The name gives it away — this is not a program for the faint of heart. How does this sound? Seventy-five days of the following regimen: complete two 45-minute workouts (one being outdoors), drink one gallon of water and follow a diet with no alcohol or cheat meals. Oh, and add to that: read 10 pages of a nonfiction book and take a daily progress photo. And none of these are negotiable. Fall into the trap of happy hour margs? It’s back to day one. Raj Desai, MD, who is double-board certified in physical medicine, rehabilitation and interventional pain medicine, says that Hard 75 became all the rage on social platforms when participants started seeing rapid results. The good? “It promotes the importance of nutrition, hydration and daily movement while also promoting mental health benefits through reading,” says Desai. The not-so-good? Two workouts can be excessive and, “the all-or-nothing mentality can be psychologically stressful,” he adds. Perhaps the Soft 75 is a better approach because it’s more about progress and trying your best, rather than perfection. “With the Soft 75, you have to eat well and can drink alcohol socially rather than cut it out completely, you must exercise for 45 minutes daily, drink three liters of water daily and read 10 pages of any book,” he says. “If you miss a day, you don’t have to start over.” With that in mind, sign us up for the Soft!
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