When seeking to kick-start or enhance their approach to fitness, some people are diving into extreme routines like the trending 75 Hard Challenge. While the challenge promises mental and physical transformation, its no-rest-days approach raises an important question: Is it truly sustainable or beneficial?
Keen to find out more, Live Football Tickets partnered with fitness coach Donna Callander to find out which TikTok fitness trends may in fact be bad for your health, and how to know which advice is safe to follow from the overwhelming algorithm of social media.
Here is her take on the popular fitness trends, as well as advice to those considering taking up a new fitness plan.
75 Hard Challenge
The 75 Hard Challenge has taken TikTok by storm having over two-billion views under the #75HardChallenge hashtag, with its promised benefits of achieving physical and mental health through following the set rules. The challenge entails following a nutrition/eating plan suited to your goals, cutting out alcohol and cheat meals, and completing two 45-minute workouts, drinking a gallon of water, and reading 10 pages of a book every day.
While this regime can help build positive mental and physical habits, its safety and effectiveness are compromised if diet and exercise plans aren’t tailored to individual needs. The lack of rest days significantly increases the risk of injuries by depriving the body of time to recover. This relentless pace may also harm mental health, fostering an all-or-nothing mindset that can lead to burnout or feelings of failure. Furthermore, the rigid structure often encourages restrictive eating, which may damage your relationship with food and lead to nutritional deficiencies.
“The positive here is that it takes around 21 days to build a habit, so in theory you could then pick up some positive habits here and it mixes health, exercise, growth, and mindfulness,” says Callander. “However, what is the end goal? What is the diet? How do people choose it? That is a dangerous road as people are choosing something to alter their food or their exercise regime based on social media as opposed to whether it is right for them.”
30-Day Gallon Water Challenge
The 30-Day Gallon Water Challenge, a TikTok health trend with more than 14-million views, encourages participants to drink water daily for 30 days. While many tout benefits like reduced bloating, glowing skin, and increased energy, the safety of this practice is questionable. Excessive water consumption can lead to hyponatremia (water intoxication), kidney strain, and electrolyte imbalances, causing headaches, nausea, and other complications. It may also result in bloating, frequent urination, and unnecessary pressure to meet an arbitrary goal. Hydration needs vary, making this one-size-fits-all approach potentially unsafe for many.
“It’s important to drink water as part of a healthy diet and avoid fads and challenges unless you have consulted your doctor, because suddenly adding too much of anything to your body without balancing things out can have consequences,” says Callander. “While dehydration is usually a more common issue, hyperhydration or overhydration can equally cause issues such as a cloudy thinking, nausea and vomiting, muscle weakness, spasms, or cramps and headaches.”
Dry Scooping Pre-Workout Powder
Dry scooping pre-workout powder has quickly become a trend across TikTok boasting more than 8-million views, with people believing that it can help the powder absorb more quickly into their system, offering even greater enhancements to their workout performance. However, the risks of dry scooping can include choking and difficulty breathing, as well as more severe outcomes such as abnormally elevated heart rate due to an excessive intake of caffeine.
“As far as I am aware there are no real benefits to dry scooping. You tend to see videos of those trying it and ending up in coughing fits, which is usually them accidentally ingesting it as opposed to swallowing it,” says Callander. “It is something that is for likes or follows on TikTok as opposed to something that general people should be trying.”
Fasting Challenges
Most fasting challenges on TikTok center around intermittent fasting, which many believe claim has numerous benefits to health. However, it is important to be aware of the risks involved in any fasting challenge, as any form of fasting deprives the body of a certain amount of nutrients for a period, meaning it is essential to consult a doctor or nutritionist prior to taking part in this.
“There are lots of people who swear by intermittent fasting as part of a healthy lifestyle, however following a 28-day challenge like many people are doing on TikTok means, again, they are being influenced by the people doing it as opposed to because a doctor or nutritionist has recommended it for them,” says Callander. “One size does not fit all.”
Apple Cider Vinegar Trend
Apple cider vinegar has been trending as a means of weight loss, fat reduction, and reducing appetite. However, numerous reports have stated that it is not in fact helpful for weight loss and instead comes with cautions. For example, apple cider vinegar is highly acidic, which may trigger irritation or damage to your throat if you drink it often or in large amounts.
“There are very few studies that I’m aware of that actually show a link between apple cider vinegar and weight loss,” says Callander. “It’s meant to reduce appetite, because it creates a fuller feeling due to acetic acid being a short-chain fatty acid that dissolves into acetate and hydrogen in your body. There must be a certain percentage that is in the apple cider vinegar in the first place to create that fullness feeling and the chances of this are slim.”
It is important when taking advice from TikTok and other social media that you understand that influencers are there to do just that—influence and sell, that is their job. They will show you before and after challenges for example, but you have no idea what they are doing off camera.
“There are also lots of AI social media ads for various challenges like wall Pilates, which is popular at the moment. Again, you need to be aware that the results the advertisement is showing you is not necessarily on a real person, therefore, the comparison can be dangerous,” says Callander. “My top tips would be to always consult a doctor or qualified nutritionist before starting any new fitness challenge or diet to ensure that whatever you have chosen is right for you. Be aware that influencers and people doing the challenges are there to sell something, and you will never see the full picture, so take that into account before making any decisions. And finally, ensure that if you are looking at advertisements and they are AI, do not fall into the trap of thinking that you will get the same results shown by the AI model.”
