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Today is the first day of doing 75 Hard.
75 Hard is program challenge designed by Andy Frisella at MFCEO Project Podcast. I’ve been listening to him for a while and heard him say time and time again you have to have grit, or determination, or stick-to-it-ness, or… the list goes on and on. There has been books written about having grit to get things done. But most never told you how to do it. They went about teaching goal setting and programs on how to meet your goals.
Well great! I can set goals, and work on them, but the grit isn’t there. Being a U.S. Marine for almost 10 years with a combat tour in Iraq it was easy to have grit, determination and to be a hard man because I was around a bunch of hard men that got things done no matter what. Now that I have been out for more than 10 years and work from home, I’m no longer surrounded by people that get things done.
When Andy talked on his podcast about this challenge to gain that mental toughness, grit, and determination. I’m in to try and make that happen in my life again. This program is about me getting to be the best me I can be.
This web site is me going through the challenge. And I will complete it, no matter how long or how many times it takes. I did get through Marine Corps Boot Camp the first time, so I’m hoping I can get through this the first time also.
For 75 days I’ll be updating my progress and what is going on.
The program is simple, 5 Rules:
- Stick to a diet that I pick. No cheating, and no alcohol.
- Work out twice a day for at least 45 minutes each, and one session needs to be outside.
- Drink 1 gallon of water per day
- Read 10 pages of a self help or business book per day
- Take a picture of yourself everyday to make a flip book of changes
The diet I chose for something I think I can last on, the slow carb diet right out of Tim Farris’s book “The 4-Hour Body”. Ironically it also has five simple rules.
The Diet:
- Avoid White starchy carbohydrates
- Eat the same few meals over and over again
- Don’t drink calories
- Don’t eat fruit
- Take one day off per week and go nuts
My workout plan:
- Walk or Bike ride in the morning for 45 minutes
- Go to the gym at night and do one big lift, rotate Bench, Squat, Overhead Press, and Dead Lift. I’ll warm up and do 3 sets of 5 heavy to keep my strength going up
I’m currently reading Atomic Habits 10 pages at a time and am about half way through it already. So reading should be easy for me.
A gallon of water shouldn’t be that hard because I use to do it on a daily basis without issues when I was younger. I bought a 64-ounce jug to refill two times a day.
Taking a picture, I just have to remember and be past the embarrassment of being fat and start getting back in shape.
For the last decade I feel like I’ve struggled with self discipline. As a Marine I never felt like I had that problem now I can’t get it together. I’ve read a bunch of books on the subject and nothing resonated with me. This challenge is the way for me to regain my mental toughness, jumpstart my physical fitness, and the start to a better man.
75 Hard I will conquer,
Ben Branam