Brief Report: Case Comparison of Therapy With the Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Vorinostat in a Neonatal Calf Model of Pulmonary Hypertension
AF Changes Recruiting Waiver Policy
Military.Com
The U.S. Air Force has issued policy changes with respect to waivers concerning eczema, asthma and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Select candidates having mild forms of eczema will be processed for a waiver. Candidates who do not meet the current standard for ADHD will be processed for a waiver if they have demonstrated at least 15 months of performance stability off medication immediately preceding enlistment or enrollment and they continue to meet remaining criteria in Defense Department Instruction 6130.03. The Air Force will use the Methacholine Challenge Test to evaluate those candidates with an uncertain history of asthma. The waiver process changes are effective immediately.
For more Air Force news, visit the Military.Com Air Force section. For more on joining the military, visit Military.Com's Joining the Military section.
75 Soft Challenge: 'I Completed The Viral Wellness Trend, This Is What Happened'
It's no secret we love trying out a fitness challenge at Women's Health. Theres the 12-3-30, the 25-7-2, the walking challenge and the formidable (or quite frankly terrifying) 75 Hard Challenge.
Despite being intense, the 75 Hard Challenge piqued my interest because fans waxed lyrical on TikTok about how life-changing it had been for them. Despite these protestations about how rewarding the challenge had been for them, there were an equal amount of experts saying the severe nature of the challenge could do more harm than good.
I knew I needed a routine shake-up after a few months of being inconsistent with my workouts and far too accustomed to a cheeky take away, but was looking for something less extreme. Then, a few months ago I saw an alternative called the 75 Soft Challenge pop up online, with a less arduous, more sustainable set of rules that far better suited what I was looking for.
What are the rules of the 75 Soft Challenge?The 75 Soft Challenge is made up of four rules, and it is a more realistic alternative to the viral 75 Hard Challenge. The rules are:
In order to compare the two viral challenges, it's good to have a grasp of what both challenges require from their participants.
The 75 Hard is (like the name suggests) bloody hard. While the 75 Soft isn't wildly different from how I lived my life previously, if I was to do the 75 Hard I'd need to change a lot more about my day-to-day routine.
The 75 Hard Challenge rules are:
The rules of the 75 Hard Challenge also state that if you break one of these rules you will need to start the entire challenge again, while the 75 Soft Challenge has no such stipulation.
Related Story 75 Soft Challenge benefitsLucie Cowan, Master Trainer at Third Space advised Women's Health that it's always beneficial to approach wellness challenges with a balanced mindset, and gave us three points to consider:
- Safety first: 'Ensure that the challenge aligns with your current fitness level and health conditions. It's crucial to prioritise safety and avoid pushing yourself too hard, which could lead to injuries'.
- Sustainability: 'Look for challenges that promote long-term habits rather than short-term, extreme measures. Building a lasting fitness routine is about consistency and finding activities you enjoy and can incorporate into your lifestyle beyond the challenge period'.
- Personalisation: 'Recognise that everyone's fitness journey is unique. Always customise the challenge to suit your individual needs, preferences, and capabilities. Listen to your body and make adjustments as necessary. No one size fits all, really'.
Jess Hillard, Sports Nutritionist at Warrior also gave us a tip about the water intake. She said that 'the recommended intake is 1.5-2.5 litres. 3 would also be a great goal but start with trying to reach 2 litres first. Water and hydration very much varies between individuals depending on gender, height, weight, activity levels, temperature and sweat rates. Therefore, you may need more or a bit less than the 3 litres, it will vary hugely'.
Is the 75 Soft Challenge more realistic than the 75 Hard Challenge?Sports Nutritionist Jess Hillard said that if she was going to recommend either challenge it would be 75 Soft. 'I would always recommend eating a well-balanced, nutritious diet. 'Diets' as such, with restrictions in the '75 hard', will only lead to an unhealthy relationship with food and restriction can lead to binge eating that food later'.
Master Trainer Lucie Cowan said the 75 Hard Challenge comes with some significant risks, such as increased injury risk, mental strain, imbalanced training, and a lack of consideration for individual differences.
She said that 'instead of recommending exercising twice daily for 75 days, it may be more beneficial to focus on designing a well-rounded exercise program [like the 75 Soft Challenge] that includes a variety of workouts, adequate rest and recovery, and addressing individual goals and needs'.
She added that 'it's important to prioritise quality over quantity, allowing the body time to adapt, recover, and improve gradually. It's also important to be able to have flexibility within your workout regime to live your best life, be spontaneous and say yes to things'.
5 things I learnt from attempting the 75 Soft Challenge 1. A workout doesn't have to be gruelling to be effective75 Hard Challenge: 'I Completed The Viral TikTok Trend, Here's Exactly What Happened'
If you've seen the 12-3-30 workout, 25-7-2 workout or 75 Soft challenge, chances are you'll also have come across the 75 Hard Challenge. It's had two billion views to date under the hashtag #75Hard, but don't be fooled by its popularity.
For those who aren't familiar, the 75-day plan was created by motivational speaker, podcaster, author and supplement company owner Andy Frisella back in 2019 as a 'transformative mental toughness program'.
You should consult your GP or other health care professional before attempting the 75 Hard Challenge.
On his website, he writes: '75 HARD is the only program that can permanently change your life...From your way of thinking, to the level of discipline you approach every single task in front of you with.' The website also claims that more than 100,000 people have 'completely changed their lives' thanks to the programme. Sounds pretty impressive, right?
Truth be told, the challenge isn't backed up by science (read on for an example), and many argue that the hardcore routine is unsustainable, restrictive and potentially dangerous. It's only with access to and 24-7 guidance from the experts that I decided to give it a go and find out the truth, so that you guys don't have to. Here's what happened, including my interpretation of the 75 Hard diet, and the exercise I did.
Content warning: overexercise and restrictive eating mentioned.
The 75 Hard Challenge rulesThe 75 Hard Challenge is made up of six 'non-negotiable rules' which have to be completed for 75 days straight:
Think that's a lot? There's more. If you don't manage to complete these six tasks every day, you have to start back at day one. Frisella acknowledges it might seem intense but if you get through it, he claims you'll 'come out on the other side as 'the hardest, most disciplined version of yourself.'
75 Hard Challenge benefitsShooting for all of the above rules is definitely not suitable for everyone (more on that later), but there are some rewards to be reaped from a few, as well as the notion of implementing a routine for 75 days (so long as it's nowhere near as gruelling).
'It will give you a sense of direction and structure,' Alex Parren, a nutritionist at Superzeros, tells us. 'The rule about reading non-fiction, for example, could encourage you to carve out time in your day to boost your knowledge as well as helping to reduce stress and screen time.'
'Following a good nutrition and exercise programme for 75 days (albeit not as intense as this one) will certainly improve your fitness and weight management,' adds Eleanor Thrupp, a nutritional therapist at Innermost, 'Drinking as much water as you can (not necessarily as much as 4.5L, however) will also keep you hydrated and help you feel more energised throughout the day.'
Unlike other more prescriptive challenges, there's an element of choice with the 75 Hard Challenge, says fourfive ambassador and celeb PT Jenny Francis-Townson. 'You choose the diet that suits you, you choose the exercises and you choose the books to read. This makes it more personal to you, which is a good thing.' As we always say, every body is individual.
75 Hard Challenge risksDespite glowing reports from the TikTok world, all of the experts I spoke to for this feature agree that the risks outweigh the benefits with the 75 Hard Challenge. Here's why:
'Frisella doesn't provide scientific evidence for how the components in the programme develop or prove mental toughness, so it's really a collection of arbitrary rules to follow each day,' says psychologist and eating disorder specialist Rachel Evans.
Parren agrees, highlighting the 'drinking 4.5 litres of water a day' rule. 'A person's water intake should be tailored to their own unique needs including their body weight, muscle mass, how much they exercise, the climate and how much they sweat,' he says. 'For many people, drinking 4.5 litres is way too much and could have negative physiological consequences.'
The fact that the 75 Hard Challenge doesn't include any rest days is a huge no-no, says personal trainer Hannah Lewin. 'Rest and recovery is a vital part of progress and to not include it in the programme is incredibly irresponsible in my opinion,' she says. Going ham without any rest days will also put you at a much higher risk of injury.
Plus, because the fitness rule is open to interpretation - you can choose what workouts you do, some might go overboard with exercise and aim for routines which are unsafe. There's no mention of warm ups or cool downs either, which also increases the risk of injury.
'We know most diets that restrict calorie intake and list "good" and "bad" foods are unsustainable in the long term,' says Evans. And, like the fitness rule, the programme doesn't specify which "diet" to follow. 'This is an issue because it might lead some people to drastically reduce their calorie intake or cut out a whole food group,' says Evans. 'This could be dangerous for their health, especially if they've increased the amount of exercise they're doing as part of the challenge.'
For Sarah Cannon, psychological wellbeing practitioner at Living Well UK, the mental health implications of pursuing the 75 Hard Challenge are concerning. 'It plays into all or nothing thinking – either you're mentally tough or you're failing, there's no middle ground,' she tells Women's Health. 'If you can't keep up with the intensity of the challenge, you might feel like you're not good enough, and it could have a detrimental impact on your self-worth.'
And don't get us started on taking daily 'progress pictures'. 'This level of self-surveillance and comparison could result in poor self-esteem and body image, which is ironic considering the challenge is supposed to increase your self-worth,' registered nutritionist Kirsten Oddy tells Women's Health.
Who should avoid the 75 Hard Challenge?Anyone who thinks they might be triggered by implementing diet rules, rigid exercise habits and taking progress photos, says Evans. If you've previously dealt with an eating disorder, body dysmorphia or exercise addiction, it most definitely isn't for you.
Lewin also stresses that those with existing injuries or health conditions should consult a medical professional before embarking on the challenge.
With all this in mind, I approached the 75 Hard Challenge with caution, vowing to listen to my body and not push myself too far, and always abiding by the experts' advice. Take note, and please do not try this at home.
5 things I learnt from attempting the 75 Hard Challenge 1. Too much of a good thing does exist when it comes to exerciseThe first and most blatant thing that came from me doing the 75 Hard Challenge was just how important rest days are. Even though one of my daily 45-minutes workouts was a walk in the park, after three weeks of zero days off, my body was struggling and I started to suffer with knee pain and sore Achilles tendons. I was also exhausted.
Francis-Townson says this isn't surprising. 'A lack of rest means that our muscles don't have time to repair and inflammation doesn't have time to go down, resulting in pain and injuries.'
Lewin concurs that overexercising will do you more harm than good, making the very valid point that if you're too sore or fatigued to do a workout to the best of your ability, it kind of defeats the point of doing a challenge in the first place.
So after three weeks, I decided to cut down on the amount of intense HIIT workouts I was doing (from five a week, down to two a week) and stuck to more low impact workouts like yoga and Pilates. Although this helped, I still found exercising every single day was overkill, so after about four weeks I started to give myself one rest day a week. I don't believe you should force yourself to work out if you're not feeling it, and despite the fact I've always exercised regularly, I knew it wasn't doing me any favours.
Here's how weeks one and three compared.
If you are thinking about attempting the 75 Hard Challenge, Parren strongly advises seeking guidance from a qualified fitness professional to ensure your workout schedule is safe and effective.
2. Diets don't workI'm not one for diets. I'll admit I've previously been sucked in by diet culture, cutting out carbs and denying myself 'naughty' foods (does anyone actually know what that means?) but now, I'm in a place where I firmly believe you should eat in a way that brings you joy.
For the purpose of this challenge, though, my interpretation of a 'diet' was to go dairy-free for its duration. My thinking was that dairy doesn't always agree with me (I've had stomach issues from having too much in the past) so ditching it for 75 days might actually be beneficial. Plus, there are so many great alternatives these days (big up dairy-free Ben & Jerry's), so I didn't find it too tricky.
The real struggle on the nutrition side of things was the 'no cheat meals' rule. I'd say 80% of my diet is made up of 'healthy' food – I eat plenty of fruit and veg, I make sure I get enough protein and I'm mindful of my fibre intake.
At the same time, I love pizza, burgers and doughnuts, and while the rules don't specify exactly what qualifies as a 'cheat meal', I'm not sure these would be approved of, and avoiding them was tough. My boyfriend and I like to eat out on the weekends, so we either had to go to 'healthy' restaurants or I had to opt for superfood salads while he devoured pizza, garlic bread and brownies. Not the one.
Come week four, I could not stop thinking about sweet food. I tried to satisfy my cravings with 85% dark chocolate but it definitely didn't cut the mustard. As soon as the challenge came to an end, I went overboard with all the foods I had denied myself. This is to be expected, says Evans. 'Having food that's off-limits can often make you crave it more and you're likely to overeat those foods when given the opportunity.'
Cannon isn't a fan of cheat meals either. 'The use of the phrase "cheat meal" assigns morality to food,' she explains. 'If we go 'off track' and eat a food we've told ourselves we can't have, this can lead to feelings of guilt and shame, and may even lead to cycles of overeating and restriction.'
A balanced diet has room for all the foods you enjoy, the experts argue, and I couldn't agree more.
3. Giving up alcohol can be really empoweringOne aspect of the 75 Hard Challenge I did find beneficial was ditching booze. I'm not a huge drinker but I do enjoy a few cocktails on a Friday night and for me, drinking is an inevitable part of socialising, so I didn't have much faith that I'd manage 75 days T total. Once I got started, though, it was surprisingly easy and enjoyable.
I found I had more energy for my workouts, I was sleeping well, and I felt less anxious about the little things. I was also pleasantly surprised to learn I could handle social situations without the crutch of a drink. Instead, I opted for alcohol-free beer, or I mixed myself a non-alcohol gin (big up Pentire for that) and tonic. It's not something I'll continue with because I prefer the taste of real alcohol, but it was an eye-opening experience to know that I can enjoy social events just as much without it, and I'm glad I did it.
4. You've got to listen to your body and find what works for youUnsurprisingly, a fair few of the rules didn't work for me. For instance, taking progress photos was very triggering so I cut them out after week one, drinking 4.5 litres of water was way too much (I managed 2 litres on average), and who really has time to work out for 90 minutes every day (I racked up around half of that)?
I didn't like how all-encompassing it was, either. Life is about balance, but with the 75 Hard Challenge, it's easy to neglect other important areas of your life like relationships, hobbies and socialising. Plus, the fact you have to start from scratch if you miss a day is, frankly, ludicrous. You wouldn't be human if you didn't slip up every now and then, and that doesn't warrant a punishment.
RELATED STORIES'It's setting individuals up to fail as life is unpredictable and can often get in the way of best-made plans,' says Cannon. 'You'll begin to view your success only through completing these strict rules created by someone else, instead of what is of real value and importance to you.' In other words, making some positive lifestyle changes is all well and good but following a set of rules laid out by someone who doesn't actually know anything about you isn't the best way to go about it.
Evans adds: 'It's a much better idea to tune in to how you're feeling and decide what would benefit your mental and physical health on any given day.'
Lewin's recommendations? Take some time to think about your own routine and what your personal aims are. 'Once you've assessed this, get the advice of a qualified professional who can help you with a plan to get there.' As we always say, you're much more likely to stick to something if it suits your lifestyle.
5. 'Healthy' habits aren't so healthy if they're impacting your mental healthOn paper, I was the epitome of "health" during the challenge. I was exercising a lot, eating as much nutritious food as I could, drinking plenty of water and forgoing alcohol. If I posted progress photos, you might have even seen some physical change but mentally, the challenge was taking its toll, and that's what's important.
I was super busy with work and had various things going on in my personal life, so trying to follow all six rules every single day was draining.
'We have to consider at what point health-enhancing behaviours actually become unhealthy,' says Evans. 'If someone is stressing over completing the tasks each day and their mental or physical health has been negatively impacted, then it's a red flag that what they're doing is no longer healthy.'
She's right, and with this advice in mind, on day 50, I decided enough was enough and quit the challenge. Do I feel guilty for not completing the 75 days? Not at all. The challenge was no longer serving me, and that certainly doesn't make me a failure, nor would it you.
The verdictI can confirm I wouldn't recommend the 75 Hard Challenge. Who knew? Granted, I am taking some positives away from the experience like reading more and drinking less but that's as far as it goes. There are plenty more effective, less extreme ways of challenging yourself and working on your health and fitness.
'Ultimately, you must be kind to yourself and recognise that you can work towards your goals with what you have available to you at the time. It doesn't need to be all or nothing. Progress over perfection,' says Cannon. Say it louder.
If you, or anyone you know, is struggling with an eating disorder, contact Beat, the UK-based charity who hope to end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders.T: 0808 801 0677E: help@beateatingdisorders.Org.Uk, under-18s: fyp@beateatingdisorders.Org.Uk
Priyankaa is our senior health and wellness writer, specialising in expert-tested reviews and roundups on the latest health and fitness products. From walking boots to running machines, Priyankaa has written about hundreds of products and is passionate about providing in-depth, unbiased reviews. Plus, as an avid runner and gymgoer, she knows exactly what to look for when finding the right gymwear, fitness tracker or earphones.Priyankaa has an MA in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University and over five years' experience in health and fitness journalism. Priyankaa has written for Stylist's Strong Women Training Club, where she regularly wrote about diversity in the fitness industry, nutrition tips, training advice and her experience completing various fitness challenges.
She has also written for a variety of publications including Business Insider, Glamour, Bustle, Metro, HuffPost UK, gal-dem and more.
Outside of work, Priyankaa can usually be found trying out a new gym class, seeking out London's best eats or watching a Spanish TV show in a bid to keep up her language skills.
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