I did not complete 75 Hard and I am so proud.

If you have not heard of 75 Hard, you can look up the specifics, but basically there are 5 things that you have to do/give up for 75 days, no cheating or you have to start over again. I started this in order to change some habits I had, especially around emotional eating, and to get back to regular exercise (for me, mostly walking).

If you are wondering why a discussion of 75 Hard is on a Perfectly Imperfect Yoga blog, be sure to read all the way through…

SUCCESS

This was very successful for me in changing my attitude toward food and dependence on sugar and snacks as my coping mechanisms. I developed better eating habits and did not automatically go to snacks when I was sad or bored. It helped me to stop and think about these habits.

I also became more consistent with walking and I really LOVED the requirement to do one exercise outdoors. Being outdoors really helped with stress release.

I felt strong and healthy (I did not get sick during this time until after I stopped). I felt great and clear-minded.

My friend Susan Crane helped to ease me into intermittent fasting, which really was the most helpful thing (for me) of this entire experience. It doubled-down on the changing my relationship with food. Before I would eat “in case I got hungry later,” but after a week or so of keeping an 8ish hour eating window, my relationship with hunger changed and I realized I did not have to feel full all of the time! Instead I felt really good.

I really transformed how I physically felt during this time.

So, again, this has nothing to do with yoga, but what I forgot from yoga is why I am writing this blog.

WHAT I FORGOT

In yoga, we try to release attachments. We release attachments to the past, to our habits, to the ego, to the senses and the physical world around us. So, the experience of 75 Hard for me was about releasing attachments to my habits.

However, in yoga, we do not release attachments by pushing through or by just replacing them with another attachment. We balance discipline and burning enthusiasm (tapas) with truthfulness (satya), non-harm to ourselves and others (ahimsa) and svadhyaya (self-awareness/knowledge/study). We balance effort with ease.

I forgot all of this and set my sights on 75 days.

However, in November, the holidays grew closer and the sadness that comes with them when you have lost someone began to grow. The days became busier and more social. Both of these things cause stress for me.

I no longer craved food or sugar when I was sad or stressed, but I did not have anything to replace it, except to push through to 75 days. Each day it became harder.

The day after Thanksgiving, which is both wonderful and very hard, we went to a hockey tournament where we were getting to know a lot of new people and experiencing many new things. As I stepped back into our hotel room from spreading smelly, sweaty hockey gear on our hotel balcony, I tripped and I just fell apart. I realized that if I was going to enjoy the weekend and if I was going to be open to new people and enjoy all of this around me with my family, I would need to stop.

It was 67 days and the part I was most proud of was coming back to realize what I and my family needed in the present moment.

We had a fantastic weekend and even though I ended it early, I am still benefitting from the changes in habits.

Next Time

I will do this again. Here is what I will keep and what I will change.

1. Still stick to a certain diet (for me focus on whole foods, stay away from sugar, sodas and ultra-processed foods) and no alcohol
2. Still make sure to move my body every day. Does it have to be 2 45-minute rounds of exercise. No. Each day is different. I need to keep moving in some way.
3. Still make sure to do something outdoors every day. Nature has become one of my new coping mechanisms.
4. Reading is fine, but does not have to be self-help
5. Still drink lots of water
6. ADD prioritizing sleep (as much as I can)
7. ADD picking from a list of things that support my mental health and emotional state. Here are some that work for me.

• Calling or texting with family and friends
• Journaling or daydreaming
• Meditation
• Laughter
• Gentle or restorative yoga
• Being outside
• Reading
• I’m sure you have others…let me know what they are!

I’m not sure what I will call it. Maybe 75ish Better Habits. Can you think of something better? Let me know.

I will be starting again in February. I will post on FB/Instagram some of the things I have found helpful. Let me know if you have ideas or if you try this.

Take care of yourselves and remember that if you add something (a new year’s resolution) please remember to either take something away, or add something that supports you to balance it out.