For 75 days, Brandon Pollard worked out twice daily, followed a strict nutrition plan, increased his water intake, read daily, and took a progress picture.
Last year, a low point at the end of a seven-year relationship was the 30-year-old’s starting line for that routine. He was doing the 75-Day Hard Challenge, a fitness and mental toughness challenge meant to lead toward a healthier lifestyle. Working through the challenge laid the foundation for his newfound love for fitness and dedication to his health.
“I was familiar with the challenge but had never committed to it,” Pollard says. “I always had a reason to do the right thing and better myself, but the breakup drove me to start and stay with it.”Fitness Inspiration
Pollard says one night, he was sitting on his couch watching YouTube videos when he scrolled across one of a man praising the 75-Day Hard Challenge for the way it changed his life.
“That night, I made up my mind that tomorrow I’m going to start, and that’s when I started, and I never looked back,” he says. “Constantly working out made me fall in love with it and just keep returning.”
During the 75 days, Pollard exercised for 45 minutes twice a day. He started his day with a four-mile run, finishing it with strength training, focusing on a different muscle group daily. He changed his diet, cutting out sugar, alcohol, and processed food. He drank a gallon of water, read ten pages of a non-fiction book, and took a cold shower daily.
Pollard says he felt free to focus on himself: “I think I valued my relationship more than I valued myself. And I realized that I couldn’t give up on myself just because the person that I felt was my person gave up on me. I recommitted to myself.”
Playing sports throughout his life, Pollard says he was used to working out but struggled to be disciplined and stay consistent. So, at the beginning of the 75 days, he wasn’t too focused on the end results. Instead, his main goal was consistency and completing the daily regime.
“I completed it, and it changed me tremendously,” Pollard says. “ I learned to believe in my abilities, to be consistent, and to do difficult things. It brought me out of the turmoil.”
Not only did he feel mentally stronger on day 75, but he was also 60 pounds lighter and had a 20 percent reduction in body fat.
A year later, Pollard keeps up his healthy lifestyle, still running and lifting, and has added yoga and hot pilates to his weekly routine.
Pollard says if he didn’t go through a breakup, he’s not sure he would have reached this point in his fitness journey.
He now wants to help other people, not only physically but mentally. To that end, he’s working to earn a virtual fitness coach certification.
“I want to help people know they can do hard things,” Pollard says. “I’ve been on that other side. I know what it feels like and what it takes.”
Follow Pollard’s journey, workouts, and motivation on Instagram
@con_per_sistencefitness.
By Maya Smith
Photo by Tindall Stephens
