I’m on Day 22 and feeling strong on the 75 Hard Challenge.
For those who missed the original post, three weeks ago I started a 75 Day Challenge that consists of….
Two workouts per day, 45 minutes each, one has to be out outside
Follow a diet, no alcohol, no sweets
Drink a gallon of water every day
Read 10 pages of personal development every day
Take a progress picture
Week three brought on its own set of challenges and lessons…
Overall I’m feeling 1000x better. Although I haven’t dropped a ton of weight yet, I continue to remind myself that I didn’t do this for the physical transformation benefit. I have way more energy, and my mindfulness and presence at home has drastically improved. Megan has certainly enjoyed that. My ability to focus and get things done has improved, I’m sleeping better, and overall I just feel more positive. I would say that’s largely due to the increased movement, better quality nutrition intake, and the water. A great reminder for myself, and for everyone, that although it’s great to get physical results with thins like this, sometimes the “other” benefits far exceed anything else.
The more “casual” days are really hard. This weekend was Labor Day Weekend. Megan and I took off Friday-Monday together. Although I didn’t really have to troubleshoot any traveling, something I’ll have to do a lot of in October, I did have to navigate a very “unstructured” weekend. Meaning, during a typical week my days are very structured. Hitting the workouts, the reading, the water, is challenging, but it’s very scheduled and routine. However, on a weekend like this it took a lot of mental toughness and discipline to stay on track. For example, the last thing I wanted to do on a Friday night was workout, but I hadn’t yet hit my second workout of the day, the outdoor one. So as the sun was setting, I hit the pavement.
We all need our level of “social.” I’m an introvert at heart, and I thoroughly enjoy my “me” time every day. However, we can’t downplay the enormous benefits of social accountability and support in any endeavor we take on. I can think of a couple examples in the most recent week. With this past weekends chaos, I had to get a couple workouts in my garage. Logistically I have everything you “need” to get a quality workout in (bands, suspension trainer, kettlebell, medicine ball, etc). I got them done, I just can’t imagine having that be my ONLY place to get a workout in on a regular basis. I think it’s a great compliment, and it’s helpful on days where you just want to sneak something in while your kid naps, but there’s no denying the energy and motivation that comes from going to a gym, especially one that has a positive community and other people supporting you. Also, because I’ve been so public about taking on this challenge, and there are some team members and clients doing the challenge with me, the social accountability and support has been super helpful to talk about it, and to stay on track.
Overall it’s been….a challenge.
As it should be.
However, the benefits have far outweighed the challenges.
I think it’s improved not only my inner-self, but in turn, those around me.
But now, my question goes to you…
Now that summer is winding down, Labor Day has passed, and the kids are back in school, what are you going to lock-in on this fall?