Day 1 (continued)

I wrapped up Day 1 yesterday with a second 45 minute outdoor walk with my dog, Otto. I sat down to watch the Super Bowl with my 12 year old son. Typically, this would include wings, pizza, Doritos, etc. My mindset is usually, “It’s the Super Bowl. Nothing is off limits.” I would eat until it hurt. But it was Day 1 of 75 Hard, which means no cheat meals. So, I settled for a healthy supper and later, a big bag of low fat popcorn and a diet coke. I filled a bowl with Doritos for my son and brought it over to him. On the walk from the kitchen to the living room, I was tempted to have a Dorito. “Just one bite.” But I resisted the urge. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it right.

Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing inherently wrong with Doritos, pizza, and beer while watching the biggest game of the year. This is the part of 75 Hard that will be the hardest for me. 75 days, no alcohol and no cheat meals. I already work out quite a bit and read much more than 10 pages a day. But the eating and no alcohol will be the most difficult for me. I have always subscribed to a flexible diet approach (aka tracking and calorie counting). No food is typically off limits. I will continue to track my food during 75 hard, but I just won’t be including foods like pizza, chips, candy, etc. The foods we all know aren’t great for us, but we eat on occasion. The donut sitting on the lunch room table. The glass of wine after a long stressful day. The McDonald’s burger when you don’t have time to cook. They’re all off limits for the next 75 days.

What I learned last night is that I don’t “need” the Doritos or the beer or the pizza. I can control what I put in my mouth and I can choose a healthier option. It’s not a big deal. I’ve just become used to the little cheats.

Day 2

0530 hrs – After 20 minutes of reading my book, with a cup of coffee, Day 2 started with a very cold 45 minute walk with my Yellow Lab, Otto. It was -27 Celcius, -39C with the wind. (-16F / -38F). It was so cold that I had to wear my heavy giant Sorel winter boots, which made the 45 minute walk feel a lot longer. Three 45 minute walks in the cold in two days, has my hips and lower back feeling a bit sore. Nothing I can’t handle though. I expected some general soreness, especially in the first couple of weeks. I have consistently worked out 3-5 times a week, but never 7 days a week, twice a day. I expect some soreness from the increase in activity.

0930 hrs – The second workout of the day was a strength training workout (Chest/Shoulders/Triceps/Abs). I’m definitely not used to the two workouts a day yet, but it shouldn’t be a problem.

The afternoon brought on a bad headache and a general feeling of awfulness, likely due to the recent travel back from Mexico. I can feel a sickness coming on, but I powered through my tasks at work, drank my gallon of water and ate healthy throughout the day.

With day 2 in the books, I can already feel the motivation I felt from the excitement of starting something new, fading. I’m in this now. I’ve been listening to RealAF podcast episodes of ’75Hard vs’ as extra motivation. I won’t stop until I reach my goal of 75 days. I will enjoy the journey and treat every day as a new opportunity to push my limits and win the day.