Well, it has finally ended. A challenge my husband and I began on the 22nd of January to see if we could create some new habits, break some old ones, and try to do a little better in terms of our overall health. In the midst of this challenge, I also participated in Orange Theory’s Transformation Challenge 2023 and their Dri-Tri (dry triathlon.) I traveled to the beach for a much needed girl’s trip, conducted a wine and yoga pairing class, and faced weather extremes (single digit temps with wind chill below zero, snow, ice, and hurricane force winds…)
My husband faced a busy flying schedule while trying to meet the daily requirements of the challenge, the outdoor workout and water consumption both a challenge for him while having to fly long legs and landing late at night.
But, we did it. We persevered. We overcame these challenges in addition to the regular challenges of not wanting to work out twice a day for 45 minutes (one outdoors), drink a gallon of water, read 10 pages of non-fiction, take a progress picture, follow a diet (we went low carb), and not consume alcohol or have a cheat meal at all during the 75 days.
And…It. Was. Amazing.
We both slept better. We both lost weight (he lost almost 20 pounds, I lost 8.) My perimenopause symptoms disappeared. My husband stopped snoring. I woke up easily before my alarm. And most importantly, my husband’s BP dropped back into a normal range (mine was already fine but I also saw a reduction in my overall BP as well.)
We walked our dog, Loki Dog of Mischief, anytime we were both home and could (on those freezing cold days and dangerous wind chills, we often went to Top Golf and tried our best to stay warm while walking in between turns working our small ball game). Loki even lost a couple of pounds! And he gets very upset when we gear up in our “running clothes” to go shovel snow and we DON’T put his harness on to take him for a walk. This is one habit we aim to continue for all of us, especially as the weather improves. I also completed the OTF Transformation Challenge (lost weight and body fat but added muscle) and set a personal record in my Dri-Tri by shaving off over 7 minutes in my 2000m row, 300 body weight exercises, and running a 5K. And a few days after completing the 75 Hard challenge, I PRd my 12 minute run as well. Woot!
The water consumption at first was the biggest challenge. I used the 75 Hard app (it is free and great way to track everything you are doing) and on Day 4, I commented on how hard getting a gallon of water in was for me. I had, up to that point, consumed half my body weight in ounces. That was a little more than half of the 126oz I needed to consume to check this goal off. But one thing we both realized, once we started our day first thing with water and aimed to get at least 60oz in by noon every day, we wanted the water and could feel our thirst the minute our bodies started to head to a dehydrated state. I figured that I would be up and down all night with my peanut bladder if I drank that much water…the opposite was true. Yes, I went frequently during the day, and it was excessive at first, but as the challenge wore on, my body became much more proficient at processing the food and liquids I was consuming (clean eating a low carb diet also assisted in this endeavor.) My body, instead of constantly feeling the urge to go during the night, was well prepared for the period of rest from a day spent working out, walking, drinking lots of water, and fueling my body instead of feeding my body (or emotions.) It was wonderful! The water intake is another habit I intend to continue.
The reading and no alcohol were the easiest habits to adapt (I did miss enjoying some wine with my tribe while at the beach but they were kind enough to let me smell their wines and discuss the pairings with their meals.) During my 75 days, I read four books but I also completed daily Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year readings and discussions with Father Mike on the Hallow App (you can also find it on all podcast providers.) I also completed 40 Days with Jesus from The Chosen television show during Lent…so, I read…A LOT. Some books I finished quickly, others I had to really force myself to read my 10 pages. I also edited another book at this time, so reading certainly took place in my home. My favorite was Apocalypse Never followed closely by Kitchen Confidential. Again, reading is another habit we plan to continue.
When I completed Day 75, my app popped up with the next phase, which they call Phase 1. I was like wait…what did I just complete? Well, I completed the phase to get me mentally and physically prepared, so Phase 0, and now I am ready to take the next step. That will be to adhere to the requirements of the original challenge, plus adding in a daily 5 minute cold/cool shower, power goal setting/task list, and 10 minutes of visualization. I mostly do these things, for the most part, already, just not every day. But, for another 30 days, I will add these things to my 75 Hard daily objectives. I will commence this 30 day challenge once I am finished with Colorado Wine Walk (22-23 Apr). It will be interesting to see what happens over what seems like a much easier challenge.
Before then, however, I will be joining Mandy Connell on April 20th at 2pm Mountain Daylight with James Blanchard, owner of Blanchard Family Wines, host of this year’s Colorado Wine Walk. We will be discussing that event and another one scheduled for late summer as well as his winery’s newest wines. Be sure to tune in and check it out or stop into Blanchard Family Wine in his Denver or Fort Collins locations.
Until then…
Cheers and Namaste,
the wine yogi 
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