If you're on the health or fitness focussed sides of social media, especially on Instagram and TikTok, there's no doubt that you'll have heard about the viral 75 Hard challenge.
On paper, it's a simple set of rules: you follow a diet, with no cheat meals or alcohol; do two 45-minute workouts a day (one indoor, one outdoor); drink 3.8 litres of water per day; read 10 pages of a non-fiction book, and take a daily progress photo.
It's a relatively straightforward outline for a 75-day plan, but part of the reason why it's gone so viral is because of the difficulty people have had sticking to it for so long.
HELLO! spoke to Monty Simmons, fitness expert and personal trainer, to get the low down on the challenge, its benefits, and whether or not it can potentially be dangerous if approached incorrectly.
Can 75 Hard be beneficial?
He does believe that it can be beneficial for some people, especially being able to choose your own diet and reading 10 pages of a non-fiction book, but calls some of the other elements of it "quite extreme", pointing out the 'no cheat meals or alcohol' as an example.
Monty also asserts that other aspects of the challenge are too prescriptive: "Two 45-minute workouts a day is a lot. Not everybody's going to be able to handle that much workout volume. If you're a brand new beginner, I would not suggest this at all."
He says the same for the "impractical" rule of an outdoor workout every day, and the same for the flat rate of water consumption.
Is the challenge potentially dangerous?
The fitness expert says that the approach can be "very dangerous for some people", adding: "It's a very strict regime. I wouldn't call it a soft approach, and I think that's important because it certainly should be applied to all people. I would suggest that this sort of high-pressure deliverable every day can lead to overexertion mentally and physically.
"If people have very demanding work, this can be quite a heavy cognitive, emotional burden to take on if you're under a lot of pressure."
Monty highlights the "big risk of overtraining", but, above all, thinks you should decide whether to do the challenge based on one major criterion: "Assess whether you do need more hardness in your life.
"Overall, I think it's important for us to work on our confidence and mental resilience. There are a lot of distractions, noise and stimuli that are pulling our minds in lots of different directions these days. Having something semi-black and white can be useful for some people."
What are some softer alternatives?
Monty advises checking out 75 Soft, which outlines one workout a day and allows you occasional cheat meals or alcohol, or 75 Medium, which is a middle ground challenge that has slightly different hydration and exercise rules.
If you're not looking for the 'challenge' approach but want to get more fit, the personal trainer states that sustainable dieting practices, such as implementing salads, reducing sugar or alcohol intake, or even intermittent fasting, could work.
As for exercise, he says: "Most people would be doing really well if they managed to get two or three resistance training sessions in every week, 30 to 45 minutes is good. Maybe even add in some cardiovascular training, such as a bit of running, starting with a couch to 5k, or fitness classes at your local gym."