What is it that separates us?
Why are some people brimming with confidence and self-assurance, while others struggle with overwhelming self-doubt?
How is it that some people achieve the dream life they desire, while most languish in mediocrity?
These were questions I'd always contemplated.
We're made to believe that confidence and self-belief are traits that a lucky few are born with.
Well, I'm here to tell you that is bullshit.
So will anyone else who's completed 75 Hard.
Confidence is earned.
It comes from every small decision we make throughout the day, from choosing to get up with our alarm clock or snooze it, to what we feed our bodies, to the tasks we accomplish.
When we do what we know we're supposed to - whether it's going for a run or making that call - we are keeping a promise made to ourselves.
Want to know how to develop supreme confidence, self-belief and self-assurance?
Make it your life's work to keep as many of those promises as you can.
You'll be rewarded financially, physically and mentally more than you could ever imagine.
Back on March 22, 2020, I decided to make developing self-confidence and mental toughness my biggest priority.
While the world went to shit, I had a clear purpose, and it allowed me to remain unshakably calm and level-headed throughout the current Coronavirus crisis.
You've probably heard me mention 75 Hard before.
The guy below, Andy Frisella, deserves the upmost credit for creating it (completely free).
The program, lasting seventy-five days, entails the following:
1) Two 45 minute workouts, at least one of which has to be outdoors
2) Stick unwaveringly to a diet
3) Drink a gallon of water
4) Read 10+ pages of an informative book
5) Take a progress picture
There are a few more fine details (outlined below, and in Andy's 75 Hard podcast).
Yesterday, June 4, I got up at 6am, went for morning cycle and swim in the sea, did an afternoon home workout, and an evening run. I then came home, cooked and ate my last clean meal of the day, took my final progress picture, finished my gallon, read, and collapsed into bed at around 11pm.
After just over two months and two weeks, I'd finally completed 75 Hard.
My body was exhausted, but my personal happiness was at an all-time high.
DESPITE everything going in in the world right now.
I'd proven the power of keeping promises to myself.
It felt fucking great.
To me, 75 Hard is the best program for cultivating mental toughness out there.
It is relentless - zero cheat meals, or rest days, or room for negotiation - and you will be pushed to your limits.
If you're not, then you're not doing the program properly.
There were days when the LAST thing I wanted to do was to get out and run.
Days when I rolled out of bed tired and aching, knowing that I had two workouts to grind out.
But those were the days when I felt most satisfied once I'd completed my tasks, knowing I'd overcome another big hurdle.
I'm not saying you must do 75 Hard.
Of course I'd recommend it, but there are many ways in which you can push yourself and boost your confidence.
Here are some of the biggest lessons I learned doing it:
Always Take The Harder Path
This is how you grow in all areas of life.
Too many people look for the easy way - they want to make the most money with the least effort, or sculpt a great body without doing the work.
75 Hard teaches you that the path of most resistance gleans the best results.
For example, when you're out on a run, and you can choose either the easy, flat path, or the gruelling hill, you shouldn't even hesitate (the mental toughness gained by running up hills is unparalleled).
If you're doing sprints, run flat out right up to the line, without pulling up short.
If you're lifting weights, don't skimp out on those last few reps - they're the hardest, but also where the REAL growth happens (physical and mental).
There Are SO Many Benefits To Eating Well
You might think you already know this, but you can't truly appreciate it until you completely cut out unhealthy food and drinks for an extended period of time - and also drink your gallon of water!
Obviously, your body looks better, but you'll also notice improvements in your digestion, your energy levels (this is VITAL to smash all your workouts), your focus, and even your skin.
The latter, for someone like myself who has struggled with spots for years, was a massive boost.
What's more, sticking to a diet for seventy-five days isn't as hard as you'd think.
Before starting 75 Hard, most people think that avoiding all alcohol, fizzy drinks, crisps, biscuits, sweets, chocolate, pizza etc is almost impossible.
Sure, there are moments of temptation, but once you get into the habit of choosing healthy foods, it becomes much, much easier.
When You Think You've Given 100%, You've Only Given 40%
If you're eight reps into a set of ten, and you think you can't finish those last two reps, you can actually do five more.
Pushing yourself to your limits is controlled by your mindset.
Before 75 Hard, the thought of doing two full-on workouts in a day was alien to me, let alone seventy-five times in a row - I did some exercise virtually every day, but twice a day was rare.
But during 75 Hard - particularly towards the end - there were days in which I often completed three workouts, such as a home workout, two hour football session, and run on Day 71.
I remember that day well, feeling absolutely shattered after the first two workouts, and really having to galvanise myself to push through the run.
You need to realise when limits are self-imposed, and when they are real.
Appreciate Your Local Area
Making at least one of the 75 Hard workouts outdoors was a stroke of genius by Andy Frisella.
During the current crisis and quarantine, the temptation has never been stronger to stay at home all day and watch Netflix.
After all, we're being instructed to stay away from others, and to keep our social distance.
I can honestly say that getting out of the house for my outdoor workout has helped keep me sane during all of this.
Whether I've been out walking, running, or cycling, it's helped my mental health immeasurably. .
I've also been able to explore places in my local area I've never even been to before, and might otherwise have never seen.
I love finding new places out in nature and, during quarantine, taking the time to appreciate it has helped bring me a sense of calm and gratitude.
Proving Stuff To Yourself Is 10X More Important Than Proving It To Anyone Else
Yep, you might publish your 'Before' and 'After' progress pictures on social media (I won't be, only on the Something Extra of this post), and a bunch of your friends and family might congratulate you for it.
That's absolutely fine - you've worked hard, and seeking a bit of recognition is natural.
But those friends and family members weren't there with you on Day 29 when it was pissing down with rain, and you were still out running.
They weren't there on Day 54 when your left calf and right wrist hurt so fucking bad, but you kept pushing through your workout.
No, the only person who was there with you through ALL of it, was you.
Completing 75 Hard proves to YOURSELF exactly how tough you are, because only you were there through everything.
There are so many defining moments that you'll experience if you undertake this program, and only you will know how you dealt with them.
If you chose to sneakily eat that bar of chocolate, or cut your run just two minutes short of 45, nobody else will know.
But that's the simplistic beauty of 75 Hard: the only person you'll be cheating is you.
You won't really come out of it mentally tougher, fitter, and more confident, because you tried to fake your way through the program.
I couldn't think of anything worse.
You Don't Have Enough Clothes
Particularly sports ones.
Trust me, if you're working hard, you'll sweat through your wardrobe during 75 Hard, especially when out in the summer heat.
You don't want to be constantly doing washing, either, so bite the bullet and buy some more workout gear.
A good tip to save washing is also to work out topless, if you can and are comfortable doing so.
Thanks me later.
Outside Exercise Is The Greatest Drug On Earth
The feeling of battling through rain, sun, wind, or hail (as you inevitably will at some point) is tough, but it's also immensely gratifying being the only person outside getting it done through adverse conditions.
Some of my favourite workouts involved running through wind so strong it nearly knocked me back, or doing a legs workout outdoors drenched in rain, simply because I knew that very few other people would be out there, doing the same.
Those are the moments in which you gain ground on others.
On days when I've felt like utter shit, physically and/or mentally, my mood was often completely transformed by getting outside.
Even if you don't do 75 Hard, remember this: if you ever feel truly despondent, or depressed, force yourself to get out of the house, even if it's only for a ten minute stroll.
Make It A Lifestyle
I'm not saying I'm going to workout multiple times daily for the rest of my life.
Rest is important, but not as much as we convince ourselves it is.
All too often, people hide behind the fact that they 'need rest' as an excuse for not exercising.
Nor will I say that I'll never drink alcohol or eat chocolate ever again.
In fact, I believe that completely cutting such things out of life is actually a sign of weakness.
It shows that you can't exercise enough self-control to limit yourself when indulging in such treats, so you have to go cold turkey.
But they are treats, and therefore should be a) earned, and b) had in moderation.
I've dealt with my own experiences of over-indulgence and binge-eating, and don't ever want to return to such a sorry state again.
So, moving on from 75 Hard, I want to make its life-changing habits, well, lifelong.
Right now, as I write this blog, I'm sipping away at my gallon of water.
I'll hardly change my diet, except for lowering the number of calories consumed if I'm not exercising quite as much.
But this evening, while I watch a film with my family, I'm planning on eating some chocolate.
And I'll savour every bite.
It will feel deserved.
But it will be in moderation.
It's very hard to put the amazing, incredible feeling of 75 Hard into words.
It really is something you have to experience for yourself, and it makes you want to keep your positive momentum going strong.
Hence Phases 1, 2 & 3, as you'll soon see.
;)
Remember that You'll Never Walk Alone.
Until the next time...
Alex (N.Y.A.)
Something Extra
People often underestimate precisely how much work goes in to achieving your goals, particularly in fitness.
It takes so much hard work, discipline, and patience, that most simply give up, right before they're about to have a breakthrough.
Throughout my own journey, I completed 75 home workouts, 34 runs, 15 football sessions, 13 garden workouts, 11 walks, 7 cycles, and 3 swims.
But the true transformation of 75 Hard isn't visible.
It takes place in your mind.
However, the physical transformation is also important, as a visual manifestation of your hard work.
As promised, here is mine:
And that's a wrap.
75 Hard is one of the biggest achievements of my life.
I challenge you to make it one of yours.