When Kayla Rampersad set out to try 75 medium, a TikTok fitness trend, she was determined to build new healthy habits. But by day 60, she realized continuing with the challenge was doing more harm than good. 

In the summer of 2025, Rampersad decided to follow a 75-day goal that had become popular online. The challenge, which requires people to introduce a rigid schedule of daily habits, has three levels: 75 hard, medium and soft.

“The 75 medium felt like a good midway point, something I could achieve without pushing myself to my absolute limits,” said Rampersad. 

Although each ruleset can differ, according to Women’s Health, the base requirements for 75 medium include: 

• Drinking half of your weight in water each day 
• Exercising for 45 minutes a day
• Stick to your diet 90 per cent of the time
• No drinking alcohol 
• Read for 10 minutes every day 
• Meditate or pray every day 
• Take a progress photo each day

In comparison, the hard level required two workouts per day – one outside regardless of weather and no cheat meals or alcohol, with any misstep sending you back to day one. 

During the summer break between her time as a University of Ottawa student, Rampersad worked as a local outdoor jewellery vendor. Her long hours and time in the heat made continuing her fitness challenge draining. 

“How I felt physically was pretty good at first (but) over time, the heat exhaustion was getting to me,” said Rampersad. “It started going downhill near the end.” 

To prioritize her health, Rampersad stopped the challenge 15 days shy of completing it, but she doesn’t see her journey as a failure. 

“I felt really good about myself because I was making small changes to my daily habits to better myself in general.” 

For Rampersad, adding small adjustments to her current routine made the challenge more achievable and lasting compared to her previous attempts at counting calories and creating rigid workout schedules. 

“I found it was much too restrictive to the point where I wouldn’t even want to go and do it (exercise),” said Rampersad. 

For Rampersad, having goals that were too strict and intense made her burn out quickly, which is why the flexibility of the 75 medium appealed to her and remains a goal that she’d be interested in pursuing again.  

“Fitness didn’t have to be some big thing. It can just be (about) making small changes.” 

Richa Kewalramani eating dinner while studying on Feb. 2 (Photo: Robyn Lanktree)

For computer science student Richa Kewalramani, trying to gain weight has been challenging. 

After an increased workload from both her school and job, Kewalramani lost over 15lbs from skipping meals. 

Wanting to gain weight right away, Kewalramani hoped to eat more consistent meals, but found the stress and anxiety from work kept her from building concrete changes in her routines. 

“It’s tough. It’s been like seven months, and I’m still trying to gain weight.” 

To keep herself from losing more weight and underfuelling her body, Kewalramani is trying to get less exercise as well. 

She self-identified her problem as having too vague a goal without taking the steps to pursue it. 

“I’m not being as serious as I should be, even though it means that much to me. That’s why I’m not seeing results.”

Now, Kewalramani is trying to be more intentional with her progress by piecing together small habits beyond just food, like getting enough sleep, drinking water and walking. 

As a start, Kewalramani wants to eat three meals a day without fixating on calories. 

“I think having better guidelines (will make it) so that it’s more achievable and is not going to drag on for months and months,” said Kewalramani. 

For both Rampersad and Kewalramani, staying on track meant avoiding goals that were both too strict and too vague. 

Creating consistent and healthy goals meant adding small adjustments to their current routines that would have a positive, long-lasting impact. 

“Not all fitness goals have the same methods of getting there,” said Kewalramani. “So just try to figure out what works with you and your body.”