My Results and Reflections from the 75 Hard Challenge
If youāve been following me on Instagram, youāll know I just finished the 75-Hard Challenge š I had plenty of you cheering me on and I am so grateful for your support, so firstly a BIG thankyou for your messages on encouragement along the way š„°
I was actually inspired to do the 75-Hard Challenge because a couple of my girlfriends had done it. If you havenāt heard of it, you can click here to read my last blog about it! Itās more of a mental toughness challenge than a health challenge.
For 75 days you have to:
āØ Do two 45-minute workouts a day, including one outdoors
āØ drink a gallon of water a day, which is about 4 litres
āØ Read a personal development book
āØ Take a progress photo
āØ Stick to a diet ā My partner and I chose vegetarian
āØ No alcohol
If you miss a day or messed up on a day, you had to go back to day one!
After watching some of my girlfriends do it, I thought ā you know, Iām pretty healthy! šāāļø Iāve come a long way with my health over the past few years and we live a pretty healthy lifestyle, but I wanted to do it to test my discipline. I eat pretty healthily during the week, but on weekends I love a cheeky cocktail or a doughnut š
Credit: Lauren Kerr Babes in Business enjoying a beverage 75day hard challenge
Our Focus
My husband and I are both in a chapter of our lives right now weāre really focusing on business, and we canāt travel so we weāre looking for a new way to tap into our full potential and test our limits.
Before I started, the thing I was most worried about was the alcohol š I donāt drink a lot (I used to in my early 20s!!) but Iāve gotten a point in my life where I will enjoy a cocktail or two when Iām out on the weekend š¹ I drink pretty consistently but I donāt drink a lot I donāt think Iāve done more than a few weeks without alcohol since I was a teenager, so I was pretty impressed with myself to last 75 days.
I shared my experience along the way on Instagram and had a lot of you reach out to ask how the experience was for me. So here is some of the answers to your questions, some tips and my results!
After completing my 75 days, Iāve drunk 75 gallons of water, completed 150 workouts (many in the rain! š§), I read 8 books and had no alcohol or junk food (I will confess, I did have lollies one day š BUT āš¼ they were vegetarian and had no gelatine in them so I decided that wasnāt technically cheating š
).
Although I did the challenge as a mental test, I did notice some physical changesā¦
Credit: Lauren Kerr 75hard challenge before/after
Credit: Lauren Kerr 75hard challenge before/after
75 Day Hard Challenge Results Before and After
Before I started, I did a body scan at the gym and then retested halfway and again at the end.
This was never about weight for me, I actually wanted to put on some weight, tone up and gain muscle šŖ I ended up putting on a half a kilo, and I gained centimetres around my arms, legs and butt, which I was super happy about š¤© I lost some centimetres around my waist and I did go down in body fat too š
If I tried to do the 75hard challenge 5 years ago, I have no doubt I would have failed. Many of you didnāt see or know me back then, so I donāt want you to compare your chapter one with my chapter 21. I have come such a long way thanks to all the education and support from the Healthstyle Emporium, and health is a lifestyle for me now.
I move my body because it makes me feel strong, energetic, positive, clear and reduces my anxiety š I donāt look at calories, I eat nourishing and wholesome foods because it nourishes and fuels my body with energy AND tastes yummy š„ But if I want to have a doughnut, Iāll have a doughnut š© If I want to have a cocktail, Iāll have a cocktail šø I LOVE to read.
Itās something I seriously just enjoy doing these days! So all in all most of the 75 hard was what I was already doingā¦ I just would be excessive and disciplined about it every dayā¦ instead intuitive and honouring how my body feels.
BUT that was the pointā¦
This challenge was about showing up and being disciplined everyday! Not just the days you felt like it or had the time to do two work outsā¦or when the sun was shining š. Trust me - there were many days where I didnāt āfeel likeā running or walking in the rain and wind.
Especially when Gold Coast had an weather event with torrential rain and floods for a whole week š¤¦š¼āāļø I still tried to honour my body though, especially as a women through my cycle if I needed to be a little more gentle on my body I would choose to walk instead of run, yoga instead of the gym and I even picked up dancing again to mix things up š
Credit: Lauren Kerr - 75 Days Hard Challenge
The Biggest Challengeā¦
The biggest challenge for me five years ago would probably have been the food. I had a really bad relationship with food and looked at all foods as either good ā or bad ā.
Even trying to eat plant based or vegetarian diets would have left me confused on what I could actually eat! It wasnāt until I joined the Healthstyle Emporium that I realised eating healthy didnāt mean I had to cut out all my favourite foods. Iāve learnt there are healthy alternatives for everything, and itās okay to eat the foods we love in moderation āŗļø
While I enjoy a drink or two on the weekends now, I used to binge drink pretty much every weekend five years ago š³ I used alcohol as a way to manage emotions. When I felt shit, had a bad day at work or just wanted to lose myself, I would reach for alcohol or a weekend out with the girls to just get drunk and let of some steam š rather than learning healthier ways to manage stress like I do now - exercise, journalling, meditation, deep breathing, understanding and honouring my cycle and hormones.
Itās so important not to play the comparison gameā¦
The 75 Day Challenge is Too Hard
To all the girls out there thinking the 75 Hard Challenge is too intense or difficult, this is your reminder that everyone is at a different stage of their health journey. While I would have struggled with the challenge at 23, the 2.5 months honestly wasnāt difficult for me at 28 šāāļø It was inconvenient and there were days where I really didnāt feel like sticking to it, but I still made it through pretty easily.
Mix It Up Thenā¦
If youāre someone that still has a while to go on your health and wellness journey, I probably wouldnāt recommend throwing yourself into the deep end with this challenge ā Instead, try moving your body because it feels good ā not because youāre punishing it for a big meal, one too many drinks or because itās been a while since your last workout š
Skip The Dietā¦ Try Educationā¦
Skip the diet and educate yourself about nutrition, so you learn to enjoy and eat nourishing foods because you want to fuel your body with the energy you need to get through the day! š The funny thing is too - once you start to eat better and cut out processed foods and refined sugar - your taste pallet changes and it starts to crave more of the good stuff making is not only easier to eat better but you actually prefer the taste of wholesome plant based meals and treats š«š¤¤
Make Time for You!
My highest value is freedom, so the biggest thing for me is during this time was the mental game of knowing I was restricting myself! I believe everything is okay in moderation! Weāre not going to look back on our deathbed and be grateful that we never ate a doughnut!
But when we feel good, we do good š„° Some of the best days of our lives are in front of us, and if we donāt have our health, weāre not putting ourselves in the best position to enjoy them āØ
Reflecting
I realised just how far Iāve come in the past few years when I realised that many of the things in this challenge were already part of my life.
The day after finishing, I still went for a 10km run, read a whole book and drunk my 4L of water š¦ The one thing that will be changing now that Iāve finished is that I will be treating myself to a cocktail when I feel like it š Why? Because I enjoy it! And thatās a good enough reason if you ask me š¤·āāļø
I think thatās a really important point for us to consider though.
Why do you drink alcohol?
Is it because you feel like you need it to be fun and social?
Do you do it be outgoing?
Do you do it to manage your feelings and emotions?
The same thing applies to sugar! š¬ I used to reach for sugar to treat myself after ābeing goodā, or when I was feeling down or at the end of a long and stressful day. Cutting these things out of your life gives you the opportunity to reflect on the relationship you have with them šāāļø
Why are you doing the challenge?
If you decide to do the 75 Hard Challenge, I encourage you to consider if youāre doing it for the right reasons before you start ā
Are you doing it to starve yourself?
Are you doing it to punish yourself?
Are you doing it to lose weight?
I would say that these may be the wrong reasons to do a challenge like this!
I think itās far more beneficial to do the 75 Hard Challenge to test things like discipline and unlock your full potential.
Read More: My Goal for 2021 and Why 75Hard Challenge
Key Reflection Points
There are a few things I reflected on at the end of my time in the challenge that I would love to share with you āØ
I think weāre all capable of doing anything we set our minds to šŖ Too many people say things like āIāll try that!ā or āIāll give it a go!ā, but that to me sounds like youāre half in-half out. I honestly believe that all it takes to be successful is to completely commit and throw yourself in whole heartedly š
Structure is your freedom! I think some of the reasons the 75 Hard Challenge was so easy for me is because I had structure. First thing in the morning I did my first workout. I made sure I drunk 1L of water before my first workout. I made sure I drunk 2L of water before lunch. I made sure I read my 10 pages every night before I went to bed. Itās the same in business or anything really! Structure helps you gets more done in less time, so that youāve got my white space to enjoy the things you like.
.Donāt make it about how you look ā focus on how you feel! Think about how it feels to feel strong, energised and prioritised. Youāre worth being an inconvenience! I see so many people put themselves and their health on the back burner, but youāre not going to be able to achieve anything if you donāt have your health!
.Surround yourself with people that have the same values as you. I did this challenge because I was inspired by some of my girlfriends that had gone ahead and done the same thing before me. It was also easier doing 75 Hard Challenge because I was surrounded by other people that also value their health, personal development and self-discipline š It wasnāt hard to have fun on the weekends, have friends over or go out for dinners, because there was no peer pressure or bullying for what I was doing and I wouldnāt be drinking or couldnāt eat what they wereā¦ They respected what I was doing and knew it was important to me. If youāre delaying doing a challenge like this (or anything in life!) because youāre worried about what your friends might think or say, it could be a sign that you need to rethink the people you spend your time with.
Credit: Lauren Kerr 75Hard Challenge Poolside
Most Importantlyā¦
Like Iāve said, Iām a big believer of anything in moderation! My husband and I celebrated finishing the 75 hard with a little Island getaway where I enjoyed lots of cheese, wine and a donut for breakfastā¦with absolutely no guilt ā”ļø
Test yourself, push your boundaries and further your growth, but remember to take a moment to enjoy the little things in life too š
