Scrolling through TikTok, you’ve probably stumbled upon them: the 75 Hard and 75 Soft Challenges. These viral self-improvement trends promise transformation in just 75 days, but they’re not one-size-fits-all. While both aim to build discipline and boost your well-being, their approaches couldn’t be more different.
TikTok is full of fitness trends and self-improvement challenges, but two have truly stood out and gone viral: the 75 Hard Challenge and its more accessible version, the 75 Soft Challenge. As we see more and more users trying them, it’s worth asking: which one is right for us?
Both promise to help us build discipline and improve our lives in 75 days, yet they differ dramatically in how they achieve this. The 75 Hard is strict and demanding, while the 75 Soft emphasizes consistency, flexibility, and realism.
What is the 75 Hard challenge?
The 75 Hard Challenge is for those who want to push themselves to the limit. For 75 consecutive days, you must:
Follow a specific diet with no alcohol and no “cheat meals.”
Exercise twice a day for 45 minutes – with one workout absolutely having to be outdoors.
Drink almost 4 liters of water a day.
Read 10 pages from a personal development book.
Take a daily progress photo of your body.
The problem is, if you miss even one of the above goals on any given day, you have to start from the beginning. This strictness can work positively for some, but for many of us, it can become exhausting or cause pressure and anxiety — especially if we already have a complicated relationship with our body or food.
What is the 75 Soft challenge?
The 75 Soft is an alternative that respects our needs and capabilities. Its rules are more flexible and allow us to incorporate healthy habits in a sustainable way:
Eat healthy, without strict restrictions, and drink alcohol only on social occasions.
Exercise for 45 minutes a day, but one day a week is dedicated to active recovery.
Drink 3 liters of water daily.
Read 10 pages from any book — whether fiction or non-fiction.
Unlike the hard approach of the 75 Hard, here you don’t have to do everything perfectly. You can have a tough day, not perfectly achieve all your goals, and keep going — without guilt, without restarting.
Why choose the soft approach?
The 75 Soft encourages conscious change, not absolute compliance with rules. It helps us set goals we can maintain long-term, not just for 75 days. It focuses on steady progress, not perfection.
For example, when we decide to drink alcohol only on social occasions, we reduce consumption without resorting to absolute prohibitions. When we exercise daily but also prioritize rest, we show respect for our bodies. And when we read a few pages every day, we cultivate a quiet moment that connects us to ourselves.
Which one is right for us?
If we want to test our endurance and like clear, strict goals, perhaps the 75 Hard might interest us. However, if we prefer a more balanced approach to self-improvement — one that accommodates tough days — then the 75 Soft is an excellent choice.
The important thing is to view these challenges not as a test, but as an opportunity to get closer to a better, healthier version of ourselves. With moderation, mindfulness, and kindness towards ourselves.
This article was originally published by on the Marie Claire Greece website.
