The 75 Soft Challenge is a 75-day habit-building program and the gentler, more sustainable cousin of the viral 75 Hard Challenge. Instead of extreme, all-or-nothing rules, it asks you to repeat four simple healthy habits every day for 75 days — long enough to make them stick, forgiving enough that real life does not derail you. This guide covers the exact rules, how to start today, how it compares to 75 Hard, and the easiest ways to track all 75 days.
In a hurry? The 75 Soft rules are: drink 3L of water, exercise 45 minutes (one recovery day a week), read 10 pages, and eat well with one weekly cheat meal — every day for 75 days.
What is the 75 Soft Challenge?
The 75 Soft Challenge went viral as a kinder alternative to 75 Hard, the intense mental-toughness program that requires two workouts a day, a strict diet, and a full restart if you slip even once. 75 Soft keeps the spirit — 75 days of daily discipline — but removes the punishing edges. The result is a challenge you can actually finish, and habits you can actually keep once day 75 is behind you. It is especially popular with people easing back into fitness who want encouragement over tough love.
The 4 rules of the 75 Soft Challenge
You repeat these four daily tasks, every day, for 75 consecutive days:
1. Drink 3 litres of water a day
Hydration is the easiest win of the whole challenge, yet the one most people forget by mid-afternoon. Aim for around 3 litres (about 100 oz) spread across the day. A marked bottle makes this almost automatic.
2. Exercise 45 minutes a day
Move your body for 45 minutes daily, with one active-recovery day each week (a walk, a gentle stretch, some yoga). Unlike 75 Hard, it does not have to be intense and it does not have to be two separate sessions — consistency is the point, not punishment.
3. Read 10 pages a day
Read at least 10 pages of a non-fiction or personal-development book every day. Ten pages is small enough to never skip and big enough to finish a book roughly every three weeks.
4. Eat well, with one cheat meal a week
Follow a balanced diet of your choice — there is no forbidden food list. You are allowed one cheat meal per week, which is exactly why 75 Soft is sustainable where stricter challenges burn people out.
75 Soft vs 75 Hard: what is the difference?
The two challenges share a name and a 75-day length, but they are built for very different goals. 75 Hard is a mental-toughness test: two 45-minute workouts a day (one must be outdoors), a strict diet with no cheat meals and no alcohol, a daily progress photo, and a hard reset to day one if you miss anything. 75 Soft is a habit-building program: one 45-minute workout, a weekly cheat meal, and room for rest. On paper a missed day still means restarting — but the challenge's whole spirit is consistency over perfection, and many people choose a forgiving approach: log the miss and continue the next day. If 75 Hard is bootcamp, 75 Soft is a lifestyle change you can sustain — which is exactly why so many people who burned out on 75 Hard switch to it. For a rule-by-rule breakdown, read the full 75 Soft vs 75 Hard comparison.
How to start the 75 Soft Challenge
- Pick your start date. Choose a realistic day — ideally not right before a holiday or a stressful week.
- Define your four habits precisely. Decide what “eat well” and “exercise” mean for you so there is no daily debate. Specific beats vague.
- Prepare your tools. A big water bottle, a book on your nightstand, and a way to track each day.
- Track every day. Checking off your tasks is what builds the streak and the motivation. Use a printable checklist or an app so nothing slips.
- Plan for imperfect days. Decide before day 1 how you will handle a miss: the strict version restarts at day one, the forgiving version continues the next day. Whichever you choose, never let one missed day become two.
New to habit challenges? Our step-by-step beginner's guide to starting 75 Soft walks through the first week in detail.
Tips to stay consistent for all 75 days
Most people do not quit 75 Soft because it is hard — they quit because they lose track. Keep your streak visible, stack each habit onto something you already do (read while your coffee brews, drink a glass of water before every meal), and consider doing the challenge with a friend for accountability. Seeing your progress build day after day is the single biggest predictor of finishing — here are 7 realistic tips to stay consistent when motivation dips.