Habit-building vibes are all about keeping it real, and that’s where the “75 Soft Challenge” steps in, no cap! Unlike the intense grind of a “75 Hard Challenge,” this one’s all about being kind to yourself. We’re talking tasks that are chill and doable, like easing into exercise and keeping it 100 with your diet. The beauty? It’s all about that consistency game without the crazy pressure. Imagine, it’s like sipping drops of water instead of chugging a whole waterfall – same results, but way smoother. So, when you’re down for a challenge that’s all about steady progress and less about going hardcore, the “75 Soft Challenge” is where it’s at. Easy does it, but the impact? Huge!
What is 75 Soft Challenge?
Most of us know about the famous 75 Hard Challenge, a challenge that rocked Tik Tok and Instagram leading millions to follow the regimen. Developed by Andy Frisella, this challenge focusses on habit building over 75 days with EXTREME focus on mental toughness and discipline. With set of strict rules over movement, diet and lifestyle, this program can very well lead to a restriction focussed mindset which can be detrimental to your mental health if you are not careful.
And there comes the “75 Soft Challenge”, a variation of the original 75 Hard which focusses on the same outcome of habit building. In this challenge, the tasks are similar but are tweaked to be gentler and kinder. By emphasizing on moderation and balance rather than strict adherence of the same wellness principles, this new wellness trend can actually ensure that even after the challenge has ended, the practitioners can easily continue the habits.
What are the rules of 75 Soft Challenge?
1. Eat healthy and drink only at social occasions
There is no precise diet requirement for the 75 Soft Challenge; only that it be healthy. You can really create your own goals based on what “eating good” means to you, which is one of its major advantages.
Eating healthy can be different for everyone based on their goals. For someone eating healthy might be directed towards losing weight, for someone it might be related to gaining musscle and there might be someone for whom it is just refraining from eating junk on a regular basis. So what is the rule? Its simple actually. You just have to do the following:
- Set your own healthy eating standard. It can be anything. From counting macros to increasing protein to limiting fried food.
- STICK to the plan. Whatever you set, ensure that you stick to it for 75 days.
An interesting dietary rule is regarding consumption of alcohot. While 75 Hard Challenge, clearly abstains one from consumption of alcohol, the 75 Soft Challenge limits it. The challenge restricts alcohol consumption to social gatherings only. Don’t take that as permission to consume as much alcohol as you please. Be aware of how drinking affects your challenge. It’s generally a good idea to put the bottle down if one more drink will prevent you from achieving your goals tomorrow. As a restriction, probably restrict the number of drinks to 1 during the social gatherings to ensure other parts of the challenge are not compromised.
2. Each day, spend 45 minutes working out, and take one day off per week to recuperate
In today’s hustle bustle, one thing that often gets missed out in our lives is workout. Its time gets traded with multiple activities, be it work, commute or just sleep. With this regard, the 75 Hard Challenge which instructs two 45 minute workouts becomes extremely difficult to comply with. The 75 Soft Challenge helps in this matter. The rule says that one has to train their body for 45 minutes everyday and take a day off every week to recuperate.
The training is also flexible. You can choose anything you want. Want to lift weights? maybe yoga? or perhaps swimming? or maybe just brisk walking? Everything is allowed as long as you devote active movement for those 45 minutes. This helps in ensuring that even if you had a super busy day or are not in physical condition to do something strenous, there is some activity that you can do.
3. Drink 3 Litres of water per day.
The 75 Soft Challenge checklist’s chore of drinking water might seem the most straightforward, but if you’re not careful, it’s also the one you’ll likely forget to do the most.
You don’t want to realise you neglected to drink water at the end of the day and feel compelled to do so immediately before going to bed. You don’t want to feel that you completed all the tasks but not the one that is essential to rejuvenate you. What do we suggest? Purchase a water bottle with a marking so you can keep track of how much you consume each day. Also, you can download tracking apps that can help you to log whenever you drink water. Simplest of all, as the new hour starts drink 1 cup of water in the first 10 minutes.
Refilling your water bottle will also give you a good opportunity to be on your feet, maybe get a good stretch and move around.
4. Read 10 pages per day – Any book
Reading is one of the best selfcare activities you can get your hands on. 75 hard Challenge pushes one to read only “Self Development” books. This is where 75 Soft Challenge differs. The challenge focusses on inculacating the habit of reading rather than only focussing on a specific genre. In this way, a challenger can read anything- from Self-Development to Fiction. So you can learn things while having fun!
Decide when you’ll read once you’ve selected one or more books you’re eager to read. The most straightforward rule to break if you’re not being deliberate about it is this one. Reading can help you start your day off well in the morning, provide a wonderful distraction from your racing thoughts during lunch, and help you unwind before bed. There is no incorrect time; simply choose a time that you enjoy and stick to it.
5. No need to post your progress everyday
A major rule of the 75 Hard Challenge was posting your progress on social media everyday. While this is a great way to hold accountability, it can lead to an excessive need of external validation. This also brings the challenger an added task of safeguarding themselves from the negativity of social media trolls. The 75 Soft Challenge aims at making sure that your accountability lies with yourself, that you do anything because you want it and not because it will look cool when the world sees it.
So the rule says that you do not need to post your progress everyday. Just be accountable and truthful to yourself.
What is the difference between 75 Soft Challenge and 75 Hard Challenge?
75 Soft Challenge differs from 75 Hard Challenges on the basis of strictness, doability of the tasks and personalization for a challenger. This directly impacts the mental, physical and habit formulation of the person. Following are the notable differences.
- While 75 Hard tells participants to follow a diet and abstain from alcohol, 75 Soft allows alcohol in limited capacity and does not enforce any particular diet.
- While 75 Hard advises working out every day twice a day, 75 Soft suggests working out six days a week with one day off.
- In contrast to 75 Hard, which advises reading solely non-fiction, 75 Soft encourages participants to read 10 pages of any book per day.
- While 75 Soft forgoes this requirement entirely, 75 Hard requires members to submit a progress photo of their bodies to social media every day.
Why is 75 Soft Challenge more realistic?
75 Soft Challenge tweaks the 75 hard Challenge to make the tasks more doable. Every challenger has some flexibility thus allowing them to personalize the tasks. This personalization is what makes the 75 Soft Challenge so realistic as below.
1. Focus on consistency rather than perfection
The 75 Soft Challenge is more forgiving than the 75 Hard Challenge, which restarts your progress at Day 1 if you don’t satisfy any of its requirements. Given that nobody is perfect, the 75 Soft Challenge attempts to encourage consistency rather than criticise flaws. The objective is to pick up where you left off if you happen to miss a day or experience a setback, just like you would with any programme where you aim for regularity.
2. Focuses on “You” and leaves time for you
The 75 Soft Challenge offers great self-care tips, and one of its best features is that it frees up time in your schedule for socialising and leisure activities. Contrarily, the 75 Hard Challenge can considerably restrict your ability to engage in social events, if you can even fit them in at all, due to its tight dietary and drink restrictions and the enormous time commitment of 90 minutes of daily exercise.
3. Inspires yourself enough to make the habits
When facing difficulties, it’s frequently best to do things slowly rather than trying to take on too much at once. It can be really challenging to stick with multiple new healthy habits that you try to implement into your daily routine. This could mislead you into thinking that maintaining good health is an impossible endeavour. It’s always preferable to start small. These little adjustments will eventually blossom into enthusiasm and a craving for more. From this vantage point, 75 Hard can seem excessive whereas 75 Soft might be the ideal balance.
What to consider before starting?
The 75 Soft Challenge entails activities that are associated with nutrition, physical movement and mental fortitude. It is important to consider the following:
- Dietary disorders and eating restrictions: If you need a specialised diet or have a history of eating issues, the 75 Soft Challenge might not be right for you. For some people, focusing on “eating well” may be helpful, while it may be detrimental for other others. If you’re on a guided nutrition plan or trying to mend your relationship with food, you might want to adjust this objective to suit your requirements.
- Physical Strength and Ability: If you can’t exercise every day, change the guidelines for 75 Soft. It’s acceptable to make a few little adjustments here and there, especially if they make the challenge more manageable for you, because the challenge’s objective is to start incorporating good behaviours into your daily routine. Make changes to the exercise plan so that it corresponds to your physical capabilities.
In conclusion, the 75 Soft Challenge is revealed as a more well-rounded and long-lasting method of personal development. It recognises the significance of taking small, attainable steps in the direction of better health and wellbeing by providing a flexible framework that fosters consistency rather than perfection. The challenge reminds us of the fundamental significance of remaining well hydrated on our path to improvement, even though it doesn’t specify any exact water requirements. The 75 Soft Challenge ultimately represents the notion that creating enduring habits and change is a marathon, not a sprint, making it a potentially healthier and more doable route to self-transformation.
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