75 Hard: Can You Be Disciplined AND Gentle?

Vanessa Harris
Apr 14
5 min read

I’m a week into the 75 Hard Challenge, and already, I know this isn’t going to be the story most people expect.

Because I’m not doing this to prove how tough I am. I’m doing this to explore what it means to be soft and strong at the same time.

Over the past few years, my life has shifted in ways I couldn’t have predicted. I went from barely holding it together to rebuilding from the inside out. I gave myself permission to rest, to feel, to heal. And I needed that... deeply.

But healing happens in stages. And now… I feel ready to stretch again.

I want to see what happens when I commit to something hard, not out of punishment, but out of possibility. Not to become someone new, but to become someone I can be proud of.

That’s why I’m doing 75 Hard, but doing it my way. Not with rigidity. Not with shame. With intention. With curiosity. With softness woven into every rep, every walk, every choice.

How I'm Making This Challenge Work With My Life

Let’s be honest: 75 days of consistent action is no small feat. And I know myself, if I don’t have structure, support, and space to feel through the process, I’ll burn out or lose interest.

So I’ve set up this challenge in a way that aligns with how I live, work, and move.

The Rules

Follow any diet (no cheat meals)
45 min indoor workout every day
45 min outdoor workout every day
Drink 1 gallon of water every day
Read 10 pages of a non-fiction book every day
Take a progress picture every day
Vanessa's add: daily meditation, gratitude journal, and 8-hours of sleep every night

What makes this challenge hard? No cheat days, no skipped habits, no exceptions...

Here’s what that looks like for me:

Early morning routine: I wake up at 6 AM to take a progress photo, eat, hydrate, meditate, and journal, then head into a workout before work.
Two workouts a day: One is indoors (strength training 3x and yoga 4x per week), and one is always outdoors (usually a walk with my dogs after work).
Mindful nutrition: I’m meal-prepping, tracking my meals, and hitting specific protein and caloric goals that support strength and recovery, while focusing on nutritious whole foods that will help me show up fully (oh yeah, and I never put down my water bottle!)
Sleep as a non-negotiable: I’m prioritizing sufficient sleep and creating a calm wind-down routine to make sure I have the energy and focus to stay consistent day after day (this is when I fit in my non-fiction reading).
Weekly resets: Sundays are not exempt from the routine, but I've scheduled time dedicated to prepping meals, planning Ayana Flow content, and checking in with myself before the new week begins.

Holding Myself Accountable With Flexibility and Focus

This challenge is a commitment to myself. Not to perfection. Not to performance. Just to show up with care and consistency.

Here’s how I’m staying accountable:

Habit tracking app: I check off my daily non-negotiables in a habit tracker that helps me stay consistent and mindful.
Calendar blocking: I treat my workouts, walks, meals, and rest like appointments with myself because they matter just as much as anything else on my schedule.
Accountability check-ins: I’ve told a trusted friend about my goals so they can support me and hold me to my commitments.
Built-in flexibility: On busy days, I intentionally modify my schedule to make sure I’m still honouring the challenge without burning out or missing the point.

This isn’t about being rigid. It’s about being rooted.

Why 75 Days of Discipline Can Reshape Your Mindset

Challenges like 75 Hard work not just because of what you do, but because of what you train your brain to believe.

From a psychological standpoint, consistent daily action, especially when paired with structure and intention, can rewire the brain through neuroplasticity. The more we repeat a habit, the more efficient our brain becomes at performing it, reducing internal resistance over time. What starts as discipline eventually becomes an identity.

Research in behavioral science also shows that self-efficacy (the belief in your ability to succeed) is built through repeated experiences of following through. When you do hard things consistently, your inner narrative shifts from “I can’t stick to things” to “I can trust myself.”

There’s also the concept of keystone habits, habits that, once established, create a ripple effect across other areas of your life. For many people, regular movement, hydration, and mindful eating act as those keystones. Once they’re locked in, other positive behaviors (like better sleep, clearer thinking, or more productive days) often follow.

But it’s not all upside.

The Pros and Cons of Structured Discipline

The Pros:

Mental clarity and resilience: Daily movement and self-check-ins reduce anxiety and help regulate mood through endorphins and dopamine.
Momentum and consistency: The structure of 75 Hard removes decision fatigue, you don’t have to wonder what to do, you just do it.
Improved self-trust: Keeping promises to yourself daily builds inner stability, especially for people healing from inconsistency or burnout.

The Cons:

Rigidity can backfire: When taken to an extreme, strict discipline can increase stress or lead to self-criticism if you “fall off.”
All-or-nothing thinking: For some, the pressure to be perfect may trigger guilt or shame rather than motivation.
Neglecting rest: If you’re not building recovery and emotional care into the routine, it’s easy to push too far, too fast.

That’s why I’m blending the structure of 75 Hard with softness, not pushing my workouts too hard, protecting my sleep, and treating this journey like a commitment to care rather than control.

Want to Try It Too?

If you’ve ever wondered what might happen if you challenged yourself, not to prove something but to uncover something, I invite you to try. Not my exact version. Not anyone else’s. Yours.

Start where you are. Set a goal. Stick with it... not perfectly, but intentionally. Support yourself with rest, fuel, and grace. And give yourself space to grow in a way that actually feels good.

You can follow my journey on Instagram and TikTok, where I’ll be sharing the real, imperfect moments behind the process. Or join me and create your own 75-day commitment to yourself.

Let’s see what unfolds when we stop choosing between grit and grace, and start living with softness and strength.

This is my season of strength. And I’m just getting started.

With lightness and curiosity,

Vanessa

A Note on the 75 Hard Program

The 75 Hard Challenge was created by Andy Frisella, entrepreneur and host of the REAL AF podcast. It’s designed as a mental toughness program with strict daily tasks meant to build confidence, discipline, and grit over 75 days, no compromises, no modifications.

While I’m exploring a more mindful and self-compassionate approach to the structure, I want to give full credit to Andy Frisella for creating the original framework that inspired this journey.

You can learn more about the official 75 Hard Challenge here.