Y’all, on May 25, 2024, I, a homeschool mom of five, finished 75 Hard for the second time. What an incredible feeling! 75-days of mind-over-matter discipline. 75 indoor workouts, 75 outdoor workouts (regardless of the weather), over 750 pages read (5 books completed…for me this is a feat because I don’t consider myself a “reader”), a diet followed for 75 days with ZERO CHEATING, 75 gallons of water consumed (sometimes more on super hot days or days I needed electrolytes), no cheat meals and no alcohol. BAM! DONE! I’ve been asked so many times: how can a homeschool mom of five do 75 Hard? Let me talk a bit about the challenge and how I managed it this time around…

WHY 75HARD

I am not a very *naturally* disciplined person, but I’m constantly *wishing* to be more intentional with my days and my time. And I love a good challenge. So combine my love for a challenge and my need for more intentionality…75 Hard was a perfect fit for me, to help jumpstart this life of more discipline. I LOVE the rules and how UNFORGIVING the program is. Honestly, sometimes you just need someone to be tough to make some changes in your life.

I organized two groups of friends this time around who agreed to tackle 75 Hard or some version of life-changes for 75 days (they called it 75 Soft). One group was moms from my homeschool co-op, the other was moms in my family. These two groups were incredible for keeping each other accountable and motivated, especially when I felt like giving up, after putting off my second [outdoor] workout until late one rainy night. I send a quick text of desperation and received an onslaught of YOU CAN DO IT messages! If you decide to try this program, I highly recommend doing it with a group of friends.

But How? I Just Don’t Have the Time!

Honestly, we make time for what’s important to us! It’s 100% possible to successfully complete 75 Hard as a homeschool mom of five. You do have the time, you simply have to build it into your life. Obviously, this program is HARD. I’ve started this program 4 times, and only successfully completed it twice. My first attempt was in 2021, and I failed on day 64 after a really emotionally tolling day when I was canceled online for stating some personal beliefs; in 2022, I successfully COMPLETED it for the first time and it was exhilarating; in 2023, I stopped on day 20 because we decided to move and it was too much; and this fourth time, in 2024, I successfully COMPLETED 75 Hard again!

As a homeschool mom of five and homemaker, I think I actually have an advantage over those who work outside of the home and are gone 8+ hours every single day. On most days, I can observe the weather and plan my outdoor workout during the most agreeable time of day. My children frequently workout with me. It’s easier to prepare meals according to my diet when I’m HOME and have TIME. It might not be the right season for you, but it IS POSSIBLE to complete the program while homeschooling and homemaking!

The only real requirement that takes a lot of TIME is the two daily 45 minute workouts. If you dive into the FAQs for 75 Hard, you learn that the workouts are supposed to be separated by at least 3 hours, which makes the workouts even HARDER. But, with strategic planning, it can be done. I recommend getting one workout done first thing in the morning. Then, your kids wake up and you go about your daily tasks and such, and 3 hours will pass by before you know it. If you finish your first workout by 7 or 8 AM, you can start the second one at 10 or 11, which sets you up for success!

WORKOUTS

My typical day looked like this: wake up around 6 AM, take a BIG drink of water, make coffee, read my Bible, pray, then read my non-fiction. Then, I’d workout, usually inside. A friend recommended Heather Robertson’s youtube channel, and I followed her 60-day program for most of 75 Hard. I also LOVE Mady Morrison’s youtube, with tons of yoga and deep stretching. I also incorporated some diastasis recti exercises. For my outdoor workouts, I usually would walk around our neighborhood. About halfway through the program, I found a local 5k that happened to fall on our last day of 75 Hard. SO, most of us signed up! I tried to incorporate some running into my walks so I’d be more prepared for the 5k. But my children tag along for most of my walks, so I didn’t always run.

DIET

My diet was very loosely based on the Happy Gut diet our family followed two summers ago. Specifically, I eliminated gluten (so no bread, pasta, etc.), rice, refined sugar, most grains, limited dairy (mainly allowed sheep or raw cow) and limited fruit (mainly allowed citrus, berries, and some apples). I focused on eating LOTS of good protein (grass fed beef, pastured chicken & eggs), LOTS of vegetables, a salad every day, and some organic ancient grains. Beans, peanut butter, nuts, honey, pure maple syrup, and my homemade ENERGY BITES were all allowed, in moderation. I stopped mindlessly walking into the pantry looking for a mid-afternoon snack. I stopped eating before bed.

BOOKS

I’ve never really considered myself a reader. In my adult, post-college life, I start books, but rarely finish them. So, to say I finished 5 books in 10.5 weeks is an amazing accomplishment for me! My books choices included topics like marriage, parenting, and homemaking. I almost exclusively read non-fiction, so that requirement of 75 Hard is not a problem for me. If I didn’t get my book read first thing in the morning, I’d take a blanket outside on nice days, joined by my kiddos, and read under a tree. It’s really quite magical reading a book on an old quilt!

WATER

The requirement to drink 1 gallon of water every day is actually easier than you may think! I lived in a quasi-dehydrated state pre-75 Hard. I’d literally have coffee in the AM, a few cups of tea throughout the day, and *maybe* a glass of water before bed. THAT WAS IT. So, filling up my 32 oz. bottle four times throughout my day and DRINKING IT ALL seemed like it was going to be difficult. After the first few days, and peeing more times in one day than I thought possible, my body began craving a gallon of water. My body was well-hydrated and loved it!

A gallon should NOT be too much to drink (but ask your physician, of course). I had to start my water first thing in the morning, before drinking my coffee. And I’d need to be halfway through a gallon by 12 noon. If I met those two requirements, I’d finish well before bed, which minimized the # of times I’d get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.

PROGRESS PHOTO

I’m super grateful for this seemingly unimportant daily task. It was annoying, and I almost forgot my daily photo a few times. However, the tiny incremental physical changes that took place over the course of the 75 days was incredible. Seeing my before and after is incredibly motivating to KEEP IT UP!

DOGS

If you watch my 75 Hard Instagram stories, you’ll see that I have a um….relationship…with dogs. Two years ago, Zoe was attacked by a dog on one of our 75 Hard walks. This time, I was chased by 2 dogs in our neighborhood (and barked at and annoyed by about 25) on my daily walks. I’ve had a fear of dogs since my childhood friend was attacked in the face by their friend’s dog (who was a “nice” dog). And then when Zoe got attacked and bit on her thigh and hand two years ago, I’m even more fearful. I hear a bark and my anxiety shoots through the roof. So, to feel empowered on my walks, I carry two pieces of doggy defense. First, this dog blow horn. Second, doggie gel pepper spray. And my kids wear dog whistles around their necks. Don’t let fear of dogs keep you from exercising outside.

RESULTS

I absolutely love 75 Hard; when I’m “on program” there are so many other benefits in my daily life. This time around, I lost almost NO weight. But my progress photos tell me something else! I’ve gained muscle, lost flab, and I feel GOOD. My skin looks hydrated and healthier (and it’s tanner….going outside EVERY day for 45 minutes has its benefits). Most mornings, I’ve been waking up earlier than my household. Starting my water early, spending time in the WORD and praying with a cuppa Joe, then reading my non-fiction book, and getting in a workout, all mostly before anyone else in my household is awake = INCREDIBLE! The two daily 45 minute workouts (one of which has to be outdoors) MUST be separated by at least 3 hours. This seems like a silly requirement, but this is probably the MOST difficult and frustrating aspect for me. Some days, you have a FULL day outside the home, and just want to group them together in the AM, wake up super early, workout for 1.5 hours and call it a day. But you can’t do that. You wake up at 5 AM, get in your indoor workout, leave the house by 7:30, and don’t have another chance to workout until your return at 10 PM, and you have to go outside in the cold rain to complete your daily outdoor workout. Every bone in your body and your WEAK INNER SELF is saying to crawl into bed, but you can’t, so you go outside and do a hard thing. It’s called HARD for a reason. I love this program, and have found it so beneficial to JUMPSTART a more disciplined life.

I’ve seen 75 Hard have a positive impact on the rest of my family, as well. My kids all consider themselves on “75 Soft” — every day, they drink 1/4 gallon, read, workout (usually a walk with me), and are generally more eager to do their daily responsibilities. Having some focus and purpose to your day is incredibly beneficial, and the kids have recognized that, and thrive under this sort of “program.”

WHAT’S NEXT

What’s next for me, after completing 75 Hard? As much as I love the program, I do not want to start 75 Hard again or move on to the next phases. Instead, I JUST LAUNCHED A DAILY RHYTHM CHALLENGE — a 10-week challenge that incorporates my favorite elements of 75 Hard, while also thinking about my season of life as a homemaker and a homeschool mom. Right now, there are more important tasks than that second 45 minute workout. If I can continue to prioritize my time and incorporate discipline into my life has a homeschooler and as a homemaker, I will consider that a win! So, if 75 Hard intrigues you, but you want something that also challenges the way you spend your time at home, read all about my A Daily Rhythm Challenge here and sign up here!!