It’s 4:30 am on Day 4 and I am reminiscing on my activity and experience on Day 3 of the 75 Hard Challenge.
To be honest, Day 3 was amazing – I was really in flow. I had tons of energy and was able to accomplish all the 75 Hard requirements by 6 pm.
The interesting thing I noticed was my ability to do more than was required.
Water
For example, my water intake. I was required to drink a gallon of water a day – a tough feat on Day 1, but one that became easier and easier once I applied a systematic process to the activity.
So instead of trying to drink 16 – 8 oz glasses of water, I drank instead 8 – 16 oz mugs of water every hour on the hour, from the time I woke up.
This equates to the following schedule:
- 4:30 am 1st mug
- 5:30 am 2nd mug
- 7:30 am 3rd mug
- 8:30 am 4th mug
- 9:30 am 5th mug
- 10:30 am 6th mug
- 2:30 pm 7th mug
- 4:30 pm 8th mug
This revised schedule and format not only ensured that I got my water in early enough during the day, but also ensured that my sleep was not interrupted by frequent bathroom trips. A big win for me and for you too – if you follow this approach.
The result was that I woke up more energized and refreshed on Day 3 than I did on Day 2 and was extremely productive.
And if I really wanted to, I could drink more water before I retired for the night. I had expanded my capacity with just a few tweaks.
Exercise
The second thing that I changed on Day 2 was my exercise schedule. Instead of fitting in my exercise at 4:30 pm(which, quite frankly, is my lowest-energy point of the day), I decided to do both my outside workout and my inside workout right after each other – when I had my highest levels of energy.
So right after my morning walk and my doggie care activities were done, I settled into my 2nd workout, which was made even that much easier by using an app. The app that I use is called Freeletics. The reason why I like it is because it has a massive database of exercise regimes that can be adapted to my fitness level, and requires no machines – just the use of my bodyweight.
As 75 Hard calls for a 45 min workout and most of Freeletics workouts are about 30 min, I had to devise an additional 15 minutes to add to complete my required time. So I filled in the 15 mins by adding yoga and plank holds. Mission accomplished.
Now the system is complete. My strategy of tackling the 75 Hard monster is working.
Final Schedule – Day 3, 75 Hard Challenge
Here’s how my Day 3 panned out:
| Time | Activity |
| 4:30 am | Wake up and drink my 1st mug of water (spiked with apple cider vinegar) |
| Take my picture using the 75 Hard App | |
| Read 10 pages | |
| Meditate / Pray for 15 mins | |
| 5:10 am | Review my plan for the day – esp. my meal plan |
| Write in my journal | |
| 5:30 am | Drink my 2nd mug |
| 6: 00 am | Go for my walk (1 hr) |
| 7:00 am | Doggie Care |
| 7:15 am | Drink my 3rd mug |
| 7:20 am – 8: 05 am | Exercise using the Freeletics App |
| 8:05 am | Take a shower and get ready for my day |
| 8:30 am | Drink my 4th mug. Prepare my coffee and breakfast smoothie |
| 9:00 am | Begin work |
| 9:30 am | Drink my 5th mug; Prepare my 6th mug |
| 10:30 am | Drink my 6th mug; Prepare my 7th mug |
| 12:30 pm | Lunch |
| 2:30 pm | Drink my 7th mug; Prepare my 8th mug |
| 3:30 pm | Afternoon snack (if required) |
| 4:30 pm | Drink my 8th mug |
| 5:00 pm | Close off work activities – Go for a short walk with the dog |
| 5:30 pm | Prepare and have dinner. |
| 9:30 pm | Bed |
As you can see, I structured the activities so that I would complete the majority early in the day when I had the most energy and least likelihood that I would be thrown off course.
Here were my meals today:
Breakfast – Green Smoothie, made of celery, cucumber, ginger, corriander
Lunch – Avocado wrap with collard greens
Mid afternoon – Handful of walnuts and an apple
Dinner – Green salad with roasted sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts
