The 75 Soft Challenge is a TikTok fitness trend that involves 75 days of focused self-improvement in different areas. The plan aims to incorporate specific eating choices, exercise, hydration, and other beneficial habits like reading and meditation.
The 75 Soft Challenge is an unofficial, modified version of the also-popular 75 Hard Challenge, a mental toughness program developed by Andy Frisella, the CEO of 1st Phorm and a well-known public speaker, author, and business consultant.
The 75 Soft Challenge emerged as a new trend to help people embrace 75 days of wellness without the rigorous demands of the 75 Hard Challenge.
The 75 Hard Challenge has strict fitness rules, but Frisella doesn’t market it as a fitness program. According to the 75 Hard Challenge website, Frisella’s challenge is about building mental toughness, and it isn’t supposed to be easy.
Science doesn’t back up the 75 Hard Challenge. It might not be easy to sustain in the long term and may not be suitable for all fitness goals or abilities.
The 75 Soft Challenge aims to help you build healthy, sustainable habits through a 75-day plan. It isn’t a weight loss program, though some people may lose weight as they incorporate some of the recommended changes.
Unlike the 75 Hard Challenge, which is about overcoming and persevering in a demanding self-improvement framework, the soft version is about developing sustainable wellness habits in your everyday life.
As a community-developed program, the rules of the 75 Soft Challenge can vary slightly between sources.
One example of the basic daily rules is:
- Follow a 90% healthy diet plan.
- Exercise for 30 or more minutes, 4 times a week.
- Drink 3 liters of water each day.
- Meditate for at least 5 minutes daily.
- Take progress pictures on day 1 and day 75.
- Read 10 pages of a book daily or listen to 10 minutes of positive self-improvement audio.
Unlike the 75 Hard Challenge, there’s no “starting over” if you skip a step, stray away from the plan, or focus only on some aspects of it.
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Science doesn’t back up the 75 Soft Challenge as a program, but expert recommendations and research support many of its tenets.
The research used in a small 2022 study showed that the 3 liters of water requirement, for example, is an average that aligns with adult hydration recommendations from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
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One of the 75 Soft Challenge’s downfalls is its lack of specificity and accounting for individual needs and health status. Exercise, diet, and hydration needs can be different based on age, overall health, level of activity, and ability.
Discussing the 75 Soft Challenge with a healthcare professional before starting can help you decide whether it’s right for you.
If you live with certain medical conditions, like chronic kidney disease, for example, the water intake recommendations in the 75 Soft Challenge might not be safe for you. Similarly, conditions that cause movement challenges might make 4 days of 30-minute workouts unrealistic.
If your schedule is extremely demanding, you might need a more tapered approach to lifestyle changes that don’t increase the pressure on your time and cause additional stress.
Getting medical guidance before moving forward with lifestyle changes is always a good idea.
If you’re considering the 75 Soft Challenge, these tips can help set you up for success:
- Choose an exercise plan you enjoy that fits your ability.
- Focus on balanced nutrition rather than a strict diet or calorie restriction.
- Plan meals ahead of time.
- Add hydrating foods to help get your water requirement in.
- Swap meditation for a relaxation activity you enjoy more.
- Listen to your body if it feels like you’re doing too much or to determine food choices.
- Track your experience with a journal to see patterns and progress.
- Ask friends to do the challenge with you to help with accountability and morale.
Do you want to explore other options? Here’s a 7-day fitness challenge you can do year-round.
The 75 Soft Challenge is a community-developed, modified version of the 75 Hard Challenge, a TikTok fitness trend. It focuses on 75 days of sustainable wellness habits for self-improvement.
Though not yet researched as a program, the 75 Soft Challenge can meet many recommended and research-based wellness goals. It’s not for everyone, and it’s highly advisable to speak with a doctor before starting this program.