Carolyn Keeney

It’s now been 23 days since I have consumed or done anything unhealthy for my mind or body thanks to the 75-hard mental toughness program and my gritty self + friends!

Now that I have surpassed the mythical 21-days to create a habit, many people have asked me about my experience and what has been challenging to me. And, I can honestly say, not much. I don’t miss drinking booze. I don’t miss gluten. I don’t miss sleeping in past 4:30 a.m, or anything I had to “give-up” or lean into to become the healthiest, best version of me.

But, I do miss my oldest son who just went to college, every day. And, I do miss being anchored to a job and people I loved for 24 years which as of last week I no longer have. But, as we all know change is the only thing constant in our lives.

I feel so incredibly grateful I was introduced to 75 hard before the proverbial wind (& revenue generator) was removed from my sails. And, for anyone reading this who is also undergoing a new stage in their life, or anything challenging, I strongly recommend welcoming a new habit, or if you are already on a roll, a series of habits, you can “check-off” everyday and be held accountable for by others. It has helped me stay focused, determined, and accountable to doing the best I can through some pretty intense life wallops.

So, if you are intrigued about the 75-hard program, and are considering it, I have outlined my 10 top tips for getting started below.

1. Do a practice 75-hard trial week before officially starting so you can work out the kinks.. ie; how to pace yourself drinking a gallon of water, when you need to wake up to get your 1st workout in and get to work on time, what healthy foods need to be stocked in your frig etc,
2. Buy the Book on Mental Toughness from the creator of the program, Andy Frisella.
3. Buy a 1/2 gallon container with a straw to make planning/drinking your gallon of water a no-brainer! I bought a Civago water bottle on Amazon, but any brand will do.
4. Buy a reflective vest for your outdoor early/late night workout. Again, Amazon, any brand.
5. “”Sell” the program to friends/family and get others to join you. I started the program with my 2 cousins (they committed immediately after their mom’s funeral) and my former co-worker and good friend. And, I am thrilled to say 3 other people have started since! The more people you can have in your dedicated circle of influence, the better!
6. Figure out your diet and be realistic about it. Ask yourself, can I sustain this diet after 75-days? My cousin is on an extremely strict diet (no dairy, gluten etc). I choose a gluten-free, no processed foods (sugar) diet but allow caffeine, small amounts of dairy (1/2 &1/2 for my coffee, cheese) etc.
7. Print out a 2.5 month blank calendar and write the program requirements under each day. I love a good consistent check mark, so my calendar is on my frig and I check off each thing daily! Or, as my guy friend, Phil Gibbs recommends ( he has done this program 2x’s!) .. write the items on your bathroom mirror and check them off with a dry eraser pen before you go to sleep each night.
8. Have something you can see/wear daily that reminds you to stay on target. I made #75 Hard black rubber bracelets for everyone on my team. And, the best part is my youngest son (16 yo) asked if he could have and wear one too. He said he wanted to wear it to support me. How cute is that?
9. Be realistic about your 2 workouts. Due to illness and work circumstances, I could only do 2 long walks for the first couple of weeks. You can get a great workout doing hill walks! So, don’t discredit a good walk. Walks counts for your 2, 45-min workouts and those steps add up… I had something like 22,000 steps one day.
10. Start and continue a text strand with the people you are doing it. We started off by texting struggles, recommended books, podcasts (Mel Robbins is incredible) and have added in a daily pic or video to highlight our days.

My goal is to be more consistent with this blog now that I have a little more time to write and reflect. So, be on the lookout for more book reviews, 75-hard tips and tricks, and life mutterings from me as I begin the next exciting stage in my life!

It’s been 3 years since my last blog on this site. And, 7 days since my last drink, pretzel thin, or slice of delicious gluten-rich sourdough bread.

I am not on social media, with the exception of a few glances/posts on X and an occasional look at LinkedIn. So, when a friend texted me a popular blog she thought I might like about Andy Frisella’s Mental Grit Program, called 75 Hard, I TUNED in! The timing was perfect too as I recently have been in a very reflective state of mind. I suppose this all goes hand in hand with being 50-ish, But, I was also about to take my very health-challenged mom to her sister’s memorial service and a handful of weeks later drop off my oldest son at college. The reality of soon being a partial empty nester, attending a funeral for a beloved Aunt and celebrating my 24th work anniversary was all swirling in my head. I knew I was ready to shake the proverbial tree branches in my life and in doing so, think and BE different in each of my roles as a parent, daughter, friend, employee, and goal-oriented woman with a whole lot of passion and dreams left inside of her!

Enter 75 days of hard, or in the first week of what I would jokingly say later to my friends as the 75-Harder challenge due to a hot mess of stuff happening in my life.

The 75 hard program has 5 main components that must be done daily, or you have to start over at day one.

Diet of your choosing ( zero alcohol, no cheat meals- sugar etc)
Two, 45- minute workouts a day, One must be done outside.
Drink 1 gallon of water (that’s 16 glasses!)
Read 10 pages in a book daily
Take a progress picture

I started the program with two of my cousins who live back east and a former coworker/good friend, in a quest to become a more disciplined, healthier-leaner, and more interesting human being. So, the create the best version of myself is now officially in progress. And, this blog is titled 75-Harder as I started days after I lost my job of 24 years , dropped my son off to college, and traveled home on a plane in a middle seat flanked by my ex husband and youngest son who both tested positive for COVID the next day. Needless to say, my health guardians were watching after me. I felt rundown this week and sleep was challenging but I got through it. The 75 hard tasks were checked off alongside periodic COVID testing, work and personal anxiety, and a sick son at home. There were days were the 2 workouts were both longer walks and I was in bed by 7p.m. But, I feel incredible already. The slight muffin tops that started to appear for the first time recently around my mid-section are no longer permanent squatters, my energy is up, and I find I have a much better disposition and attitude about everything. I am convinced my successful first week is due to diligent planning (which included a pre-week trial run of the program), lots of food prep (hard boiled eggs, air baked chicken, lettuce and veggies galore, protein balls, and lots of cashews and apples oh and lots of water) , fixed workout schedules and books to read, including the one and only book on Mental Toughness by the program founder, Andi Frisella and a tribe of support from my friends, family, and fellow #75-hard doers . After all, as the saying goes “Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail”. And, I have ZERO intention of starting back at day 1.

One week down, 11 to go. Woot.

If you could choose one word or symbol to represent 2020-2021, what would it be?

masks, change, or perhaps a toilet paper or related emoji?

The word I would choose is disruption. I think we can all agree that COVID-19 disrupted our way of life.

• Companies were forced to rethink, redesign, and reschedule, or worse yet, layoff employees.
• Teachers and students had to forge an entirely new way of teaching and learning.
• Individuals and families had to reorganize their entire ecosystems, work schedules, and behaviors.

Last night, I had the pleasure of reconnecting with some good friends I haven’t seen since COVID began. And, after some meaningful conversation about COVID, educational tech, and perspective, my guy friend Mike Lawrence, gave me a special pin that says.. Yes, and…

The premise behind the clever pin is to let the two simple words serve as reminders that there can always be something added to change and/or enhance the nature of a conversation or situation. Needless to say, this really resonates with me. But, in honor of taking something and adding to it, I would create another pin that also says. Yes, but…

Why? Yes, BUT?

Glad you asked. My biggest pet peeve is “It is what it is.” Everyone I know well can agree that these 5 words trigger me… and, not in a good way. They are usually uttered when that person has lost hope for a situation. To me, you mine as well say ‘all is lost’. There is nothing more you can do. And, for this, I always try to say… YES, but….

I will use our shared experience of COVID-19 to exemplify my point. COVID-19 shuttered the world and brought grief and devastating loss on a global stage.

Yes, but,

• we got to spend more time with our kids and/or animals at home.
• we got to get to know some of our neighbors better.
• we slowed down a bit or in many cases, a lot.
• we learned a new skill like gardening, cooking, or crafting.
• we spent more time outdoors and have a greater appreciation for wildlife.
• we updated and organized our living spaces…
• and, the list goes on and on…

Notice, I am NOT discounting the pain and horrific nature of the pandemic. But, I am reframing it into something that can be turned into a positive thing. Speaking of which, on June 15th, the state of California is scheduled to reopen! Most school-age children will be out of school for the summer and businesses will be able to once again open at full-capacity.

My enduring question is… can we internalize the lessons/take-aways from the pandemic and in doing so, alter our thinking a bit about how we react to future challenges? After-all, thoughts become things. And, the dialog we tell ourselves, and others, does impact our behavior and our subsequent actions.

So, I challenge us all to hit the pause button a bit when challenges arise in life and take some time to retrain and reframe our thoughts to say…

Yes, but.

So, the next time a relationship doesn’t work out, you can say (internally or externally) YES, but I learned ( fill in blank) from this person.

Or, if a job doesn’t pan out, we can say YES, but I learned (fill in blank) new skills or new things about myself I can take forward in a new experience. And, do even better next time.

A few words can go a long way in reframing our outlook. So, be sure to choose them wisely.