75 Hard Challenge: Canadian woman hospitalized after drinking too much water for ‘75 Hard’ challenge; had severe sodium deficiency – Times of India | – Times of India
What happened?
Michelle Fairburn followed strict rules for the challenge. She had no alcohol and had two workouts per day and used to consume gallons of water on a daily basis. She was determined to do this challenge for 75 days and complete it. “I think I have water poisoning,” media reported her saying in the Tik Tok video on the 12th day of her challenge. She was diagnosed having severe sodium deficiency.
Severe sodium deficiency is referred to as hyponatremia in medical terms and is life-threatening if left untreated. In this, the concentration of sodium in the blood drops to an abnormally low level and this affects the individual because sodium is an electrolyte and it regulates the water content of the cells. When there is less sodium and more water in the body, the cells swell up and this triggers several health issues.
The common symptoms of sodium deficiency are nausea and vomiting, headache, confusion, energy loss, fatigue, irritability, restlessness, muscle weakness, cramps, seizures and coma. These are initial signs of the disorder and one should visit a doctor immediately after identifying these signs.
As of now, Fairburn has been advised to not drink more water, while she is determined to restart the 75 Hard challenge.
What is 75 Hard challenge?
75 Hard challenge was popularised by entrepreneur Andy Frisella who describes it as a transformative mental toughness program. It is said that Frisella came up with the idea of this challenge after having an interview with James Lawrence who is nicknamed as the Iron Cowboy.
This challenge asks individuals to follow a strict diet, complete two sets of workouts 45 minutes each, take a progress picture, drink one gallon of water and read 10 pages of a book on a daily basis. This is a strict challenge and in case one misses out on the challenge, they need to restart it.
Frisella says this 75 Hard challenge improves one’s confidence, self-esteem, perseverance, self-worth, self-belief, grittiness and fortitude. “You are in complete control … and if you choose to follow this program PERFECTLY & without compromise … you will change your life forever,” Frisella says about the challenge in her website.
Where did this challenge go wrong for Fairburn?
While Frisella’s 75 Hard challenge expects you to drink one gallon of water per day, it did not go well with Fairburn, who says that she had to make frequent trips to the bathroom every night. Heavy water consumption also affected her appetite.
One gallon is approximately equal to 4 litres of water or 16 cups of water. An adult is recommended to have 11-15 cups of water a day. “While an extra few cups of water doesn’t seem like much, Fairburn is convinced her symptoms occurred after gulping down the better half of a gallon too quickly, potentially causing the water poisoning,” New York post reported. Aiming to complete the challenge, Fairburn used to drink 3-4 litres of water within few hours.
