Everyday senior Kelli Adams wakes up and sees a display of sticky notes, marking each day until her 75 days of following a strict regimen would be over.
The trending “mental toughness” program, made by entrepreneur Andy Frisella, consists of a diet free from alcohol or “cheat meals,” completing two 45 minute workouts (one taking place outdoors), drinking a gallon of water and taking a progress photo for 75 days in a row.
“To some extent, it’s unrealistic, especially with soccer season going on and getting two workouts in a day,” Adams said. “I do try to follow it to the best of my abilities.”
Adams wanted the program to fit into her school schedule so she has non negotiables of what she has to complete daily.
“There are really valuable aspects of the challenge,” health educator Abby Vaughn said. “Regular movement, nutrient dense meals, reducing how often you eat out, hydration, getting sunlight, reading, limiting alcohol intake, obviously physically it’s really important but it’s goal based, which is super motivating and research shows that people who set and track goals are more likely to follow through.”
For Adams, her main goals are to drink a gallon of water daily and eat a high protein diet with no cheat days/meals. Adams’ said that some other aspects of the program would be especially difficult without her shortened school schedule.
“I don’t think I would be able to do this if I didn’t have those times off,” Adams said.
With the time given in between school and practice, Adams uses it to have a leisurely walk with her dog or read.
“I normally don’t try to do anything crazy,” Adams said. “ I never know what soccer practice is going to be like and it’s 2 hours long too.”
75 hard is meant to be an adaptable challenge that can accommodate for various lifestyles and schedules.
“Rigid dieting and exercise can really contribute to a lot of stress, guilt, burnout, and body image concerns,” Vaughn said. “Maybe this generation is approaching dieting in a very open, respectful way.”
Part of the rules of 75 hard is that if you mess up one task, you must restart. On day 6 of Adams’ first attempt, she did not drink the gallon of water a day that the challenge requires and restarted.
“I think that discipline, being okay with not succeeding, being okay with starting over and telling people that you messed up then retrying is important because not everyone’s perfect, not every day is gonna go exactly how you want it to go,” Adams said. “I am super proud of myself for taking this on and just having that goal of being an overall healthier person.”
