Today (March 2nd, 2023) is the first day of 75 Hard: Phase 2 for me! I’m excited. I love this program and the whole philosophy of thought that went into the whole experience. If you’re not familiar with 75 Hard OR the Live Hard Program, I encourage you to check it out, and it’s creator (Andy Frisella), HERE.
First off, I want can’t stress this enough…THIS PROGRAM IS ABSOLUTELY FREE! It costs you ZERO…ZILCH…NADA! Sure, you can purchase Andy’s book, 75 Hard: The Tactical Guide To Winning The War With Yourself, but…you don’t have to. You can also purchase the 75 Hard App for your phone (which helps you track you progress while on the program), but you don’t have to. You can do and learn everything about this program by simply reading Andy’s website OR any number of blog posts, social media posts, or articles on the subject. Just Google “75 Hard”. You can also listen to, and follow, Andy’s “Real AF” podcast. Great information over there as well. (*Note: If you have sensitive ears…be aware…Andy’s language is…well…colorful!)
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS THE LIVE HARD PROGRAM?
Glad you asked. The Live Hard Program was designed by Andy Frisella to help people cultivate the best version of themselves. The overall program is broken down into 4 parts: 75 Hard, Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3.
75 HARD:
The first part of the Live Hard Program is 75 Hard. During 75 Hard, participants must: 1) Follow a diet; 2) Do two 45-minute workouts (one must be outside); 3) Take a progress picture; 4) Read 10 pages of a self-help book; 5) Drink a gallon of water; AND 6) NO CHEAT MEALS OR ALCOHOL! All 6 of these tasks must be done EVERY DAY FOR 75 DAYS!
By following a diet, you begin to condition yourself to live a nutritionally healthy lifestyle. I’ve chosen to count calories. It’s been amazing. My family and I have also agreed that we want to get rid of as many processed foods and preservatives as possible, so we’ve been doing the majority of our grocery shopping at local Farmers Markets and Produce Stands. Our overall diet has changed drastically, and the improvements to health from these changes have been phenomenal.
The workouts you do can be any workout (cardio, strength, yoga, etc.) you want. The only stipulation is that you must perform one of the workouts OUTSIDE! Andy is big on getting outside. We live in a society that does too much INSIDE! Another reason for the outside workout is so that we will get accustomed to working through change. I’ve learned to workout in 110 degree temperatures and in 17 degree snowing weather. We can’t let things outside of our control keep us from doing our best…or getting better!
The progress picture does just that…it helps you to better document your health progress. I didn’t realize how beneficial this task was. It’s one thing to see the physical changes on a scale, but it brings a whole new dimension to the process when you can see the changes day by day. (*Note…I take both a front pic (which is expected) AND a side picture. Seeing the body transformation from the side is huge!*)
Reading 10 pages of a self help or non-fiction book has been the hardest part of the whole process…but it’s been the most rewarding. As a person with dyslexia, reading is one of my LEAST FAVORITE things in the world to do. BUT…I’ve learned to overcome my dislike for reading because of the amount of knowledge I’ve gained over the past 9 months. I actually look forward to reading now. I still struggle (when my brain corrects the mistakes it makes as it reads I get tired…fast), but I push through because I love the acquired knowledge I gain as I read. I read mostly Christian themed books, so my relationship with Christ has grown at a rapid rate. I also read quite a few self development books, and they help my overall performance and interaction with others. The reason for this task is to help the person taking part in the Live Hard Program (or 75 Hard) to grow their knowledge base. As we gain wisdom, we gain confidence. As we gain confidence, we begin to hold ourselves to a higher standard. As we hold ourselves to a higher standard, success (in whatever we do) comes easier because we can better think on our feet and adjust our strategies as needed to meet and exceed the tasks at hand.
OK…I lied. The drinking of the gallon of water is the hardest part. Y’all…if you choose to do 75 Hard (and then Live Hard), you’re gonna pee A LOT!!! But, it keeps your hydration levels up, it curbs your appetite, and it improves the health of your skin. ‘Nuff Said!
The “No Cheating” is a “No Brainer”! If you cheat on any part of the program, you’ll let yourself down. Even if you never tell anyone you cheated and you let them think you did the entire program correctly…you’ll know…and you’ll hate yourself for it. The “No Alcohol” aspect has actually not been hard at all. Living clean has been a blessing.
Phases 1, 2, and 3 must be completed within one year of starting 75 Hard. It has been my observation that most people who complete 75 Hard do not go on to do the entire Live Hard Program. The benefits of 75 Hard alone are amazing and extremely beneficial to anyone who completes the program. It’s worth noting here, 75 Hard and the Live Hard Program ARE NOT A WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM!!! What it does is challenges you to begin to think differently. As you progress through the 75 days, you will start noticing a mindset shift. You begin to better understand your limits…and how to put habits and strategies in place to push through those limits. It is a physical and mental fitness program. For my 10 pages of reading, I focus on Christian teachings, so for me, 75 Hard (and the Live Hard Program) has been a physical, mental, AND SPIRITUAL fitness program. It’s been amazing!
PHASE 1:
In Phase 1, participants of the Live Hard Program perform the exact same tasks as we did in 75 Hard, BUT we add A) A 5 minute cold shower each day; B) 10 minutes of self visualization; and C) 3 Daily Tasks! This is done for 30 days (not 75). The reason for the 5 minute cold shower is to make yourself uncomfortable. Life throws us into uncomfortable situations all the time. Most of us get discouraged, anxious, angry, or fearful when we enter a situations that is uncomfortable and we generally quit whatever task we are pursuing. The cold shower helps us to better understand that we can handle discomfort. The 10 minutes of self visualization help us to better plan for our future. For me, it allows me to create a roadmap to success. As I visualize, I begin to see how I will accomplish certain tasks that will help me conquer and crush my milestones. This is a lifelong skill as my milestones are always being crushed and new ones (more beneficial ones) take there place. And the 3 daily tasks are created to help us begin to establish good habits that will help us be more successful in all we do.
PHASE 2:
Phase 2 has the exact same tasks as 75 Hard. No extra tasks…only the original 6 tasks. The only stipulation is that it MUST be done 30 days AFTER Phase 1. The purpose for this is so that you practice patience and build the skill of waiting. What happens in that 30 days between Phase 1 and Phase 2 is up to you…but I’d suggest maintaining the habits you acquired in Phase 1 and 75 Hard. Maybe you don’t workout twice a day every day…but you need to workout on a regular basis. Phase 2 only lasts 30 days. As of the writing of this post…I started Phase 2 today!
PHASE 3:
Phase 3 MUST start 30 days before the one year anniversary of you starting 75 Hard. In other words, the last day of Phase 3 will be exactly a year from the time you started 75 Hard. Live Hard is a year long process. Phase 3 includes all of the tasks that happen in Phase 1 PLUS you have to have a complete conversation (not “Hi! How are you?”) with a random stranger (someone you’ve never met before) AND you must perform a random act of kindness (that must be journaled). This gets you used to stepping outside your comfort zone… and it allows you to work on your interpersonal skills.
So there is, in a very brief nutshell, what I’ve been doing for the better part of a year. I can’t wait to see the overall results on May 15th of this year when I complete the Live Hard Program. I’m not just talking about the weight loss, which is a welcome benefit, but more importantly the new man the program has helped me to become. The mindset shift, the fitness regimen, the overall lifestyle reset, and most importantly…the greater focus on all things Jesus! I can’t wait to see what God does through the new Mitch in the coming months…years…decades! Blessings.
~Mitch
Pivot Then Live It 
WordPress is doing it’s “A-To-Z” blogging challenge again starting in April. My theme for this year is about “75 Hard”. Hopefully I can finish the whole month blogging about it..even better if I can last the whole 75 days doing the challenge.
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Awesome!!! Focus on the end result (new view of life, relationships, health, building knowledge), that way when doubt attempts to creep in, you can ignore it.
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