The 75 Hard Challenge took the internet by storm in 2020 as people looked for structure and accountability on their self-improvement journeys. Created by author Andy Frisella, the strict 75 day program requires followers to
- Follow a diet of your choosing
- Workout twice a day for 45 minutes
- Drink a gallon of water daily
- Read 10 pages of a nonfiction book
- Take a progress picture every day
While wildly popular, many found the rules too rigid and intense for sustainable success. Thus, the 75 Soft Challenge emerged as a more flexible alternative.
What is the 75 Soft Challenge?
The 75 Soft Challenge covers 75 days like its harder cousin, but allows more room for beginners. Created by lifestyle blogger Sydney Piercell, the viral challenge still provides accountability but permits
- Drinking alcohol in moderation
- One rest day per week
- 45 minute workouts (no doubles required)
- Only 5 progress photos needed
The relaxed guidelines help those new to developing consistent wellness habits ease into a routine. While 75 Hard caters to extremely
individuals, 75 Soft works for the average person.
75 Soft Challenge Rules
The 75 Soft Challenge sticks to four primary rules:
Eat Healthy
There are no strict dietary restrictions. However, followers should focus on nutritious, whole foods for 75 days. Things like processed snacks, sugary drinks, and fast food are discouraged.
Exercise 45 Minutes Daily
Any exercise counts, whether it’s walking, lifting weights, yoga, cycling, etc. Just move your body for 45 minutes minimum per day.
Rest or recovery days are allowed once a week where you can take the day off from working out. You can be active on these if desired, but it’s not required.
Drink 3 Liters of Water Daily
Staying hydrated is key. Drink at least 3 liters (about 12 cups) of water every day.
Read 10 Pages Per Day
Read 10 pages minimum of any book daily. This reading habit helps you learn and expand your mind. Audiobooks are permitted as long as you actively listen for at least 10 pages worth.
Take 5 Progress Photos
Take and post progress photos at the beginning, middle (day 37), and end. This tracks your improvements.
That’s it! By allowing more flexibility with diet and exercise, the 75 Soft Challenge lowers barriers to completion for beginners.
75 Soft vs. 75 Hard
The 75 Soft Challenge differs from the original 75 Hard Challenge in the following ways:
Diet: 75 Soft has no diet limitations, just eat healthy. 75 Hard requires picking a specific diet.
Exercise: 75 Soft requires 45 mins a day with 1 rest day allowed. 75 Hard demands 45 mins twice a day every single day.
Alcohol: 75 Soft permits occasional drinking such as social events. 75 Hard prohibits all alcohol.
Progress Photos: 75 Soft needs photos at beginning, middle, end. 75 Hard requires daily pics.
So in summary, 75 Soft:
- Permits alcohol in moderation
- Allows 1 rest day per week
- Needs just 1 workout per day
- Requires 3 progress photos instead of 75
This makes the challenge far less rigid and intense than the original 75 Hard. For those wanting accountability to build habits without overwhelting strictness, 75 Soft is the perfect fit!
Benefits of Attempting the 75 Soft Challenge
Committing to 75 days of focused self-improvement provides many benefits including:
Establishing Consistent Habits
The 75 Soft Challenge’s rules help instill regular healthy habits into your daily routine like working out, drinking enough water, and reading. Doing these things consistently for 75 days makes them more likely to stick long-term.
Accountability & Motivation
Having set guidelines and posting progress pictures provides external accountability to stay on track. Knowing others may see your updates helps motivate you to adhere to the challenge’s habits.
Improved Mental & Physical Health
Eating nutritious foods, exercising daily, staying hydrated, and reading more will inevitably improve your mental and physical wellbeing in just 75 days.
Increased Self-Confidence
Meeting fitness goals and living a healthier lifestyle boosts your self-esteem and self-confidence. Seeing physical changes reflected in progress photos enhances these feelings.
Trying New Things
The 75 Soft Challenge provides a framework to try new diet regimes, workout programs, or reading genres you’ve been wanting to attempt. It gives you a push to step outside your comfort zone.
Sense of Accomplishment
Completing 75 days of positive habits gives you an immense sense of accomplishment. Knowing you succeeded at something challenging through self-discipline feels highly rewarding.
The 75 Soft Challenge provides all the benefits of increased health, discipline, and personal growth without the high barriers to entry of its hardcore cousin 75 Hard.
Who Should Attempt the 75 Soft Challenge?
The 75 Soft Challenge works best for:
- Beginners new to fitness, nutrition, and self-help topics. The flexible rules prevent newbies from getting overwhelmed.
- Busy people without much extra time. With no doubling up on workouts and more lenient diet rules, it’s great for those with packed schedules.
- Those who struggle with consistency. The 75 days instills discipline and habitual behaviors.
- Perfectionists or chronic dieters. The “eat healthy” diet rule is less rigid and more maintainable long-term.
- Anyone wanting accountability and external motivation on their health journey. Posting progress pics and following set guidelines provides this.
- Those seeking a general lifestyle reset. Committing to 75 days of healthy habits creates positive physical, mental, and emotional changes.
Before starting any strict regiment like the 75 Soft Challenge, it’s wise to consult your healthcare provider, especially if you have any medical concerns. Make sure you modify activities appropriately if needed.
Now let’s go over how to prepare for and execute the 75 Soft Challenge effectively.
How to Prepare for the 75 Soft Challenge
Before embarking on 75 days of disciplined wellness habits through the 75 Soft Challenge, some preparation will optimize your chances of success:
Pick Your Diet Plan
While the diet rule is flexible in 75 Soft, planning out a nutritious meal plan ahead of time prevents excuses down the road. Decide on a diet approach, meal plan, and stock up on healthy foods/recipes.
Choose Your Workouts
Map out the exercise routines you’ll do over the 75 days including both cardio and strength work. Variety prevents boredom. Having go-to workout plans eliminates decision fatigue when the challenge begins.
Obtain an Exercise Tracker
Use a Fitbit, Apple Watch, or other device to accurately measure that you complete 45 minute workouts daily. This provides quantifiable data to track progress.
Get Accountability Partners
Find friends, family or social media groups doing the challenge too. Having outside support and accountability boosts motivation. Partner up to share progress, struggles and tips.
Take Before Photos
Take front, back, and side progress photos in workout clothes before starting. This gives you a concrete visual reference to see changes after the 75 days.
Download Tracking Apps
Apps like Way of Life or Habit Bull can track completion of the challenge’s daily tasks like water intake, exercise, and reading. This simplifies habit tracking.
With the prep work done, you’re ready to kick off 75 days of positive habits successfully! Let’s look at optimizing day-to-day execution next.
How to Execute the 75 Soft Challenge Successfully
Once you’ve commenced the 75 Soft Challenge, some strategies will help you stick to the guidelines consistently:
Start Each Day Reviewing the Rules
Get in the mindset by reading the 75 Soft rules or checklist every morning. This keeps your commitments front and center daily.
Schedule Workouts, Reading, and Photo Taking
Actually block time for these challenge activities in your daily calendar. Treat them like important meetings that can’t be skipped or bumped.
Prep Healthy Meals & Snacks Ahead of Time
Meal prepping dishes and grab-and-go snacks on your days off prevents excuses for poor diet decisions when busy.
Create Reminders to Drink Water
Set hourly phone alarms reminding you to drink water throughout the day to ensure you get your 3 liters consistently.
Join an Online 75 Soft Community
Connect with others doing the challenge on platforms like Reddit or Facebook for tips, motivation, and accountability when struggling.
Share Your Journey on Social Media
Post your progress pics, workout stats, and healthy meals on Instagram or other social sites. Public accountability helps adherence.
Stick to Your Routine, Especially on Bad Days
Don’t let stress, fatigue, busyness, or lack of motivation break your streak. Power through on the days you least feel like it.
With diligent preparation and focused execution, you’ll be amazed at what consistent healthy habits over 75 days can do! Soon you’ll have completed a meaningful challenge and formed routines to serve you for life.
Common Obstacles When Attempting the 75 Soft Challenge
While committing to 75 days of positive habits through the 75 Soft Challenge produces many benefits, it doesn’t come without obstacles. Here are some common struggles participants face:
Lack of Motivation
The initial excitement around starting the challenge inevitably wears off. Doing the minimums day in and day out becomes a grind. Motivation wanes. Combat this by tracking progress, finding accountability partners, and joining online 75 Soft communities to get inspired by others.
Poor Planning & Preparation
Failing to adequately plan out meals, workouts, and other logistics ahead of time leads to scrambling daily to figure out what to eat, how to exercise, etc. This increases chances of burning out and failing. Do the necessary legwork beforehand.
Unexpected Life Disruptions
Illness, injury, busy work schedules, family obligations, and other unplanned disruptions can throw off your 75 Soft routine. When this happens, modify activities as needed but don’t quit. Adjust and continue on.
Lack of Energy or Fatigue
Between diet change, daily exercise, and increased water intake, feeling tired becomes common. Listen to your body’s needs for rest. Light exercise or yoga restores energy on off days. Early bedtimes help too.
Diet Mistakes or Deprivation
Dramatically slashing calories or cutting out food groups leads to intense cravings, binges, and mental exhaustion. Take a balanced, sustainable diet approach you can maintain long-term. Be kind to yourself if you slip up.
Skipping Workouts
It’s easy to let other priorities bump scheduled workouts from busy days. But skipping days can quickly snowball into giving up entirely. Carve out time for exercise with the same importance as other must-do items and stick with the plan.
Underpreparing for Social Events
Parties, dining out, vacations, and holidays inevitably happen during 75 days. Planning how you’ll make healthy choices at social gatherings prevents you from going totally off the rails when they occur.
Comparing Yourself to Others
Seeing others’ impressive physical transformations or rapid progress can discourage you if your own journey looks different. Remember, this challenge is personal. Compare yourself only to your own starting point.
Losing Interest in the Challenge
The novelty of a new regimen fades. You may get bored doing the same workouts, meals, and reading. Combat this by actively looking for new recipes, different exercises, and interesting books. Shake things up.
Obsessing Over the Rules
For some, stringent rule following becomes about proving themselves versus creating healthy habits. If you find yourself stressed about technically breaking a rule, refocus on the bigger picture of mindset and progress.
With some patience, self-forgiveness, help from others, and reframing perspective, you can work through any challenges on your 75 Soft journey.
Tips for Continued Success After Finishing the 75 Soft Challenge
Completing 75 days of disciplined habits through the 75 Soft Challenge is an impressive feat, but how do you make those positive lifestyle changes stick long-term after it ends?
Review Your Progress
Take stock of all the positive changes to your physical health, mindset, habits and personal growth over the 75 days. Let this motivate you moving forward.
Gradually Find the “New Normal”
Ease out of daily checklists and strictness. Experiment to see what routine and habits make sense for maintaining long-term without burning out.
Keep Tracking Habits
Stay accountable by continuing to track basics like water, exercise, nutrition, and time spent reading post-challenge. Just use a simplified method.
Join New 75 Day Challenges
Sign up for another 75 day challenge with different goals like learning a skill, writing a book, meditating daily, etc. Unlock more growth!
Share Your Success on Social Media
Continue posting your healthy lifestyle and habits on social media. Knowing others see your journey helps you stick with it.
Form a Mastermind Group
Surround yourself with others dedicated to the same wellness goals. Meet regularly to discuss wins, hurdles, and ideas to keep improving.
Remind Yourself “It’s a Lifestyle”
Frame healthy choices as your new normal way of life versus a time-bound challenge. This mindset shift is key for permanent change.
Allow Flexibility
Permit yourself to indulge or take a break from routines occasionally. Rigid restriction leads to binging. Build in realistic flexibility.
Review Your Why
When motivation drops, recall why you started. Your goals, your vision for your best self. Then realign daily choices with your “why”.
Finishing something as big as 75 Soft is amazing, but living its principles for the long haul is an even greater success. Use these tips to make your new healthy habits truly last.
The 75 Soft Challenge provides an incredible opportunity to develop body, mind, and spirit through forming life-changing habits over 75 days. With more flexible rules than the difficult 75 Hard Challenge, it’s realistic for beginners looking to improve their lifestyle. If you’re seeking accountability on your path to better health, fitness, and personal growth, give the 75 Soft Challenge a try! With focus and perseverance, you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.
Tips for Maximizing Results on the 75 Soft Challenge
While completing the 75 Soft Challenge’s basics like drinking enough water and exercising daily already provides benefits, certain strategies can help you maximize your transformation during the 75 days. Let’s explore tips to optimize your mindset, nutrition, fitness, and accountability.
Adopting an Optimal Mindset
More than the physical habits, adopting a focused, positive mindset is key to succeeding with the 75 Soft Challenge’s guidelines.
Establish Your “Why”
Get clear on your motivation. Why do you want to improve your health and habits? What goals are you trying to achieve? Let this purpose drive you, especially when you feel like quitting.
Believe in Yourself
Have faith that you can complete 75 days of positive habits through self-discipline and determination. Display affirmations saying “I can do this!”
Detach from Outcomes
Don’t get fixated on dream results like losing 30 pounds or having 6-pack abs. Focus on the process of building sustainable habits.
Celebrate Small Wins
Recognize each day sticking to the challenge as an accomplishment. Even small progress deserves praise on the journey.
Don’t Let Perfect Be the Enemy of Good
If you slip up on a rule, get right back at it the next day vs. catastrophizing. Fussing over perfection sabotages success.
Practice Gratitude
When you want to quit, think of all the blessings you have supporting you. Thank your body for what it can do already.
Be Patient with Yourself
Change doesn’t happen overnight. Stick with the process even when progress feels slow. Results will come!
Focus on One Day at a Time
Don’t get overwhelmed thinking about doing this for 75 days. Just concentrate on following the guidelines successfully today.
Visualize Your Best Self
Imagine how amazing you’ll feel upon completing the challenge. Let this future version of you pull you forward through obstacles.
Adjusting mindset around the 75 Soft Challenge is just as important as the physical habits required. Implement these mental strategies to boost your success.
Optimizing Your Nutrition
A healthy, sustainable diet maximizes feeling good and seeing results on the 75 Soft Challenge. Here are nutrition tips:
Drink More Water
Proper hydration aids fat loss and energy levels. Get a fun water bottle to encourage intake. Add fresh fruit for flavor.
Eat More Protein
Protein increases satiety, preserves muscle during workouts, and can boost metabolism. Incorporate protein-rich foods at each meal.
Load Up on Vegetables
Veggies provide antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Eat a rainbow of vegetables for a broad nutritional profile.
Increase Healthy Fats
Omegas, avocadoes, nuts, seeds, olive oil – good fats curb hunger, control blood sugar, and reduce inflammation that impedes weight loss.
Choose Complex Carbs
Swap refined carbs for whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, oats. They digest slower for steady energy.
Cut Down Sugar
Sweets spike blood sugar and can increase cravings. Limit added sugars by avoiding packaged snacks, desserts, and sugary drinks.
Manage Portions
Overeating healthy stuff can still pack on pounds. Measure proper serving sizes with measuring cups or a food scale.
Prep Your Own Meals
Cooking at home lets you control nutrition quality and portions. Meal prep during 75 Soft prevents grab-and-go unhealthy convenience options.
Allow Some Indulgences
Depriving yourself completely backfires. Have treats occasionally in reasonable portions. Just don’t overdo it.
Doubling down on a nutritious diet sets you up for meeting your goals during the 75 days. Use these nutrition tips to perform and feel your best.
Strategizing Your Exercise Plan
Working out consistently provides massive benefits on the 75 Soft Challenge. Optimize your fitness gains by:
Mix Up Your Workouts
Alternate between cardio, weights, HIIT, yoga, pilates, barre, cycling, etc. Variety prevents boredom and trains all areas.
Incorporate Strength Training
Lifting weights tones, prevents muscle loss, and increases calorie burn during and after exercise. Aim for 2-3 strength sessions weekly.
Include High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Short bursts of intense exercise spikes calorie burn and metabolism. Try Tabata, sprints, or bootcamp style classes.
Set Specific Fitness Goals
Maybe you want to run a 5K at the end, lift a certain amount, or master arm balances in yoga. Concrete goals boost results.
Quantify Your Progress
Use technology to track performance like times, distances, speeds, weights lifted, heart rate, calories burned then improve weekly.
Work Out Early When Possible
Exercising first thing raises your energy and makes it harder to skip later when busy. But consistency matters most.
Change Up Your Environment
Work out outdoors, take new routes, stream different exercise videos to prevent mind and muscle boredom.
Focus on Proper Form
Moving correctly and controlled prevents injury so you can exercise the full 75 days. Leave ego at the door.
Listen to Your Body
Take rest days when needed. Modify activities if injured or ill. Pushing through leads to burnout.
Optimizing your workouts ensures you gain strength, endurance, confidence and have tangible markers of your improved fitness over the 75 days.
Implementing Effective Accountability Tactics
Creating external accountability helps adherence to the 75 Soft Challenge guidelines. Consider these tactics:
Find an Accountability Partner
Having a partner on the same 75 day journey provides motivation. Check-in regularly on each other’s progress.
Join a 75 Soft Facebook Group
Online communities create camaraderie. Fellow members give advice and keep you accountable.
Share Your Journey on Social Media
Letting followers see your journey ups accountability. Post workouts, meals, progress pics, books read.
Create a 75 Day Bet Contract
Bet a friend a sum of money that you’ll complete the challenge. Having money on the line boosts commitment.
Use Habit Tracking Apps
Apps like Way of Life track metrics like water intake and workouts completed daily, reinforcing consistency.
Schedule Check-Ins with Friends or Coaches
Set appointments to review diet, workouts, mindset, and results with someone for unbiased feedback.
Sign Up for In-Person 75 Soft Events
Attending seminars, meet-ups, or challenges at local gyms combines community and accountability.
Consider Working with a Trainer
A trainer provides expert accountability, motivation, and program adjustments when needed. Worth the investment.
Implementing concrete accountability systems versus just relying on yourself prevents slipping up and giving in to temptation over the 75 days.
Additional Tips for 75 Soft Success
Other miscellaneous tips to maximize your 75 Soft Challenge results include
- Document measurements like weight, body fat percentage, inches, and clothing size at beginning, middle, and end. The scale lies!
- Take front, back, and side photos in minimal, form-fitting clothes under the same conditions each time.
- Get at least 7-8 hours of quality sleep nightly. Sleep is crucial for fat loss and recovering from exercise.
- Reduce stress through meditation, yoga, massage, or other relaxation practices. High cortisol impedes results.
- Hydrate with electrolytes during and after workouts. Products like Liquid IV prevent dehydration, cramps, and fatigue.
- Wear fitness trackers and use fitness apps to quantify data like heart rate, steps, and calories to note improvements.
- Use aromatherapy with energizing scents like citrus, rosemary, and peppermint to stay motivated.
- Make visiting new places part of your routine, like hiking different trails. Keeps exercise exciting.
- Listen to audiobooks and podcasts during activities to make chores and workouts more enjoyable.
The more strategic you are about the details, the greater your 75 Soft success will be!
The 75 Soft Challenge provides an amazing experience to improve your fitness, nutrition, mindset, and life as a whole. While completing the basic rules consistently already benefits your health, implementing the tips above allows you to maximize your transformation during the 75 days. Optimize your mindset, diet plan, workout regimen, accountability, and other details to help achieve your goals by the end of the challenge. With laser focus, diligent preparation, and smart strategizing during the 75 days, you’ll feel and perform better than you ever dreamed possible. Let’s do this!
