Are you ready to take some important steps to increase your health and fitness?
I am, and today I am rolling out my plan, Stronger in 60. It is an alternative to the popular 75 Hard challenge which has been gaining steam and wild popularity lately.
My biggest goal in creating Stronger in 60 was to come up with a challenging, yet doable plan that focuses on, what I believe, to be the biggest needle-movers in building significant health and fitness. Another goal I had was to include physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of health since we are body, mind, and spirits.
Scroll down if you want to know more about 75 Hard first. But if not…drum roll…
Introducing ~ Stronger in 60
The Basics ~ Click HERE for a printable pdf:
Diet ~
Eat life-giving food.
No sugar, no junk.
Exercise ~
30 minutes. Can be broken up into 2 segments.
Water ~
Women need to drink 90 ounces of water and men 120 ounces.
Alcohol ~
No alcohol
Bible* ~
Read one chapter (see below for an option).
Gratitudes ~
Write down 3 things you are grateful for.
Custom Challenge (Choose 1) ~
Do a brain game
Kneel during prayer
Cold shower
Random act of kindness
Learn something new
Extra 30 minutes of exercise
Rules:
- The 6 tasks of the challenge (plus one additional of your choice) are to be done daily for 60 days. Kindly start over if you don’t.
- Take photo at the beginning of the challenge and weekly to track your personal progress. Beginning weight and measurements (waist, hips, thighs, middle of upper arm) are encouraged too for your own encouragement.
- Read and understand the Quick Start Guide.
- Read the disclaimer.
Quick Start Guide
Tasks Explained
Food – We all have a pretty good idea of what eating healthy is like. So focus on nutrient-dense, life-giving foods. You have heard it said “food is medicine”; so you are being encouraged to treat it as such. Avoid sugar, (i.e. desserts, donuts, sodas, pancakes), fried foods, junk foods (i.e. potato chips).
Exercise – 30 minutes of any movement of your choice. If all you want to do is walk, that is fine. However, strength workouts, stretching, and sprints are very valuable. Feel free to do more than 30 minutes whenever you feel like it.
Water – Women need to drink 90 ounces of water and men 120 ounces. Adjust up if needed based on thirst, heat and/or activity.
Be sure to space it throughout the day, so that you are always well hydrated; plus it would not be good to cram in too much at the end of the day. Coffee, tea, and other fluids do not count, but feel free to add a little fresh lemon or lime, apple cider vinegar, electrolytes, or salt to your water.
Alcohol – None.
Note: If you happen to be someone who drinks 3 or more alcoholic drinks daily, this is not the plan for you. You need to taper gradually, and possibly get medical help in quitting alcohol as it is dangerous to go cold turkey if you are a heavy drinker.
Bible* – Read a chapter of the Bible of any length daily. If you are not comfortable with this, you may substitute it with reading 5 pages of a self-improvement book.
Gratitudes – Write down 3 things that you are grateful/thankful for. You are encouraged to even say them out loud.
Custom task – Kind of like choose your own adventure. Choose from any of the 6 below:
~Do a brain game – This can be working on a jigsaw puzzle, doing Sudoku, a crossword puzzle, Wordle, etc.
~Kneel during prayer – Pray on your knees for whatever length of time you choose. This can be helpful to stay focused on prayer. It is also uncomfortable, so the sacrifice can show honor and submission to God.
~Cold shower – Add a bit (or a lot) of cold shower to your shower time for toughness and a myriad of other benefits. More on the why of this later.
~Random act of kindness – Feel free to use your imagination!
~Learn something new – Options are endless. Anything from learning a language on Duolingo, how to crochet, the rules of pickle ball, how to cook a new recipe, how to change the oil in a car, how to play a xylophone, how to juggle, and how to do a handstand.
~Extra 30 minutes of exercise – Any movement of your choice.
It doesn’t need to be the same one each day. Have fun with this task.
***Disclaimer: Please discuss with your primary care physician before starting this challenge. Do not attempt if you drink 3 or more alcoholic drinks per day, have chronic kidney disease, or any other concerning health issues without consulting with a medical professional.
75 Hard Explained, Plus My Take On It
75 Hard? It is a 75-day challenge that has been around for a few years and is picking up steam. It was created by Andy Frisella to transform mental toughness, which, Frisella asserts, in turn leads to a myriad of wonderful changes.
The following in brown is excerpted from my email newsletter sent out 6/21/23:
The 75 Hard program requires you to:
- Follow a diet of your choice that aligns with your goals, but must exclude alcohol and cheat meals.
- Do 2 workouts daily that are each 45 minutes long; one has to be done outdoors.
- Drink a gallon of water daily (128 ounces).
- Read 10 pages of a non-fiction book daily.
- Take a daily progress photo of yourself.
- And if you fail to do any of the above for 75 consecutive days you have to start over.
For me, the hardest one of those would be the TWO workouts. I think I could pull off the others, although it definitely would be a challenge.
I found out about 75 Hard a few weeks ago from a couple of my kids, then found out last week that two of them started it. Since hearing about 75 Hard I have been thinking of a challenge I could create, like Easy 77 or Simpler Summer Reset…
…the thing that most intrigued me the most was the “before and after” photos of the author of Hard 75 and a number of others who finished it. The photos showed very stark changes in the physiques, even though Frisella claims this challenge was not meant to be for weight loss or fitness. Pretty inspiring.
My 10 takes on 75 Hard –
- There seem to be 2 main types of people, those who like challenges and the structure that comes with it, and those who don’t. I am one who does well with the former, whereas one of my sisters claims she does not. (I have 3 sisters, and I am guessing that all 3 of them would say the same thing. I guess I am the anomaly in the family.) Therefore, it seems like only the challenge-lover/structure types would endure this challenge.
- Then there is the do-ability factor. Even if I wanted to do 75 Hard, I would find the exercise component too daunting.
- I don’t think requiring a daily photo is necessary.
- Drinking a gallon (edited 7/10/23: I meant to say 1/2 gallon) of water is a good idea for most as I think most people walk around dehydrated most of the time. Water is great for flushing out toxins and so many other things. However, optimal amounts would vary from person to person.
- Reading 10 pages of a non-fiction book is not only reasonable, but could be very beneficial.
- As for following a diet of your choice, this seems like a good idea too. Most people have an idea of what is healthy and not healthy. I doubt if anyone has included a bag of potato chips or a quart of ice cream in their plan. Furthermore, dietary wants and needs can vary greatly, so a diet of choice appears to be a good idea.
- Alcohol – I like this one too. Alcohol has a very short list of benefits, and an exhaustive list of negatives. Going alcohol-free for a while can help people not only achieve their goals, but also better evaluate alcohol’s place in their life.
- Cheat days might be nice for some, for others they are the first step in the downfall. Cheat days are most often setbacks. I think this is a good 75 Hard rule.
- As for strictly following the 75 Hard rules or having to start over rule, for the most part I agreed with the value of this because inconsistency and dabbling in things usually don’t get you very far. However, I have heard some people take this too far, like thinking they have to start over because of a very minor, accidental breach. For instance, someone complained that they had to start over because they took one bite of salad at a restaurant and found, to their great dismay, that their salad dressing tasted sweet and thus had sugar in it.
- Obviously many people have benefited from this challenge, but I think many others could benefit more with a more doable plan.
Although I find some of the elements of the 75 Hard intriguing and beneficial, I have spent the last few weeks thinking about, researching, and discussing with family and friends what tasks would be good to include in the health and fitness challenge I want to present to my readers, as well as do myself. In fact, I started the Stronger in 60 yesterday and I feel so accomplished!
I invite you to join me on the Stronger in 60 adventure! It’s free, fun, and challenging. I think you will be glad you did. If you would like a Stronger in 60 checklist, contact me HERE to request one, and I will send it within a few hours.
Also, sign up to belong to the Stronger in 60 FaceBook group and/or follow me on Instagram @wellnessadventure_RN for upcoming support and information. You can also get the free Stronger in 60 Checklist there too.
Also, consider signing up for my non-spammy email newsletter where I provide useful, healthful information. And it is easy to unsubscribe if you find that it is just not your thing. Sign up HERE.
Other articles I have written that you might be interested in:
