Life Full Reset | The Iron Standard Day #1

I enjoy a good challenge.

In the past I've decided, randomly, to undertake various challenges just for the sheer fun of it. From drinking just water for 1 month to the 75 Days Hard challenge, I'd do anything to push myself. Now, after what I can only describe as the toughest period of my life so far, It's time to attempt yet another challenge, except this time, I'm going to do things a little differently.

I've decided to combine the 75 days hard challenge rules with the habits that I've wanted to do in 2026, however, instead of doing it for just 75 days... why not just not stop? The hardest part of the 75 days hard challenge was missing a day and having to reset. So, instead of doing a hard reset, why not just continue doing the challenge and adapting and adjusting as I go? Listen to my body and adjust to where my life is at that moment.

This is where Vocal comes into play. I used to be very active on this platform, and have seen it evolve throughout the years. I've even had a Vocal.Media Creator Spotlight written about me when this account was called People! Just Say Something!

Unfortunately, life got in the way and my blogging journey came to an end... until now! I've decided to document the challenge daily, and writing these blogs (as well as others) are a part of the challenge.

Let's go through the rules!

Exercise (Indoors + Outdoors)

Just like in 75 Days Hard, I will need to exercise twice daily for 45 minutes, once indoors and once outdoors. To make sure this goes well, I've set a exercise routine that targets either upper body, lower body, or core, so that I give myself plenty of time to recover and not hurt myself.

Your core recovers quicker than the rest of the body, so I will be alternating between upper and lower with core inbetween, as well as Sauna sessions, swimming, cardio, and recovery walks and yoga.

Drink 1 Gallon (3.8L) of Water

We all need to drink more water, and what better way than drinking a whole gallon! Yes this is a very large amount, and above the NHS daily recommendation. However, if I am going to be pushing myself with the daily exercise, I will be sweating a lot and lose a lot of water. I will be stretching my drinking sessions throughout the day to support both my exercise routine and my fasting.

I have a glass jug ready to infuse my water with fruits to keep things exciting.

No Alcohol or Cheat Meals

So simple yet so difficult. Socialising without alcohol or meals is hard, and sometimes others may judge you for what you're doing. It's challenges like this that not only improve my health, but train me to be entertaining and sociable without the help of alcohol or fancy meals. This is also hidden. personality training.

Read 10 Pages of Non-Fiction

I used to read a lot when I was younger. There was nothing better than sitting outside in the sun with a good book. Then, phones took over. I am really excited about reading not only non-fiction books, which should definitely boost my motivation for this challenge, but beginning to read fiction and being lost in great narratives and stories.

I think this challenge will be the first to evolve into something bigger later down the line.

Fasting

I used to work in London West End Theatres, and with that my working schedules were primarily in the evenings. This caused me to eat late at night after work and wake up with a horrible stomach ache and not feeling rested. To stop this, I stopped eating at a certain time and as I woke up around noon after a long shift, I would naturally skip breakfast. This unintentially made me pick up a fasting habit which I enjoyed.

This is why I will be upgrading to a 18-6 fasting window. This means I will not be eating for 18 hours and eating for 6. My eating window will be from 1pm to 7pm, for the rest I cannot eat. I will talk about the benefits of fasting in another post, as it's fascinating what the research has to say.

Journaling

I've always wanted to pick up a healthy, consistent journaling practice yet always fell short. Not only will I be blogging about the process, I will be keeping a personal journal that is hand written, where I write an entry every morning and evening.

The aim is to prepare myself for the day and load on motivation and gratitude, and in the evening unload the anxieties and stresses that occured.

Skin Routine

Only recently have I began understanding the importance of a good skin routine. From moisturisers and cleansers to sun creams and collagen, I will be building from the ground up.

To start, I will be having a tablespoon of collagen in the morning and night to help maintain good levels as I age. I also have found a dermatologist approved cleanser and moisturiser, as well as a non toxic Sun Cream and a body moisturiser. This will definitely be a journey but I'm very excited to learn and hopefully see some results.

Mindfulness

I have a app bundle that includes Headspace which for the time being seems a perfect introduction to mindfulness and meditation. I've always struggled with meditation, and over the years have noticed my head becoming louder and anxiety levels rising. Even after 1 round of 20 minute meditation today, I felt my mind racing and thoughts flying out of control.

This will definitely take some time.

Daily Blogging

As mentioned earlier, i will be doing a daily update blog about what's happened in the challenge. I won't, however, be touching on all aspects of the challenge (that would take way too long), instead, I will note what changes and results have appeared, and if there are any updates on the process and challenge. This does not mean that I will be sticking to 1 blog a day. I want to get into a rhythm where I can update you on multiple aspects of the challenge, as well as writing blogs on other topics.

Long story short, I want to write nonstop!

Sleep Schedule (3-2-1 Method)

Now that I work a usual 9-5 position, I can adjust my routine to get a more restful sleep. I want to follow the 3-2-1 method of sleep preparation, where 3 hours before bed you stop eating, 2 hours before bed you don't drink anymore, water included, and 1 hour before bed you remove all digital screens (unless its stretch or meditation). This should help me prepare my body for a good nights rest.

I want to get up early and achieve things before I go to work. As my gym opens at 6:30, I want to wake up at 5:30 to be there for when it opens. If I am aiming for 7.5h of sleep a night, I will be going to stop eating at 7pm (aligns with my fasting window), stop drinking at 8pm, no digital screens at 9pm, and be in bed for 10pm.

Past me would laugh at going to bed this early, however, after giving this a try a couple of nights in a row and waking up naturally at 6:30 without an alarm, I never felt better.

Sleep is a superpower.

Language Learning

I love to learn new languages. Despite having a very fluid culture, as having travelled a lot in my life I've adopted various parts of cultures, yet failed to pick up the languages as easily as other parts. Therefore, I want to push myself, and attempt to learn Latin and Greek (I love ancient languages) as well as continuing to learn my native languages, Polish and English, to a higher level.

And no, I won't just be using Duolingo... I'll be using it, but there will be other things as well.

Daily Stretching

Stretching, just like sleep, is something that is overlooked way too much. I want to dedicate 15 minutes to stretch as soon as I wake up and just before bed. There are dedicated stretches I found ready to help me start and end the day.

This does not count toward my exercise time. This is a stand alone independent practice.

Track Spending

Finally, I will not only keep a detailed budget and track all my spending but also aim to spend as little as I physically can in a month to increase my investments. The world economy isn't doing so good right now, and while others flee and sell, I should be ready to jump in when the turmoil settles down.

Some people see this as a crash, others see it as a discount.

What to Expect?

To answer this truly, I'm not too sure what will come in the next weeks, months, and years. This challenge has a lot to cover, and will definitely take strong planning and routines to complete.

What I can say is that I will provide you with my honest perspective and opinion on what these habits will do for my life. If something isn't working, I will adjust and inform you. If something has changed improved my life, expect an update and let's talk how we can both get better.

Also, there's so much I want to talk about, both here and in video, so as my practice grows, and ideas develop, expect exciting new projects coming very soon. For now, let's see where this takes us!

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now"

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