopped this challenge more times than I could count because I wanted to do this perfectly. Then I decided I would work through the 75 days, accomplish what I could, and work up towards 90-100% accountability. The 75 Soft Challenge has become a fitness challenge, but it is truly a lifestyle challenge. It is meant to have you grow as a person.
If you haven’t heard of the 75 Challenge there are several different modifications. The ones that I have seen most are Soft, Medium, and Hard. Each one is slightly different and works up towards the hard version. Each challenge has a nutrition aspect, soft is eating well by following your meal plan. You can have cheat meals and reduce alcohol. Hard is no alcohol for 75 days.
My version of the 75 Soft Challenge is a 45-minute workout, whereas the hard is 2 workouts per day. One workout has to be done outside. I have seen some have soft workouts that could be anywhere from 5-15 minutes. The program I follow is a 45-minute workout, and I prefer that because it doesn’t change through the 3 rounds. The challenge also encourages you to take a picture daily so you can see the changes in your body. I personally don’t follow this one, and I probably will never take pictures every day. My modification is to look put together. I work from home and it’s very easy for me to stay in my jammies or leggings.
Another one that I disagree with is how much water to drink. I am currently doing the soft challenge, and it’s 3 liters of water. 3 liters of water is 101. 44 ounces. That is a lot of water, especially if you don’t drink water on a consistent basis. As a trainer, I recommend that one should drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day. I recommend increasing the amount gradually to not shock the body. For me, I am not a person who drinks a lot of water, and I should be drinking around 75 ounces of water based on my weight. I am started at 20-25 ounces and increase the amount every few weeks.
Reading 10 pages per day is a requirement for the Challenge. The amount differs depending on soft, medium, or hard. I have seen soft be only 5 pages, and hard be as much as 40 pages. In my 75 Soft Challenge, I am reading 10 pages per day. It’s the right amount to feel productive but not spend all day reading. I have taken it a step further and I do 10 pages of personal, professional development, and educational. Personal because I love to read and need that balance between fun books and books to help me change my mindset and grow. Educational books have typically been personal training books.
My First Round
I had high expectations when I started my first round, and thought it would be super easy to have 100% accuracy. I was quickly brought back down to Earth because I let a lot get in the way of this challenge. There were some things that were super easy for me to do every day like reading 10 pages. But then there were things that were challenging like working out every day.
Workout
It has been a struggle for me to find and do a workout plan that I consistently like doing. As a trainer, I get the importance of doing the same exercises but sometimes I wanted to do something different. There are some exercises that I have trouble doing with my knees. I think I found a workout plan that I will stick with for a while.
At the beginning of the Challenge, I was training for a half marathon but that quickly got put on hold. I am still including cardio in my workout routine because I LOVE CARDIO!! I still want to do a half but need to work in my miles slowly to avoid shin splits.
Water Intake
It is NO secret that I struggle with getting in the amount of water that I should. I usually wait until my body actually needs it. I’m also very picky with my water. I want the water to be extremely cold. I also struggle with getting enough liquids in general.
Food Intake
My food intake is the best it has been in the past year. I am really good about eating every 3 hours and my food selection is pretty good for the most part. My cheat days aren’t that bad. I don’t restrict myself on what food to eat. I eat what I want because I know if I say I can’t have it then when I do eat it I’ll over endulge.
Alcohol is one thing that I could work on because I do drink more than I should. I am working on limiting my alcohol because I feel like crap the next few days afterwards. My choice of alcohol is usually Iight beer, and depending on the day I usually have about 2-3.
Heading into Round 2
I am pretty excited to head into round 2 and see the big changes ahead. I am really focusing on what important and anchoring into those things. Round 2 is full of new beginnings. It’s about taking the time for myself and what I find really important. Being more in the moment and creating my best life.
Have you done 75 Challenge? Would you do it?
