75 Sustainable Challenge (A 75 hard alternative)

For the past few years I’ve been tempted to try the 75 Hard Challenge SO many times. If you know me, you know I LOVE a good challenge. And I love the concept of mental toughness behind the original 75 Hard Challenge.

HOWEVER, I know that while maybeeee I could complete 75 Hard…it wouldn’t really be sustainable for me long term. And after 33 years of life, I’ve tried enough “quick fixes” to know that I don’t want to do them anymore. It’s one thing to do a challenge, it’s a whole different ballgame to develop long lasting healthy habits.

So I did a little brainstorm- “I feel the best when____” and listed all the things I need to feel *my* best. I then used that brainstorm to develop my own “rules” for a 75 day challenge, keeping sustainability in mind.

For example, instead of doing two 45 minute workouts like the original suggests, I’ll do a 30 minute workout (walking/stretching/yoga counts too!) and I’ll meet my step goal. That’s something I can do (most days) for the rest of my life, where as there is no way I can commit to 1.5 hours of daily exercise for years to come. I can always do more, if I feel like it!

*Important*: I chose things that make ME feel my best- what makes you feel good might be totally different (and that’s okay!) I included my version as well as a blank template so you can fill in what would be most beneficial to you.

Click here to download your free 75 Sustainable Challenge printables!

Over a year later and I am coming back with even more intentional and specific goals and am attempting a summer version I called “Show Up 75”. Same general idea 😉 I talked about it more on my most recent substack post.

Click here to download the “Show Up 75” printable!

My personal 75 Sustainable Challenge “rules”:

Like I mentioned above, feel free to change things to make this challenge most beneficial to you. But if you’re looking for some ideas…here is my plan!

Up at 5:30: This is the one I’m least excited about and I almostttt didn’t include. BUT I am without a DOUBT a better mom and happier person when I wake up before my kids. So it’s time to make it a habit!

Movement: I will be doing a 30 minute workout everyday AND meeting my step goal. I’m also going to challenge myself to make 3 of those days strength training. I’m a cardio girl and would prefer to ride my Peloton everyday, but strength training is so important for longevity, so I’m going to make myself do it. (I use an old garmin watch to track my steps and the step goal gets progressively higher each day I meet my goal. I’m starting at 4,000ish, so nothing too crazy!)

Get ready: I’m going to take a picture of my outfit each day…for a few reasons. 1. I feel so much better about myself when I look decent. How I feel about myself affects how I treat others. So while it seems trivial, it is important to me & 2. I want to start wearing all of the clothes in my closet and putting together actual outfits instead of wearing a t shirt and jeans everyday. I think it will be a good way of developing contentment with my wardrobe.

Me time: This can be reading, journaling, a solo outing, whatever. It just has to be 30 minutes of time to myself to do something that I enjoy.

Nutrition: This was a tricky category for me… I don’t want to go on a diet (again, not sustainable long term) so I’m going to focus on ADDING in protein and plants. I figure if I set a goal for each of these, I will be filling up on good stuff and won’t be as snacky. My goal is 100 grams of protein (or more!) and 6 servings of “plants” (fruits/veggies/legumes) a day.

Environment: I always feel better when my environment is somewhat tidy and clean. So I’m going to commit to 15 minutes of daily focused cleaning (outside of the normal tidying, dishes, etc)

8+ hours unplugged: One of my 23 for 2023 goals is to spend 2023 intentional hours OFF my phone. From the time I have spent doing this so far, it has been a game changer! I feel much more present and have found myself “finding” pockets of time throughout the day, so I’d like to continue this habit.

I think that’s all! Let me know if you have any questions or if you want to join me! 🙂

Tap or hover on any image to pin and save for later.