When my husband decided to take on Andy Frisella’s Hard 75, I decided to create my own mom 75 challenge. The mom 75 challenge is designed to help you get healthier physically and mentally while also creating space to make memories with your family.
This post is all about a mom 75 challenge to help you carve out time for the things and the people that really matter.
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Mom 75
What is "The Hard 75?"
The Hard 75 challenge came about as a result of a mental toughness book written by Andy Frisella. The challenge is a mental toughness program. Frisella even calls his book a “guide to winning the war within yourself.” The book could not have been released at a better time. When it was released in April 2020, the pandemic had everyone locked in their homes with nothing to do but sit and be a coach potato all day every day. The Hard 75 took off during quarantine, with participants having to meet the following requirements in order to successfully complete the program. If you miss a requirement on any day, you are to start over the next day. If you would like to read more about the Hard 75, you can check it out on Andy Frisella’s website.
- Do two 45 minute workouts a day (one of which must be outside)
- Follow a diet of your choosing
- No alcohol or cheat meals
- Drink one gallon of water every day
- Read 10 pages of a non-fiction book every day
- Take a progress picture every day
What is "The Mom 75?"
The Hard 75 is extremely mentally taxing to anyone who decides to take it on and mom’s don’t need another thing to challenge their mental toughness. However, moms do need to be pushed to take care of themselves. Moms also need to be reminded at times to chose family time over tasking. The Mom 75 is created with tired moms and families in mind. It is designed to grow families together and be something sustainable beyond the 75 days.
These 75 days will help to build healthy habits for the good of the entire family. I designed this challenge to push moms to take care of themselves and put family time above all else. I know this challenge will help moms grow personally and grow in their relationship with their kids and spouse.
One 45 minute Workout Every Day
Many moms tend to neglect their physical fitness when they have kids. While it may be difficult to find two time slots for working out during the day with kids (as in the hard 75), you can find 45 minutes a day if you really want to. This workout doesn’t have to be a crazy intense HIIT session or CrossFit. It can simply be a walk or a good stretch. You could even have a dance party with your kids! Just do something to get your body moving for a little while.
Exercise can help to relieve stress (something moms are all to familiar with), and it will help keep your heart and body healthy so you can take care of your kids to the best of your ability. Best of all, you will be setting an excellent example for your kids. In a society where watching TV and playing on a phone all day is the norm, you can show your kids another path forward. If you do take on this challenge, make sure to only do the level of exercise that is right for you and build in rest days to allow for adequate recovery. As always, make sure to speak with your personal care physician before starting any fitness program.
Have one meal together as a family every day (at the table)
This requirement is the most important component of the Mom 75; having one meal together as a family every day. For most families, dinner is probably easiest. Maybe that isn’t the case for your family and breakfast is the only time everyone can be in the same place. That works great too! Having a meal together at the table doesn’t mean that you have to make a super fancy meal every night (or morning). I don’t care if everyone grabs a bowl of cereal and sits down at the table. Just be together. Talk about each others’ days. Be present with one another.
When my husband and I got married, we realized quickly just how easy it is to get sucked into eating dinner in front of the TV. While there is a time and a place for that (I love family movie nights!), it should not be the normal. Sit down together around a table at least once every day. I promise, you won’t regret the conversations and memories that result and you will want to continue even after the 75 days are up.
Eat YOUR veggies
Moms are constantly telling their kids to “eat their veggies.” Yet, too often a mom’s lunch ends up being the leftover macaroni and cheese from their kid’s lunch. But, it is important that moms take the time to nourish themselves well too. We wouldn’t condone our kids skipping meals all the time and not getting the vitamins and minerals they need, so why should we accept that for ourselves? The USDA recommends of minimum of five servings of fruits and vegetables every day for an adult. Since this challenge is all about taking better care of yourself, that is the requirement for each day.
It may seem difficult to achieve and to have that many fresh fruits and vegetables on hand. For something more easily accessible, you can opt for canned fruit in 100% fruit juice, canned veggies, and/or frozen fruits and vegetables. Blending up frozen fruits and veggies in a smoothie is also a great way to get in your fruits and veggies easily. If you are confused as to what qualifies as a serving of fruits or vegetables, you can check out this infographic.
Drink a gallon of water every day
When I got pregnant, I realized just how dehydrated I was on a regular basis. I was hyped up on caffeine and was far from hydrated. During the mom 75, I drank a gallon of water a day. I absolutely hated it at first, but my body began to function so much better! I also attribute no tearing during the labor of my first (despite having an extremely quick labor) to the gallon of water a day that was keeping my skin hydrated and stretchy. Drinking a gallon of water a day does more for your body than you can even imagine!
Drinking a gallon of water a day can give you more energy during the day, help you sleep better, clear up your skin, prevent headaches, reduce bloating, lighten under eye circles, and help you shed a few pounds by eating less throughout the day. I bet you can’t find a mom who wouldn’t at least one of those side effects. You can read more about the effects of drinking a gallon of water a day here in an article by Meritage Medical Network.
Tip: I highly suggest purchasing a water bottle with a straw and with time markers to keep you on track throughout the day. This 32 oz. water bottle has the option for a spout or a straw!
Read at least 1 book with your kids every day
When I was in college as an education major, we learned about the effects that reading can have on children, even inside the womb. Reading to children helps them develop a larger vocabulary, better recognition of letter sounds, and better listening skills. On top of the cognitive benefits, reading with your kids every day will help to develop your relationship with them and it is also a great start to a bedtime routine.
If you are in a situation where you aren’t with your kids everyday, try to Zoom, Facetime, or Google Duo with them and read a story together each day. I also recognize that this may not be possible for some moms. If you can’t be with your kids every day to read them a book, read 10 pages of a self-improvement book for yourself on the days you cannot be with them. You will still be making yourself better for your kids.
Take a picture every day
You can choose to do this requirement however you would like to. If this Mom 75 journey is more a physical challenge for you, you may want to take a physical progress picture. If it is more mental, you may want to take a picture from a challenging or fun moment in each day. You may want to take a fun picture with your kids every day! You can also switch it up from day to day too.
Take physical progress pictures some days, pictures with your kids others, pictures around the dinner table together, etc. When you finish the challenge, you will be able to look back and see all that you’ve accomplished and the many special memories you’ve made with your family.
Take 15 minutes to yourself every day
Every mom forgets to take time for themselves; leading to burn out and exhaustion that results in increased stress levels and decreased patience. No matter how stressed out you feel or how little time you have, make 15 minutes a day that are all yours. I suggest doing this in the morning before your kids wake up so it does not get forgotten when the day gets busy. Grab a cup of coffee and relax a little before the chaos begins.
You could also have time to yourself in the evening or during naptime if your kids tend to not get up at the same time every day. During these 15 minutes, do something that is just for you. Read a book, paint your nails, go for a drive (if someone else is watching your kids of course), paint something, do whatever it is that relaxes you and gets you ready to take on the world again. You will feel so much better and your husband and kids will thank you.
Should I Restart If I Mess Up?
Just like the Hard 75, if you mess up during the Mom 75, I want you to restart the next day. My reasoning….this challenge is to build healthy habits for the good of both you and your family. Doing something for 75 days straight will help to build these habits so you can continue them in your everyday life. If you messed up during the challenge and just kept going a long with it, I believe that devalues the importance I see in each and every component of this challenge.
Hard 75 vs. Mom 75
Now that we have talked about both the hard 75 and the mom 75, lets look a the the two side by side.
- Do two 45 minute workouts every day (one of which must be outside)
- Follow a diet of your choosing
- No alcohol or cheat meals
- Drink 1 gallon of water every day
- Read 10 pages of a non-fiction book every day
- Take a progress picture every day
- Do one 45 minute workout every day
- Eat one meal together as a family at the dinner table every day
- Eat a minimum of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables (eat YOUR vegetables)
- Drink 1 gallon of water every day
- Read at least 1 book to your kids every day
- Take a picture with your kids every day
This post was all about a mom 75 challenge that will leave you closer with your family and a better version of yourself. Now, the question is…are you ready to take on the Mom 75 with me? Are you ready to take better care of yourself and be more intentional with family time? If so, let’s do this! You can print a free mom 75 checklist in the self-care section of my, “free printables,” page! Let’s make this year about taking care of ourselves better and making more time for family!
And if you need a little extra motivation to get started check out my results and what I learned from my mom 75. I honestly couldn’t believe it myself!
