August 10, 2020

75 Hard: Week 3 Recap


It's been 21 days since I started 75 Hard! I say this each week, but I'm still surprised I've made it this far. 

This week has actually been the most difficult one yet. I'm not sure why--nothing remarkable has happened this week--but I keep feeling like, "I just want a day off!!" Which is a bit dramatic, because I'm not doing anything insanely difficult.

I'm still having sleeping problems (nothing new). I liked when I had the discipline to go to bed early--I really noticed a difference in my mood when I got enough sleep. I'm such a light sleeper that every little noise wakes me up. When I am disciplined enough to make myself go to bed at 10:00 (or even 11:00) then I usually feel rested the next day. So I think I'll make that a secondary goal this week--try to go to bed by 11:00.

For a few days, I'd managed to go to bed early, wake up and journal, read, drink my water, and then go for my walk. This past week, I got out of that routine which threw off the rest of the day a bit.

But anyway, I managed to stick with 75 Hard all week, even though it truly was HARD. Here's a quick recap:

Drink one gallon of water every day.

This one is usually not at all hard for me, but I found myself having to drink a quart of water shortly before bed a few days this week because I haven't been drinking it throughout the day like I usually do. I really need to make it a point to drink a whole quart before my walk and a whole quart after my walk in the morning. The rest of the day is easy after that.

Take a progress photo every day.

I'm surprised I haven't forgotten to do this yet. I made a habit of getting dressed for my walk and then taking a quick mirror selfie before I head out. I'm very glad that taking a progress photo is one of the "rules" of 75 Hard. If not for seeing the progress with my own eyes, I don't know that I'd have the discipline to continue the challenge when I "just don't wanna" sometimes.

Diet of choice + no alcohol.

I'm still loving the intermittent fasting. It works into my lifestyle so well. I've been reading about it and listening to podcasts about it a lot lately, and I'm excited to see if I notice some of the health benefits that have been studied. 

I'm doing intermittent fasting with a daily four-hour window to eat. I was eating at 4:00 every day (breaking my fast with dinner), but this past week, I've had a few days where I started my eating window at 2:00 (or even 11:00 AM one day!). I always shut it down after four hours, though, in order to stick to my "rule" for 75 Hard. On those days where I start eating earlier, I break the fast with something other than dinner--an apple with peanut butter or something like that. Then I'll have dinner a little later.

Read 10 pages of a non-fiction/self-improvement type book.

I'm still reading David Goggins' book 'Can't Hurt Me'. It's such a great book! I finally convinced Jerry to read it so that we could talk about it.  He's a much faster reader than I am, so he's much further along! We'll just talk about it when I'm done, I guess ;)

Work out 45 minutes twice a day (one must be outside).

This hasn't been a problem at all this week. I haven't even minded doing my second workout of the day because I have been watching Sweet Magnolias on Netflix while I'm on the treadmill. It's such a good show! And I'm only allowing myself to watch it while I'm on the treadmill.

My first workout of the day is always a walk with Joey. He's gotten so used to it every morning and I'd feel really bad if I don't take him--even though it'd be nice to walk without him trying to stop at every bush, tree, and telephone pole along the way!

Using the treadmill has inspired me to change things up a bit here and there. I've been experimenting with the incline and the speed (even adding some running to one of my walks). When I was running, I never used to use the incline buttons--but now that I'm walking, I am finding it more enjoyable to play around with things.


I started 75 Hard with the mentality that quitting is not an option--I was super determined to see the whole thing through--and I still feel that way. Some days are much more difficult than others, depending on what I have going on, but I feel like this has been helping me so much both mentally and physically! I'm almost a third of the way through--it's going by quickly.


6 comments:

  1. Have you thought about sleeping with earplugs and a white noise machine? I too am a real light sleeper. They make a difference. I even have a white noise app on my phone and iPad to use when I travel. It has a nice fan noise that is similar to a white noise machine.

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    1. I do use a white noise app (I love the "airplane" noise, which is so ironic because when I'm on a plane, I hate it! haha). I haven't tried earplugs--I guess because I worry that I won't hear if the smoke alarm goes off or if the kids need me or something like that. But maybe when Jerry has a night off, I'll give it a try. Sometimes I just feel so desperate for sleep I'd do anything!

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  2. The dog trainer in me feels compelled to tell you that you don't HAVE to let Joey rule your walks. You can have sniff/smell walks, and you can have business walks. Just keep the leash short and walk at a brisk pace. If he pulls you towards things, a simple tool like a head halter can work wonders. But long story short, he does it because you allow it. :)

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    1. You are totally right in that Joey tends to rule the walks--it's just so tiring to try to change his ways! When I was running, he got really good at be "all business" during the run, and then he knew that afterward, I'd walk him and let him stop and sniff and pee all over the bushes, etc. I would enjoy my walks so much more if I could get him to separate the "business" walks and the "fun" walks. If you have tips, please share! (Or consider writing a guest post...?)

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  3. Hi Katie! I am so inspired by this and by you! I'm going to do the 75 Hard challenge myself. I will begin August 25th as it's the day after my 40th birthday. What better time to start. Ha, ha. I have been following your blog for years now and am always impressed by your honesty, sense of humor, and knowledge. I wish you the best on the rest of the challenge and look forward to your updates. Thanks, Kerri

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    1. Thank you Kerri! I've found the 75 Hard to be very hard and very easy at the same time--it's so odd. When you look at each piece individually (the diet, the exercise, simply taking a selfie, etc) it seems so easy. But when you put it all together and then do it without skipping a single item day after day, it's pretty hard!

      Your 40th birthday would be a great way to start your 40's. You'll be feeling great in no time!

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