How to get out of a rut and get back in shape

My Review

I’ll break my review down by each part of the challenge.

Pro Tip: Get a friend, a spouse, or a group of people to do the challenge with you. I know I would’ve failed if I didn’t have my fiance in it with me.

Two 45-minute workouts a day (one indoor and one outdoor)

Look. The idea here is that you’re in a rut and need to shock your system.

If you can commit to this, you can commit to anything.

The rules are simple. The workouts must be at least 3 hrs apart, so you can’t do one long workout and do half inside and half outside. IT’S SUPPOSED TO SUCK.

But you’re trying to prove that you can regain your mental toughness and self-discipline. It’s about more than just physical results. It’s about learning to get in a rhythm of embracing the suck and grinding it out.

In the beginning it was like, where do people get the time? At the end, two workouts a day was a breeze.

The main change?

Planning ahead, preparation, and mentally adapting to the grind, which happens naturally after several weeks of repeating the behavior.

We would do an outdoor walk with our dog for 45 mins and then hit the gym for 45 mins. Looking back, I miss those walks.

But, there were many challenging days.

Life happens. We had one workout at 11 pm on a Sunday because our flight was delayed returning home. We had several outdoor walks in blizzards. Like, I was literally wearing ski gear and goggles. People thought we were crazy, but we did it, and we could hold our heads high.

Paired with my healthy diet, I put on 15 lbs. of muscle in 75 days. That would have taken me a year even when I was routinely exercising.

Following the challenge, I’ve been consistently in the gym for two years, the longest stretch of my life. And by consistently, I mean at least 3-4 days a week.

Follow a Healthy Diet of Your Choice

You can pick any healthy diet of your choice. Key word is HEALTHY.

Mine was as follows:

• Macro tracking – 3,500 calories per day. 200 grams of protein, 150 grams of carbs, and 100 grams of fat give or take.
• No processed meats
• No fried or greasy foods
• No processed or added sugars

My goal was to put on muscle. I’ve always been a hard gainer, and this was as good as any time to try. I had been told that if you start eating big, your stomach will adjust, but it was difficult initially.

I found myself eating until midnight on weekdays, trying to squeeze in the last few bites needed to hit my goals. Eventually, I learned how to eat smarter, and preparation was key.

There were several days when I didn’t plan accordingly, and I found myself scrambling for food. It can get tricky because if you still have a lot of eating to do at 10 pm on a Tuesday, healthy options are limited.

In the end, I felt terrific. No sugar, no fried foods, and no alcohol will make you feel like a new person.

Most importantly, I got into the habit of avoiding nasty foods. I eat significantly less fast food now than I used to. I learned to think ahead for healthy and tasty meals and allow myself only the occasional indulgence.

Read 10 Pages of a Self-Help Book Every Day

This was such a pleasant surprise. After 75 days I had become a reader! Now I look forward to reading every day.

I was never a reader before 75 Hard. During the challenge, I found that reading my 10 pages while in bed would put me right to sleep.

No more getting stuck in the Netflix vortex and staying up later than I wanted.

I would simply read and sleep. If I wasn’t sleepy after ten pages, I’d keep reading until I couldn’t keep my eyes open.

Now a year and a half later, I’ve read a couple dozen books, mainly of the space sci-fi genre, but also a handful related to work. It’s just another long-term habit I’ve formed.

I also took a lot away from the self-help books I read.

Here’s what I read:

• The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
• Millionaire Success Habits by Dean Graziosi
• Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

That was my second time reading The Secret, but it had been a long time. Boy did I need the reminder. If you haven’t read it, read it! Like, yesterday.

Take a Progress Pic Every Day

This part seems trivial, but it’s about learning to do the small things every day.

Taking progress pics is fun for tracking your progress but extremely easy to forget. It’s so small and takes two seconds, which is why so many people space it.

And isn’t that what happens when we’re in a rut? We don’t keep our affairs in order, and little things fall through the cracks. So, don’t overlook this part of the challenge.

Andy warns that this is the part of the challenge that trips up the most people. It’s the small, trivial disciplines that make a big difference compounded over time.

No Drinking Alcohol

Without a doubt, this is the portion that deters the most people. Giving up alcohol for 75 days is hard, and there is never a convenient time.

We did 75 Hard during the winter and through the holidays. I didn’t drink on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s. I timed it so that the first weekend back to drinking was in time for the Super Bowl.

Initially, it was hard, but I was fired up and committed. After a few weeks, I stopped getting the cravings and started to see improvement in the following areas:

• Falling asleep
• Quality of sleep
• Daily energy
• Emotional positivity
• Muscle recovery
• Clearer skin

Where it got challenging was family gatherings and holidays. Honestly, the only time it really sucked was New Year’s.

We had a big dinner with friends, and I wanted a cocktail. We were 40 or so days in at that point, so nothing was getting in my way, but I wanted it.

I’ll say this, though – I almost wish I hadn’t started drinking again.

I felt great not drinking, and I still had a great time at most social gatherings. I was able to drive home, and I felt great every day.

The big difference maker was that when I started drinking again, I drank less often, and drank less quantity.

I really noticed how much money we saved too. The runs to the liquor store, the drinks at dinner, and the Ubers to get around add up to hundreds of dollars a month, maybe more.

If you have a big goal in mind, alcohol is probably your worst enemy, and 75 Hard is a great way to break that dependency.

Drink One Gallon of Water Every Day

I’ve always been someone who drinks a lot of water.

I think there’s plenty of research that shows how important hydration is. That said, a gallon is probably overkill for most people, especially those who enjoy coffee, tea, and other beverages throughout the day.

I’m not one of those people, so water consumption was easy. It’s just another one of those things that’s easy to forget.

The only time this got hard was when I was forcing myself to eat at the end of the night and then remembered I had 32 oz of water left to drink.

Again, I learned to think ahead and prepare. I knew that if I wanted to avoid chugging water before bed, I had to drink certain quantities by specific times of the day.

This once again reinforced those small habits that make it easy to slip.