75 Hard and 21 Soft: Wellness Through Patient Discipline
Photos by Billie Throm
Article by Jayden Forsyth
NEWBERG, Ore. – With the onset of a new year, millions are seeking to better themselves. One of the most popular New Year’s resolutions is the bettering of oneself physically.
Many gyms and fitness clubs run special promotions and, as with every new year, these spaces are packed with newcomers inspired to start fresh. George Fox University’s (GFU) own Hadlock Student Center is no different, being visibly more populated with new gymgoers trying to make a change.
Starting a fitness journey can be a daunting task, and with so many others partaking in a similar movement, the pressure to improve can be immense. Two GFU students have taken up lifestyle changing trends and added their own twists in order to achieve their goals at any time of the year. These two trends, or challenges, known as 75 Hard and 21 Soft are variants of each other and flexible for modification.
75 Hard, originating in 2019, is the more rigorous of the two, consisting of a 75 day-long program designed to test physical fitness and mental discipline. Each day, the individual partaking in the challenge is required to complete two workouts (one of which must be outdoors), follow a strict diet without any cheat meals, drink over three liters of water, read 10 pages of a non-fiction book and take a daily progress photo.
Conversely, 21 Soft is lenient and useful in creating good habits and achieving reasonable goals. A traditional 21 Soft challenge involves setting six simple goals to keep up with for 21 days, in the hopes of creating and sticking to good new practices.
Sophomore Avery Duffy has embarked on a customized 75 Soft challenge, which applies the length and some of the strictness of the 75 Hard challenge but is more manageable.
“I created a list of my own non-negotiable healthy habits to add to my weeks, some of which included 10 pages of personal (outside of class) reading a day, no eating out during the week unless I’m getting together with friends, clean eating all week with a cheat day on Sunday, calorie counting while being in a calorie deficit, working out in some way four to six times a week and drinking 80 ounces of water per day,” said Duffy.
“I was motivated to start this when I realized how much activity and clean eating I did over the summer and then I went back to college in the 2025 fall semester and gained seven-ish pounds,” she added. “I was tired of having an undisciplined mindset.”
When asked if she would recommend this challenge, Duffy had this to say: “Just do it. Laziness is a literal poison, so challenge yourself to rewire your brain and body. The joy that comes from the habits you set and the progress you see is so much better than any unproductive habit you could ever have.”
On the other end, April Seiler is undergoing her version of a 21 Soft. Now two weeks in, Seiler undertook this challenge because she had been solely focused on academics.
“In past semesters, I’ve put studies first and not done a great job of taking care of myself as far as exercising and eating well goes,” said Seiler. “It’s something I’ve wanted to work on and the New Year was a good time to try it.”
Seiler has committed to four main goals for her challenge, including going on a treadmill for 30 minutes each day, reading scripture for 15 minutes per day, practicing Spanish and journaling more often.
“We don’t turn into a new person overnight, even if we’d like to,” said Seiler. “Becoming more healthy gradually is the realistic thing to do. You can feel you’re making those little changes over time–I would definitely recommend it.”
For those looking for a strategy to complete New Year’s resolution, taking on a 75 Hard or a 21 Soft could be a way to start fresh. Both are customizable options and can help one change their life, no matter how big or small their goals are.
