While simple, the rules created by Andy Frisella in 2019 are quite obviously incredibly demanding. For 75 days you must keep up the following rules, and the real kicker is that if you fall off any of these for just one day you start from day one again.

• Complete one outdoor 45-minute workout per day
• Complete one indoor 45-minute workout per day
• Stick to a diet (any diet of your choice)
• Drink one gallon of water a day (approximately 4.5 litres)
• No alcohol
• No cheat meals
• Take daily progress pictures
• Read 10 pages of a non-fiction book

Please consult your GP or other health care professional before attempting the 75 Hard Challenge

The morning I was due to start the challenge (3^rd January which would bring me to a finish date of 17^th March), my brain went into overdrive concocting a hundred different reasons why I shouldn’t embark on this challenge.

The loudest ones screamed that I didn’t possess the mental strength to see me through those 75 days. I had convinced myself my bigger body would fail me, that I would crash and burn because these kinds of challenges aren’t made for people like me. How was I going to make it past a week if I didn’t know how to make it through a day?

I discovered a lot during the process of this challenge, but the biggest takeaway was that for any effective change to happen you need two things: consistency and discipline. Neither of which I possessed on January 3^rd.

5 things the 75 Hard Challenge taught me

1.Time is the key

It took me all of two days to realize it was a privilege to have the time to actually undertake 75 Hard. On paper, the challenge suggests that you’re only actively working out for 1.5 hours, but the reality is a lot longer.

If I was getting up at 7am, by the time I had completed my indoor and outdoor workouts, made something nutritious and set myself up for the day, I wasn’t opening my laptop before midday.

As a freelance journalist, I was afforded the luxury of flexibility, but if you had a full-time office-based job, this challenge is nearly impossible. Time is your biggest hurdle in 75 Hard, and depending on how much capacity you have to put in is how much you’re getting out of this challenge.

2. Walking is winning

I stuck to the same outdoor workout everyday, which was walking. I wouldn’t say I was fond of walking at the beginning of this challenge. While it is one of the best exercises you can do for weight loss, in a bigger body it isn’t always one foot in front of the other. I have experienced back pain from walking, weak ankles, and knee pain, so I was intimidated by the prospect of pounding the pavement everyday.

The way I combatted this anxiety was by repeating the same walk. I worked out the timings of the walk by breaking it down into ten-minute chunks; in doing so I was only able to think about that time limit.

Billie would go on daily walks

What I discovered is that the more you walk, the less painful it becomes on your body. Now, walking has become one of my favorite parts of my day. Sure, I’m still puffing (heavily) on an incline but the challenge allowed a switch from dread to something that made me feel physically and mentally better.

3. Eating isn’t cheating

Billie stuck to a sustainable calorie deficit as opposed to a ’diet’

You’re supposed to stick to a ‘diet’ on the challenge, but I didn’t as I knew this would be my downfall. My job as a freelance journalist means being present at events that often involve food, so instead of wiping myself from that environment entirely, I chose to follow a calorie deficit and consider exactly what my body needed, as opposed to just what I wanted to eat.

Just remember that you expel a lot of energy working out as many times as you do during the 75 Hard Challenge, and energy out means you need energy in. Don’t fall into the trap I did at the beginning, where I took on such a substantial calorie deficit that I wasn’t getting enough food in to power me through the day. You can be in a calorie deficit, but make it sustainable.

And be smart with your nutrition; I opted for protein-dense meals to keep me fuller for longer, but I didn’t cut out any foods entirely, so long as they fitted into my calorie allowance. If I wanted pasta for dinner one night a week, that wasn’t off the cards.

4. Strength isn’t just physical

There were countless days I wanted to give up. Days where my schedule was so jam-packed and I wasn’t sure how I was going to physically fit in the two workouts; days where emotionally, I felt low and wanted to comfort that in food.

Billie built both mental and physical strength

What this challenge really forces you to do is to dig deeper than you’ve ever dug before. It makes you reframe quitting, and in doing so pushes you into a space you didn’t think you could access. By the end of the challenge, I was mentally stronger than I had ever been before, because you’re training your mind to prioritize what is good for as much as you are physically seeking improvement.

5. Accountability is key

I had to work out how to hold myself accountable to this challenge. Behind closed doors, I worried that my habits to fall off the wagon would win. The only way I knew how to combat that was to make my intention public, on Instagram – if people were expecting me to complete this, if they had been so kind and generous to give me their support – I couldn’t let them down.

Billie often trained with friends, to hold herself accountable

I have spent enough years letting myself down, and having no one else have a vested interest in that outcome, but when other people tell you they are cheering for you it triggered a burn in me to succeed this time.

Final thoughts

Is this challenge ridiculous? Yes. Has it changed my outlook on myself, exercise, food and what I want from my life? Yes. Do you need to endure 75 Hard to get there? Probably not. Did I want to see a huge physical difference? Absolutely. Did I get there? Not as much as I wanted to.

All that said, for the first time in my life, I have learned to be ruled by discipline, as opposed to guilt. That isn’t to say I’ve got it nailed, but am I glad I did it? Without a doubt. I move more because of it, I give up less, I nourish my body better, and I push myself harder. For me, that gain is bigger than the amount the scales have moved.