'75 Hard': Social Media's Brain and Body Challenge
Social media is no stranger to fitness challenges, but a recent trend is causing people's brains as well as their bodies to break a sweat.
The "75 Hard" program, created by author, podcaster and entrepreneur Andy Frisella, is being mentioned all over social media. But according to Frisella's website, 75 Hard is not a fitness challenge, but a "transformative mental toughness program."
The program requires participants to complete a set of tasks every day for 75 days straight. These include: following a diet, completing two 45-minute workouts (one of which must be outdoors), drinking more than 3 liters of water, reading 10 pages of a book, and taking a progress picture.
"This is a program that can change your life … starting from the inside," Frisella promises.
Progress photos and videos of participants can be found on social media with the hashtag #75Hard, with some content reaching millions of views on TikTok. On his website, Frisella says 1 million people around the world have completed the 75 Hard program.
But why 75? According to The Telegraph, Frisella says it takes 75 days to form a new habit.
The program also comes with a few rules. Participants are not allowed to drink alcohol, and the book they read must be a self-help book. If a participant doesn't complete one of the tasks on any given day, they must begin the 75 days again.
One participant who completed the program told Forbes, "It taught me a lot about what you can actually fit into a day if you put your mind to it."
However, some are more skeptical of the program than others. Priya Tew of Dietitian UK told The Telegraph, "It throws up a lot of red flags — for example, over-exercising without rest days is not ideal."
