Change Your Life | Soft Girl Sunday "75 Soft Challenge"
Change your habits, change your life. If you’ve made it over to the self-improvement side of TikTok you have likely seen something about “75 Hard.” The challenge consists of six hardcore rules like strict diet, two 45 minute workouts and reading 10 pages of a nonfiction book per day with the promise of major transformation at end of 75 days.
While the idea of stronger discipline is always alluring, I had a visceral reaction to committing to 75 hard days. I am, always have been, and will forever be a soft girl. My natural next step was to look for a “75 Soft” challenge which I did find but I knew I could do better.
Enter the Soft Girl Sunday 75 Soft Challenge. Have you ever written a long to-do list and gotten so overwhelmed you barely got anything done? As an avid list-maker I’ve learned that small goals typically get crossed off faster, leaving you wanting to do more. Easy tasks get done. Completed tasks lead to more completed tasks.
So the rules are simple, each day:
Read 10 pages of a book or magazine. Any subject you’d like, the more interesting the better. Creativity and cultural awareness are so valuable in today’s world. I think that fiction, magazines, business or science journals etc are important to prioritize.
Move your body for 30 minutes. The wording is important here. Yes, going to the gym or working out is great but I want the intention and emphasis to be on staying active as a part of your lifestyle. Dancing, swimming, biking, tennis, hiking, rafting, walking are all amazing ways to move. Plus when you enjoy being active you will do much more without thinking.
Eat 1 fruit or vegetable. Commit to getting one in a day. One salad, one peach, a side of asparagus. Easy right? In my experience, you’re not going to eat crazy unhealthy stuff after you’ve intentionally had something nourishing. But guess what? Even if you do, at least you put something good in your body. Mission accomplished.
Take 10 deep breaths. What is life without breathing? Where is life happening if not right here in this moment? Making time to center yourself, connect your mind and body, and just breathe will do so much for your total health. You can reduce stress, anxiety and calm your nervous system in an instant. You’re welcome.
Look your best every day. Whatever this means for you, do it. We all know when we are putting our best effort forth and when we aren’t. Setting the intention to look our best each day will make us keenly aware of how we can improve or adjust the way we show up and present ourselves. What this means for you will change day to day, that’s fine. Quality over everything else.
Put $ in a jar for each completed day. Reward your efforts. Decide on an amount of money - a penny, a dollar, a $20 bill - that you will place into a clear jar for each of the 75 completed days. Positive reinforcement, seeing your accomplishments grow, will keep you motivated. The amount of money doesn’t matter as much as physically seeing it in the jar. At the end of this experience you will have a tangible manifestation of the investment you made in yourself!
I will be sharing my journey with you here and hope that you decide to join me. Subscribe for updates and use the hashtag #softgirlsunday to share yours!