April 21st, 2021
Well guys, I did it! I completed 75 hard and to be honest, I couldn't be more proud of myself. I'm freakin' exhausted and I am looking forward to a little break from the intensity of the challenge.
Over the past 75 days I ...
- did 150+ workouts. I did them in the sun, the snow, the rain, the freezing cold, the wind & the dark
- walked hundreds of miles
- sweat through a lot of Beachbody workouts
- drank over 75 gallons of water & peed a lot lol
- had ZERO alcohol
- no cheat meals/days
- lost a little over 9 pounds
It was tough. I cried. I celebrated. I struggled. I was frustrated at times. I was tempted. I said "I don't wannnaa" like a small child once or twice (ok maybe more than that shhh). I was grateful. I succeeded. I thought Kelli was crazy when she asked me to do this with her. I legit thought she was losing her damn mind lmao, but I am so grateful she asked because I learned so much from this challenge (btw, she friggin killed it as well & I'm so glad we get to celebrate this success together).
While the weight loss and inches lost are wonderful, I want to focus on the reason I committed to this challenge.
So let's chat about the 5 major things I learned from this challenge.
mindset
growth
temptation
comparison
consistency
1. Mindset
This whole challenge is based on growing your mental toughness. Changing the way you think about things. I spend so much time working on my self-love, I didn't think this would be hard, but let me tell ya, ooofff it's not easy. Changing your mindset is something I needed to work on the most. Going from "there is no way I can do this" to "I am doing this!" Telling myself that the rain doesn't matter. That over a foot of snow was just an obstacle I needed to tackle that day, not a roadblock. This mindset shift also comes in the form of having someone in your corner cheering you on. When you are hearing positive words of encouragement through challenging days, that encouragement pushes you to do better & be better (special thanks kel, amber, kenz, ba & everyone else for your support).
2. Growth
This is something I talk about constantly because you are constantly growing. I always say I don't recognize the old me, but I mean it, especially now. I physically don't recognize the old me- the pre-75 hard Nicole, but I mentally & emotionally don't recognize her either. Life is not about who you once were, it's about who you are now, and who you have the potential to be. Find your potential and run with it, dammit. Do not let the voice or opinions of others interfere with you and your growth. Screw em, because honestly, you've got to take care of you.
3. Temptation
SO.MUCH.TEMPTATION. Temptation is evil lol. I battled through many types of temptation. I'll be honest, I've never really been a terrible eater, however, I've always been a snacker lol. This was tough because I wanted to eat alllll the snacks lol and I knew I couldn't. And y'all know when you can't have something, you always want it more. It's like wanting chic-fil-a and then realizing it's Sunday ... But, good habits come from resisting temptations. Through this, I have built better habits and these habits are ones that I will sustain and continue now that 75 hard is over.
4. Comparison
Comparison is a killer no matter what the context is. I'll be the first to admit I've been stuck in the comparison limbo, it sucks. It will be one of the hardest things, for you to overcome. It will happen, and it did happen to me during this process. I struggled with it during the 75 days. Thoughts like why is this so hard for me? why can't I lose more weight? I wish I was making more progress. am I strong enough to do this? am I worth it? But then I needed to remind myself that I am doing this for me. I am capable of hard things. I am worth it. I had to stop letting comparison steal my growth and happiness, and my progress during the past 75 days. Comparison is your own worst enemy, so remember that you are you and there is only one of you. Give the world all you got and be f*cking proud of it!
5. Consistency
Without consistency, I wouldn't have been successful in this challenge, honestly no one will. While the challenge itself requires consistency in terms of the particular guidelines required to complete the 75 days, I myself needed to show consistency. The only way I would see results is if I was consistent. Consistent with my eating. Consistent with workouts. Consistent with my self-love and growth. Consistent with my daily tasks. Consistent with my life. Guys, this isn't some crazy life-altering change you're making, it is a chance to take on a new lifestyle that becomes a habit for you.
I know I talked a lot about myself in this post, but I want you to hear from me about my journey. I am your average 28-year-old woman. I work hard, I love harder and I am focused. This challenge brought out the best in me. I feel completely different than I did 75 days ago. My smile, man, it's bigger than ever. Over the past 75 days, I lived life as "usual." I continued to teach hybrid (kids in school & at home), I worked at the pizzeria, I worked Monat, I bought a friggin house & started packing ... nothing about my life daily changed, so I needed to find a way to make this work in my days. I did it, and if I did it, I promise that you can too. People say that all the time, but it's so true. We decided one day that we were going to try something different, and we did it.
"nothing changes if nothing changes"
Sooo if you take anything from this post, please know that you are so beyond capable of anything you set your mind to. Take a chance. Do something crazy. You never know what can happen.
as always, you are beautiful. you are worthy. you are capable.
thank you for coming on this journey with me
xoxo nicole