75 Hard

We made it through the 75 Hard Challenge!

Here are the daily rules. For 75 days:

• Two 45-minute workouts (one must be outside, no matter what)

• Follow a diet

• Drink a gallon of water

• Read 10+ pages (non-fiction, audiobooks don’t count)

• Take a progress picture

• No alcohol or cheat meals

I did it for a few reasons.

1. I want my boys to look at me and see Superman for as long as possible. 

I know my appearance doesn’t have everything to do with that but it’s a piece I can control. There will come a day when they no longer think I am cool or as close to a superhero as it gets. I hope completing this kicks that can down the road just a few months further.

1. I want to be healthy long term.

I have had digestive junk for 15 years. I have old rodeo injuries that have always lingered. I thought those were just the facts of life or the consequences of choices I made that I have to live with.

I chose to be proactive on fixing what I can and understanding what I cannot.

Over the last year:

I took a blood food allergy test. I now understand the things I am allergic to and I know the consequences if I eat a ton of them. I understand better what foods allow my body to function well and heal itself.

I saw a holistic doctor weekly to heal my gut and old injuries as much as possible. I had muscles all over my body that needed attention so they could function without scar tissue and other hindrances. 

I realized I had a substantial amount of parasites throughout my body and I have gotten rid of most of them. 

I am reading books about sleep and hormones to better understand how to function as well as I can for as long as I can.

I chose health. I began to feel better but I wanted a shot in the arm to look better aka leaner. So I chose this challenge.

1. I wanted to look better naked.

I had the thought enter my head at a swimming pool that I was embarrassed to take my 

shirt off. I didn’t like how my clothes were fitting. I had never felt those feelings before. So, I chose doing the hard things to look better naked for my wife and myself.

1. My close group of friends decided to do it.

My Eagles Group decided they wanted to do it. I had FOMO and those guys know how to push me. Success leaves clues. One of the clues is to surround yourself with people that lift you up, hold you accountable, and are there for you when it is hard. That is what these guys are. This was not easy. But we leaned on each other. Made fun of each other. Celebrated with each other. They are my secret weapon. 

Steven Willis:

Josh Wilson:

Jason Barker:

Tanner Noble:

What surprised me?

How fun it was to run or explore on work trips and vacations. In the past, I would be fairly sedentary on work trips and vacations outside of the planned activities. This forced me to spend time outside seeing things I never saw before. Check out some of the pictures I collected.

How much presence and shoulder to shoulder time I got with my wife and boys. My boys love for me to do something active with them with no other distractions. I am embarrassed to admit how hard that is to do sometimes. We got a ton of that during the challenge.

How hard it was to get 2 workouts in every day. There were some really challenging days and nights. Be prepared!

What will I keep?

I will keep at least a weekly run of 3 miles. Outside of lifting, this makes me feel in shape and capable. I have developed a good rhythm of lifting 5 times a week but I need a little more cardio in my life.

Intentional active time with my boys. We just started a weekly Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class together. That’s a start. 

Drinking more water. I won’t drink a gallon but I will drink a lot more than I used to. I feel a lot better.