The Honeymoon is Over

I have made it two weeks into the 75 Hard Challenge and it’s official….the honeymoon is over. The excitement of doing something new and the fun of a fresh adventure has worn off and now it’s just one day to the next of doing these 5 daily challenges.

In case you aren’t familiar, here is a recap of the challenge and the things I have to do each day. It’s harder than I expected in some ways and easier in others. But isn’t that how these things go? You really can’t know how something will hit your life until you try it.

In some ways I’ve figured out a routine with it, but let me tell you that when it’s time for that second workout I never want to do it. NEVER. I have to convince myself each time. And truthfully, I have no intention of incorporating two workouts into my life when this is over. BUT I do appreciate that I have proved to myself that I can. And having to do one of the workouts outside has been a challenge. I have already had to figure it out when traveling or if it’s raining. A few days ago it was pouring outside and I still had to do my outdoor workout. Thankfully I have a big front porch so I paced up and down that porch for 45 minutes. If I didn’t have that I guess I’d just get my umbrella and walk outside like a crazy person.

But I am already tired of it. I am ready to stop. I think that’s the real challenge though, pushing past that. Since I have determined that I want to be in the 75 Hard club I am going to have to find ways to find joy in it for another 61 days. Thats two more months. Yikes.

Also, because you may be wondering, I have not lost weight. Since last October I have lost 60 pounds, but none since July. I wasn’t sure why it was so stalled, but I assumed the 75 Hard would kick in back into gear. But so far it hasn’t. What’s interesting though is that I am definitely slimming down, despite no weight loss. My body is responding, just not in pounds. I’m trying not to get frustrated about that. I have another 35 pounds to lose to hit my goal weight. I do believe I’ll get there, it’s just a lot slower than I want (thanks hormones).

I tell you this because I want to give a very clear picture of what this challenge is like. Every day in my social media stories I share how I finished the challenge for that day. But those accomplishment posts don’t tell the whole story, like how my cravings have been intense or how my legs don’t work for an hour after I ride the bike in the morning. Or how many times I have to stop what I’m doing and rush to the bathroom because of all the water I’m drinking. This isn’t glamorous.

At this point it’s all mental, which is definitely where I need to grow. I definitely need to improve my mental and emotional strength. The creator of this challenge calls it a mental fitness challenge and I would agree. I am happy with it and planning to keep going until the end even though I don’t feel like it. And I would encourage anyone to do it. I can see that it has already made changes in me that I want to keep working on. For instance, I am more peaceful. There’s something about doing a hard thing that you know is good for you that gives a sense of peace. And, like I said, my body is making good changes and that’s encouraging. So I am going to keep pushing through.

Maybe I need to do what they say when marriage gets hard, remember why I did it in the first place and focus on that. ♥️ And please don’t let me discourage you from trying it! I think this is exactly what I needed and maybe you need it too!