What Four Failed Attempts Taught Me Before Attempt Number Five

If you've been following this blog, you've probably noticed something.

I disappeared.

Not because I quit taking care of myself.

Not because I stopped working out.

Not because I gave up.

I simply stopped trying to catch up.

The problem wasn't restarting 75 Hard.

The problem was trying to recreate everything I had missed.

I felt so far behind on the blog that I thought I had to go back.

Rewrite every day.

Add the menus.

Upload the pictures.

Remember every meal.

Remember every workout.

Instead of simply writing today's story, I was trying to write last week's too.

And no matter how much I wanted to catch up...

It had become too daunting.

Too big of a task.

Every day I fell behind made it feel even bigger.

Eventually, I just couldn't get myself to do it.

So I let the catching up go.

Looking at the Bigger Picture

When I failed my fourth attempt, I finally sat down and looked at the calendar.

I had been working toward 75 Hard for almost 70 days.

Not 70 perfect days.

But almost 70 days of eating well.

Working out.

Building healthier habits.

Showing up for myself.

Every failure came down to one missed task.

One day I missed my water.

One day I missed a workout.

One day I missed my reading.

One day I missed my water again.

I never quit.

I just missed one thing.

There's a big difference between those two.

During that month, I didn't suddenly decide to eat junk and quit taking care of myself.

I stayed pretty true to the nutrition plan I'd been following.

Low cholesterol.

Lower carb.

High protein.

High fiber.

The biggest thing that snuck back in was my latte habit.

White mochas.

Pistachio lattes.

A few more each week than I probably needed.

Apparently, fancy coffee is my vice.

But one thing never came back into my life.

Alcohol.

I haven't had a drink since I started my very first attempt.

And surprisingly, that part hasn't been difficult.

I've been in plenty of rooms where everyone else was drinking, and I never felt like I was missing out.

I'd order a faux-rita, a no-jito, or even a near-beer michelada, and still got to enjoy the moment without feeling like I had to explain myself.

Looking back, that's a habit I'm really proud of.

It reminds me that even though I paused the challenge, I never stopped becoming a healthier version of myself.

Why I Didn't Start Attempt Number Five

My first thought after my fourth attempt was to restart again.

But then I did the math.

If I had immediately started Attempt Number Five after failing Attempt Number Four, I would've finished somewhere around my fifth month of dieting and training.

Personally...

I don't think that's healthy.

I don't like staying in a cut for longer than about twelve weeks.

By then my body had been working hard for almost 70 days.

Walking.

Swimming.

Yoga.

Strength training.

Working.

Teaching.

Living.

It deserved a chance to recover.

Because recovery isn't quitting.

It's part of training.

So I gave myself a month.

Not a month of giving up.

A month of recovering.

A month of maintaining.

A month of letting my body breathe before asking it to push that hard again.

Recovery Didn't Mean Starting Over

During that month I didn't throw everything out the window.

I stayed with the same nutrition that makes me feel good.

I kept my seasonal dinner menus because they've become part of my lifestyle.

On busy Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Starbucks will still be breakfast because it fits my schedule.

I'll stick with an Americano and one of their lighter breakfast sandwiches or breakfast items.

I'd rather build habits I'll actually keep than pretend I'll meal prep every breakfast forever.

From Thursday through Monday, breakfast is pretty much decided.

Two eggs.

Two Jimmy Dean turkey sausage links.

Half an avocado.

A slice of sourdough toast.

Warm.

Simple.

High in protein.

Keeps me full.

And I genuinely look forward to it.

I also kept moving every day.

Just one workout instead of two.

Less pressure.

More recovery.

The Biggest Lesson

The biggest lesson wasn't about food.

It wasn't about water.

It wasn't about workouts.

It wasn't even about 75 Hard.

It was letting go of what I thought I should have done.

Eventually I realized something.

Going back and polishing the past was interfering with what I could do today.

I was carrying the mental weight of unfinished work around with me every day.

Trying to fix yesterday instead of giving everything I had to today.

That's backwards.

The past is over.

I can learn from it.

I can appreciate it.

But I can't change it.

What I can change is what I do today.

That one shift changed everything.

My New Morning Routine

Beginning August 2nd, every morning will start the same way.

First... 30 ounces of water.

I'm not even getting out of bed first.

Every night before I go to sleep, I'll fill my 30-ounce water bottle and leave it on my nightstand.

So when I wake up, there's nothing to think about.

No decisions.

No excuses.

No wandering into the kitchen to make coffee first.

I simply reach over, drink my water, and begin my day.

One less decision.

One less opportunity to talk myself out of it.

Second... write the blog.

My laptop will be waiting for me too.

Every night before bed, I'll set it on my nightstand right next to my water bottle.

After I finish my water, I simply open my laptop and start writing while yesterday is still fresh in my mind.

That's two things already done before I even leave my bedroom.

Third... take my morning walk.

I've also started laying out my workout clothes the night before.

Shoes.

Socks.

Clothes.

Ready to go.

That way I can wake up, drink my first 30 ounces of water, write my blog, throw on my walking clothes, and head straight out the door.

The fewer decisions I have to make in the morning, the easier it is to follow through.

That's three things I can get done without really having to think.

Just muscle memory.

Just a stream of consciousness.

Drink the water.

Write the blog.

Go for the walk.

By the time I sit down for breakfast, I've already kept three promises to myself.

That creates momentum before the rest of the day even has a chance to make demands of me.

Fourth... breakfast.

Most mornings from Thursday through Monday, that'll be my favorite breakfast.

Two eggs.

Two Jimmy Dean turkey sausage links.

Half an avocado.

A slice of sourdough toast.

On my busier Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Starbucks will still be breakfast because it fits my schedule.

I'll stick with an Americano and one of their lighter breakfast sandwiches or breakfast items.

It's easy, it's predictable, and I know exactly what to order.

Fifth... read 10 pages.

Right now I'll be reading The Power of Moments by Chip Heath and Dan Heath.

I want to learn how to intentionally create moments people remember.

Whether it's a yoga class.

A podcast.

A coaching session.

Or even this blog.

I want people to leave feeling like their day is a little better than when they arrived.

By the time I've finished reading, my morning is already off to a good start.

I've hydrated.

I've written.

I've moved my body.

I've eaten a nourishing breakfast.

I've learned something.

That's my new morning routine.

After that, I'll do a quick reset of the house.

Make the bed.

Unload the dishwasher if it needs it.

Put away anything that's out of place.

Give the bathroom a quick wipe down.

Nothing major.

Just enough to start the day feeling calm instead of chaotic.

Then I'll get ready for the rest of my day.

I'm building systems that make the right choice the easiest choice.

I've spent enough time trying to rely on motivation.

Motivation comes and goes.

Systems stay.

I'm not making this challenge easier.

I'm making it easier to achieve.

And I'm making it harder to fail.

Because I think lasting change happens when you stop relying on willpower and start building systems that support the life you actually want to live.

August 2

So here we go.

Attempt Number Five begins August 2nd.

If all goes according to plan, Day 75 will be October 15th.

I'm not going into this thinking I'll suddenly have more motivation.

Motivation has never really been the problem.

The problem was expecting myself to do things in an order that wasn't working for me.

Then getting frustrated when I didn't.

This time, instead of beating myself up for not doing it "right," I'm making adjustments that make success easier.

I'm putting my water next to my bed.

I'm putting my laptop next to my bed.

I'm laying out my workout clothes the night before.

I'm building mornings that support the person I already am instead of expecting myself to become someone else.

The first four attempts weren't wasted.

They showed me exactly where my systems broke down.

Now I'm using those lessons instead of fighting them.

August 2nd, I begin again.

One morning.

One walk.

One meal.

One decision at a time.