When you think of New Year’s resolutions, a 75-day workout might not top the list.

But this year it’s going viral as people are turning to TikTok to document their progress.

First, the ground rules: You stick to a healthy diet with no fake foods or alcohol.

Additionally, on each of the 75 days, you do two 45-minute workouts, one of them outside, drink more than three liters of water and read 10 pages of a non-fiction book.

Easy, right? Well, if you fancy your chances, two people who have completed the challenge tell us what it’s really like – and experts warn that if it sounds a little harsh, something more relaxed might be better for you. could work.

Meet Devmasha Gunput, 29, who graduated 75 last March while working full-time as a digital consultant for a large corporation.

“It was definitely tough,” she tells the BBC. “Even living in Edinburgh, it was dark, wet and cold and you had to do a workout outside.”

Devansha says one of the most challenging aspects of 75 Hard was “setting boundaries” while visiting her South Asian family so she could be strict with her diet.

“Exercising twice a day and being strict on my diet was really uncomfortable and was new territory for me to deal with, because I hadn’t had those conversations before,” she says.

But since completing the challenge, she’s seeing lasting effects so far.

“I exercise much more regularly, my reading habits and my relationship with food have changed,” she says.

While 75 Hard has turned into a viral craze over the past few weeks, it was actually invented in 2019 by author and podcaster Andy Frisella.

He said on his podcast that he has “spent 20 years learning how to overcome mental toughness” and has used this knowledge to plan.

He is not a qualified personal trainer or doctor and does not give guidance on what the plan classifies as a healthy diet, but it is understood to mean balanced and nutrient-rich.

More casual forms of the challenge have recently been surfacing on social media, called 75 Soft and 75 Medium, in which participants can consume the odd alcoholic beverage and unhealthy food while exercising and reading.

Sophie Deakins, 27, also completed 75 Hard last year while working as an assistant manager at a London cinema.

She says she accepted the challenge after struggling with “discipline and consistency” with other projects.

She changed her diet, cutting out chocolate and sweets, but allowing herself to eat anything with naturally occurring sugars like fruit and honey.

Sophie also cooked all her meals at home and tracked her protein and water consumption using an app.

She found it useful to give herself small rewards, like getting her nails done or buying a new book, but the hardest part for her was socializing, as it revolved around eating out and drinking.

To solve this, she explains: “I was very vocal about what I was doing, so when I got there (to social events) there was no pressure, but it still took real self-discipline to do it. Was.”

Since completing it, she has stuck to parts of the plan such as not eating out or buying unnecessary coffee and cakes, which helped her “save so much money”.

She says, “But the biggest thing is probably the change in mindset – the encouragement I got from knowing I could do this, all the excuses about time and self-doubt went away.”

But the challenge isn’t for everyone, which is what strength and conditioning coach Tana von Zitzewitz wants those considering it to keep in mind.

“You need a lot of time, not only for workouts, but also for reading a book – it seems like too much to try and cram into a single day,” she tells the BBC.

Tana says, “I definitely think there are some elements that people can implement, like getting 45 minutes of movement a day, being conscious of drinking more water and reducing screen time, but you have to be conscious of it.” “Needs to happen.”

The second aspect is motivation. “There’s a lot of pressure on people to change their lives this time of year,” she says.

She suggests finding a way to “challenge yourself while being kind,” so you can add fun and value to every day, without making exercise and food feel like punishment.

From a medical standpoint, it is difficult to determine whether 75 Hard is beneficial or not.

NHS GP Sam Whiteman explains that, because “it hasn’t been studied” in a clinical setting, it can’t claim to change your life in any way.

He also says it will need to be compared to a more basic system to see if it can achieve similar results.

“If it’s a way for people to get outside and be active I’m all for it, but if it’s a question of whether it’s better than going to the gym three times a week or running once a week and eating healthy, So I’m not sure,” he adds.

Meeting certain criteria is not the intention of 75 Hard’s founder, Mr. Frisella. For example, he doesn’t set any rules that involve losing a certain amount of weight.

While the challenge encourages people to take progress photos every day, much of the TikTok content surrounding it focuses on how the person feels at the end rather than how they look, leading to an unhealthy fixation with appearance. Helps to escape.

Dr. Whiteman recommends going there NHS Live Well websiteIn which, along with mental health and sleep advice, suggestions are given about healthy weight, diet and exercise regime.