What Is The 75 Soft Challenge? Plus, How To Make It Your Own

Like clockwork, the first day of January always arrives with a strong “New Year, New Me" energy. To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with using a new year to your advantage and riding the high of collective motivation to start new habits. 

However, there is a danger in expecting the same exact diet, exercise regimen, and morning journal directive to work just as well for you as it did for the group of unusually productive influencers on social media. 

Amongst the many wellness fads that spike in popularity with a new calendar comes the 75 Hard challenge—and the newer, more realistic version, the 75 Soft.

75 Soft is a health challenge that is popular on social media outlets like TikTok and Instagram—especially at the start of the new year.

It involves eating healthily, limiting alcohol, drinking plenty of water, reading a book, and doing 45 minutes of movement every day for 75 days.

The challenge may sound a bit formulaic, but psychology experts actually say that's part of its appeal. “From a neurological perspective, the human brain likes structure more than chaos, so any way for a person to create a plan with structure such as the 75 Soft is likely going to lead to increased completion of goals,” says clinical psychologist Kendal Maxwell, Ph.D.

She adds that, “Any time we can have small goals for our day or week, we may begin to cultivate a sense of accomplishment which also leads to increased esteem and feelings of purpose in life.” 

As you can see, the 75 Soft is a fairly reasonable challenge with wiggle room for personalization, especially when compared to its predecessor, the 75 Hard. 

The thing is, what’s considered “soft” and realistic for some people may be a huge lifestyle shift for others, so take that into consideration before committing.

“Goals need to feel achievable, and if they are too difficult to maintain through the other hardships of life that will inevitably happen in a 75-day period, a lot of people end up just feeling a sense of shame and disappointment in themselves for not meeting the goals,” Maxwell says. “This usually leads to people giving up after the first moment of not completing all the goals that they have.” 

While you can certainly take the 75 Soft at face value and try it out as-is, experts recommend personalizing it and making it your own. This can help you reach a place where you want to do these things every day and thus, find they become second nature. 

As for the kindly vague “eat well” and “drink socially,” directives, you may benefit from a tad more structure if it feels too murky. 

“The important thing here is to be very clear about what eating well looks like and what determines a social occasion,” Fuller says. “Is a social occasion an event with three or more people? What about a date night with your partner? Deciding your version of the rules ahead of time will set you up for success,” she says. 

“Overall, the 75 Soft is a reasonable challenge for almost anyone, as long as you're considering your unique needs and challenges,” Fuller says. 

Health challenges provide structure and accountability to your well-being goals—and some people find them super helpful. The 75 Hard and 75 Soft challenges prove this: these structured plans took off on social media because people appreciate having specific goals to strive for each day.

That said, within the innate structure of these plans, there's room to play! Use the 75 Soft challenge as a framework to set your own personal health goals and build a schedule that actually excites you. Swap out reading 10 pages a day with journaling if you're a writer, set a goal to cook more at home in lieu of healthy eating, etc. By making the 75 Soft challenge more personal to you, you'll be more likely to find some joyful new health habits to stick with long term—and isn't that the whole point?

Overall, the 75 Soft Challenge is a great way to kickstart healthy habits without forcing yourself to abide by a super strict regimen like the 75 Hard. Experts recommend personalizing it to fit your needs and personal preferences thus making it more enjoyable and easier to stick with. Those with chronic health conditions, including physical or mental health, pregnant women, and elderly folks should consult their physician before trying this or any health routine.