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Moving Towards Health

Radical program or radical honesty?

Maggi Fitzpatrick
Posted 5/30/23

How many times have you tried to convince yourself that if you just worked harder or if your program was more challenging, then you’d see the changes to your health that you’re looking …

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Moving Towards Health

Radical program or radical honesty?

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How many times have you tried to convince yourself that if you just worked harder or if your program was more challenging, then you’d see the changes to your health that you’re looking for? I’m guessing one or both of those thoughts have crossed your mind a time or two. 

It’s very easy to get wrapped up in the trap of thinking that doing more or making your program more extreme is the ticket to your success. While this is tempting, there is something much more important that will lead you to results faster than simply telling yourself you’re not doing enough ever will. 

I recently completed 75 Hard, which the designer of the program, Andy Frisella, says is “not a fitness program” but is a “transformative mental toughness program.” 

In this program, you must complete the following tasks every single day for 75 days: complete two 45-minute workouts (one of which must be outside), read ten pages of a nonfiction book, drink one gallon of water, take a progress photo, follow a nutrition program of your choosing, and you cannot have any alcohol or cheat meals. While a lot of these tasks are fitness-related, there is no specific structure you need to follow for your workouts and meals, and it’s completely up to you to decide how you tackle those parts of the program. 

You’re probably wondering why I’m telling you about the most challenging program I’ve ever completed while also saying that the most challenging program doesn’t necessarily get you the results you’re looking for. 

While I definitely got in much better physical shape from completing 75 Hard, the biggest lesson I learned and result I experienced was that when I commit to truly doing what I say I’m going to do each and every day, I am unstoppable. It is the commitment to the program, not the program itself, that brings upon the changes you desire and more. 

After completing the program, I shifted my health goals to actively focus on improving my hormonal health, decreasing inflammation, and clearing my acne that I’ve been struggling with for a long time. This program looks completely different than 75 Hard. The intensity of my movement has decreased, my food choices have completely changed, I need to prioritize rest more, and am slowing down a bit overall. 

Even with this complete change of program and with my new program being much less intense than 75 Hard, I am still seeing the desired changes and results I am looking for. My skin is becoming much more resilient, I’ve noticed tremendous decreases in inflammation all over my body, and I am able to recover much faster. 

The common denominator here in my two examples, countless client experiences, and maybe even your own experience, is that if we are honest with ourselves and commit fully to what it is we are trying to accomplish, we are very likely to achieve the goals we are looking for. 

It is when we are not being honest with ourselves that we fall into the trap of feeling like we need to do more to achieve our goals. Take inventory of your actions: how often do the actions you take align with the goals you desire to achieve? The more often these two align, the higher the chance you’ll succeed. 

It is not the radicality of the program that is most important, but rather our willingness to be radically honest with ourselves. 

Xoxo

Coach Maggi 

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