Failing 75 Hard, and what I learned

Last month, I proudly proclaimed that I was starting 75 Hard, determined that it’d kick-start my good habits after our two-week summer holiday.

This month, I’m writing a follow-up post having failed the challenge at the halfway point.

Except, I don’t see it as a failure. Not really.

When I declared that I was starting 75 Hard, I felt sluggish and out of my routine. So, my sister and I set some pretty wild ‘rules’ and decided that we were going to lift ourselves out of the slump. All of my friends then declared us ‘crazy’. And, in hindsight, perhaps we were a little hasty with starting an extreme challenge that absolutely is ‘hard’. In the good year of 2026, we are all beholden to impossible standards and I’m a little frustrated at myself that I succumbed to that. Yet, I can’t deny that attempting 75 Hard and getting halfway through has been great.

For starters, I’ve loved the mental and physical challenge of being a little more active. Sure, I’m pretty well-motivated when it comes to heading to the gym, but taking on the challenge of twice-daily workouts pushed me further. It aided my sleep, my mental health, and my physical health. Of course, this is the controversial part of the challenge that we all know isn’t sustainable, but it sure was fun while it lasted! Next, I found taking daily progress photos both motivating and eye-opening. I won’t dwell on this for long, as I know some people may find this triggering, but I found it helpful to actually look at myself every day and a) notice my small progresses, and b) appreciate my body for what it is capable of. Finally, I loved taking a daily outfit photo. My goodness, I didn’t realise how much of an effect this would have on me. And, I hadn’t noticed that, without documenting outfits for my blog or Instagram, I’d really let my sense of personal style slip. The challenge reminded me that I should dress (up) for myself too.

I failed the challenge because I was about to head on holiday, and life has been hectic with an extended family emergency. Although I might’ve ‘failed’, I’ve succeeded in many other ways. The bulk of the good habits that I started in 75 Hard have naturally become part of my everyday lifestyle, which is exactly what I’d hoped. Now that I’m home from my travels, I plan to pick up where I left off (I know, I know, that’s not allowed…) and complete my final 36 days in the challenge.