313 Squishy-Soft Challenge

[livingdeb]

I recently learned about the 75 Hard Challenge (#75Hard), a trendy "transformative mental toughness program." It requires you to, every day for 75 consecutive days:
* Follow a diet (of your choosing, but with no alcohol or cheat meals).
* Complete two 45-minute workouts, one of which must be outdoors.
* Take a progress picture.
* Drink 1 gallon of water.
* Read 10 pages of a self-help book (audiobooks don't count).

If you miss any of these things, you reset to day 1.

In response to this, the 75 Soft Challenge has been created. It requires you to, every day for 75 consecutive days, do your best to:
* Eat well, avoiding alcohol, except for social occasions.
* Complete one 45-minute workout, with one day of active recovery each week.
* Drink 3 liters of water.
* Read 10 pages of any book.

If you miss any of these things, take a break or try an alternative approach.

Or another version I've seen:
* Eat 90% healthy.
* Do a workout of 30+ minutes 4 days a week.
* Take a picture on day 1 and day 75.
* Pray or meditate 5 minutes a day.
* Read or listen to personal development 10 minutes a day.

I am not taking on any of these challenges. I had already decided on my own daily goals for this year because daily goals gives me a clear deadline (bedtime) that somehow motivates me. And I've learned that if I make the minimum goals super easy, I will actually do them. So, every day for a full year, I am to:
* Walk at least 1 mile.
* Do at least one other exercise thing:
- do 1 set of calisthenics
- dance to two songs
- play VR golf
- work on learning to juggle
(Ideally, I will get in two sets of each of 5 calisthenic exercises I have picked out each week plus 2 sessions practicing juggling.)
* Do at least one lesson on DuoLingo.

It's okay to miss one day per week on any or all of these things. And to not be a moron if I'm sick or injured, and to not freak out if I have no electricity or whatever. Today, for example, I have walked/jogged just over the 1-mile minimum because brrr! I've danced to 1 song, and done 1 set of countertop pushups and one set of leg extensions. I still have DuoLingo in my future.

It goes without saying that I will be doing a lot of reading; I do not need to discipline myself to do this. This year I'm doing the 52 Book Club's 2024 Reading Challenge (#the52bookclub, #the52bookclub2024), reading books recommended by friends, and trying to get in some books about or set in countries I have not read books for. Today, for example, I've read from a book about a guy with a penguin research internship in Antarctica (Among Penguins) and a sci fi book Robin likes (The Peripheral).

I do have food and water goals, but I'm not focusing on them in this sort of way at this time.

So I guess my plan could be called 313 Squishy-Soft Challenge. (The 313 comes from 365 days minus 1 day/week.)

Comments

[reedrover]

I wish you consistency and success!

Good luck

[(Anonymous)]

Hi Debbie, I don't really use goals, but I do follow routines that I like and believe are beneficial. For example, on Mondays and Wednesdays I hit Gregory gym to lift weights and do 50 minutes of aerobic work. Tuesdays and Thursdays I just jog around the neighborhood. Etc. There's more to the routines but I won't go into details. I started doing these because years ago I read an article that said everyone was stressed out these days largely because they over complicate their lives. So I decided to simplify and just have routines. I can always add something impromptu, such as a friend asking me to go to a movie, but for the most part, I keep to them. So good luck with your goals. Oops, gotta go, I have to put in some time writing ;-)
Jay Williams