7(5) Hard: Staffer tries seven days of the popular 75 hard challenge

6,750 minutes of workouts. 75 gallons of water. 750 pages of a non-fiction book. 75 days of a strict diet. 

Oh, and if you skip a day you have to completely restart the challenge. 

Sounds like a nightmare, right? 

This popular challenge — 75 Hard — interested me since seeing influencers try the trend multiple times on my TikTok for-you page. Wanting to see just how hard 75 Hard is, I decided to try it for myself but for only seven days.

Here are my daily rules:

1. Follow a sugar-free diet.
2. Two 45-minute workouts — one must be outside.
3. Drink one gallon of water.
4. Read 10 pages of a nonfiction book.

The first day was a breeze — it was almost fun. I enjoyed moving my body more than usual and felt determined to complete the seven-day challenge that night as I fell asleep. It took a day or two to get adjusted to drinking a gallon of water but it quickly became my favorite part of the challenge.

Although one gallon of water meant chugging four of my 32-ounce Hydro Flasks a day — and sacrificing an extra-credit English bathroom pass —  I found that with the increase of water in my system daily tasks such as waking up or paying attention in class became easier. Drinking one gallon of water daily will definitely become a staple in my routine.

After day one I could already tell the most exhausting part of the challenge was going to be working out twice a day for 45-minutes at a time. Adding two workouts to my already packed schedule of sports and homework was nearly impossible, however, I found that choosing workouts that made me excited to complete them helped me to set aside time.

My favorite was a 45-minute yoga video from Yoga with Kassandra that strengthened my arms and legs but also allowed me to clear my mind from busy days at school. Running outside as my workout wasn’t a problem until day three.

When a snowstorm hit on day three, I couldn’t workout outside anymore like I had been on the first two days. I decided that doing the actual workout was more important to me than freezing outside, so I continued on with the challenge, completing YouTube workout videos instead.

By the time day six came around I wanted to quit. My arms and legs were aching from completing school work and the seven day hard challenge and on top of that I was craving Albanese Gummi Bears. I almost drove to Hen House to buy a sweet snack when I remembered the diet I had chosen for myself on day one: no sugar for the duration of the challenge.

The nutrition plan wasn’t an issue overall — it might have been the easiest part — as in my regular diet I tend to avoid sugar. However, coming off of the holiday season, I did want to cut off the excess sweets such as peppermint bark and hot chocolate.

Finally, I had reached the grand finale: day seven. The end was in sight and I was motivated to go out with a bang. I ended my last day with, in my opinion, the worst part of the challenge: reading 10 pages from a nonfiction book each day. As a reader who enjoys fiction books, getting out of my comfort zone to dive into a nonfiction book felt nearly impossible.

I chose to read “Flow” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi which focused on how the reader can create a state of intense focus and concentration on a given task in their life. Although I did appreciate ending off each one of my days with reading, I won’t be diving into another non-fiction book anytime soon.
The seven day hard challenge that I took part in was only a fraction of the 75 hard challenge. I did learn that while pushing myself to complete this challenge can be rewarding at the end, it’s not worth the process. Ten weeks of constantly watching a diet and working out is not normal and will cause burnout in the long run. The 75 hard challenge is unrealistic and an exhausting experience that pushes the body beyond its limits.