Okay- first of all. I am still super embarrassed about the last post you guys >< What made it worse is that .. I think I have the dates of when those posts are supposed to happen wrong. Normally, with a “hosted link-up” type of post, you participate in the post theme, then you go back to the host blog and there is a place for you to link your blog so other people can see who else is participating. But when I went on Wednesday to link my “Let’s Look” post … the host blogger had a different post and no “hosted link” spot on her blog. ACK ALL THAT WORK FOR NOTHING ㅠㅠ

Sigh, but I digress. Today, instead of my usual Friday Favorites post, I thought I’d give a little update into how #75Hard has been and my thoughts on it. At the moment, I am just a little over 3 weeks into this challenge. And wow – it has definitely been a CHALLENGE. The first two weeks, I was super gung-ho and into it; I nailed every single item of the challenge, every single day – including the double workouts, one of which has to be outside.

My third full week into it, though, (so – last week, if you’re keeping track) I started to really struggle. Not just physically, but yea, let’s start with the physical side of things. I loved the feeling of conquering my workouts everyday but getting in that second workout EVERY SINGLE DAY started to really wear on me and my home. As in, I had to make room for that second workout by shifting other things that normally would have been a bigger priority for me. Little things that keep my house humming, like laundry, or keeping things organized – they might not seem like a big deal to others but to me, I really felt like I was dropping the ball on all things non #75Hard in order to fit in the workout aspect of the challenge. Case in point: I have some picture evidence to share.

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This was literally my house ALL of last week. Like, not just a moment or a day of the week … ALL of last week. Not only was I letting things around the house pile up because of TIME but also because of exhaustion. I started needing to go to bed at (no joke) 8pm everyday because if I didn’t, I’d be a cranky hot-mess for my family.

I get now why this thing is touted as a mental toughness challenge because getting in the two workouts (especially the one outdoor one) wasn’t physically difficult but it was mentally draining. Here’s the thing, though. I realized that I definitely could keep going on with the daily double workouts but it’s not something that I want to do anymore because it means I’m going to have to sacrifice being a great wife, great mom, great home-maker – all things I value way more – in order to do it. So spoiler alert: I guess this is where I tell you that I’ve failed the challenge and will have to move forward with a modified version of it for the remaining days.

Just to give you an example though, there have been days in the past 3+ weeks when it literally came down to … spend some time catching up with Hubby at the end of the day, or go do my second workout. Finish up with my Bible study Precepts HW for the week, or go complete the second workout. Clean up the kitchen and pick up around the house in the evening or head to the gym for my second workout. Do you sense a theme here? The real problem that I’ve been having with this challenge is, surprise surprise, that pesky second workout of each day.

With all the other things – the water drinking, the Bible reading, the no cheat meals, I’ve been NAILING it and feeling awesome about it. So here’s what I think I’m going to do. I will still do a workout EVERY single day of the week but I will only do a second workout if my other, more important priorities in life have allowed for it, and it DOES NOT HAVE TO BE OUTSIDE. I think this is the best balance I can come up with that takes the benefits I’ve been experiencing from doing the challenge (less bloated, clothes fitting better, more productive days) without sacrificing the things that I know are a better commitment of my time.

As for how I feel about technically failing, listen – I birthed a 10+ lb baby at HOME without any pain medication so … I don’t feel a need to prove anything. I’m tough mentally AND physically lol.

So that’s it! I’ve been liking all the other parts of the challenge and am SOOOO looking forward to Day 75 to really compare how the whole journey has been. I’ll probably post more updates at some point since there’s still a whole month and half left of the challenge but .. just know, it’s not a true #75Hard anymore. It’s #SophiaHard 😉