Experts have warned against trying a new fitness challenge that has gone viral online, which involves exercising twice a day and consuming extreme amounts of water to optimise fitness levels in just two and a half months.
The "75-Hard" challenge has taken social media by storm, with more than a million videos shared by users documenting their experience with this eating and exercise regimen.
Created by American author and podcaster Andy Frisella in 2019, the strict plan is said to induce "physical and mental transformations" through five key elements.
The most important are two 45-minute workouts a day, which can be “whatever you need based on your fitness level,” according to Frisella’s website.
Participants should also consume eight glasses of water (about 4.5 liters) per day, stop consuming alcohol, follow a healthy diet, and dedicate at least 10 minutes per day to reading non-fiction literature, for mental benefits.
But experts have warned that the plan is not only unworkable, causing participants to not stick to it long-term, but could lead to serious health problems.
Drinking more than two liters of water a day without intense exercise can affect the delicate balance of salts in the body, causing a variety of worrisome symptoms such as low blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, and muscle spasms.
In more severe cases, the problem can lead to seizures and even coma.
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"If you drink too much water, you become overhydrated and develop hyponatremia, which means your salt concentration is too low," said Professor Peter Watt, a sports and exercise science expert at the University of Brighton, GazetaExpress reports.
"This can cause other problems with blood pressure and overall health."
"Drinking four liters of water is extreme. Even two liters a day is probably not necessary to maintain fluids."
It is generally recommended to consume about two liters – about six to eight glasses – of fluids per day, and more if you exercise or if the weather is hot.
But social media users have backed the benefits of the plan, with one woman claiming she lost more than 12kg and others saying it "transformed" their relationship with food.
Frisella, the founder of the challenge, claims on his website that the “75-Hard” challenge is “the only program that can forever change your life, from the way you think to the level of discipline with which you approach every task before you.”
Sharing dramatic "before and after" images documenting how the plan improved his muscle tone, he emphasized that "the mental changes are 100 times bigger than the physical ones."
On his website, he claims that those who have taken the challenge have become “better leaders at work,” “increased their income,” and taken “complete control of their lives.”
Two people who completed the challenge also shared their experience via social media.
Devamsha Gunput, 29, from Edinburgh, who completed the 75-Hard challenge last March while working full-time as a digital consultant, told the BBC that the challenge was "uncomfortable."
But she said she now exercises more regularly and that this has "transformed" her relationship with food.
Sophie Deakins, 27, also completed the 75-Hard challenge last year while working as an assistant manager at a cinema in London.
She said the challenge helped change her mindset and boosted her self-confidence.
Strength and conditioning coach Tana von Zitzewitz said those considering doing this challenge will need a lot of extra time, which makes it difficult to follow through.
"There's a lot of pressure for people to transform their lives at this time of year," she told the BBC.
She suggested that those looking to start a new fitness routine should choose a plan that is less strict and more enjoyable.
Meanwhile, NHS doctor Sam Whiteman said it is impossible for 75-Hard to offer greater benefits than any other healthy eating and fitness plan.
"If it's a question of whether this is better than going to the gym three times a week or going for a run once a week and eating healthily, then I'm not sure," he told the BBC.
It's not the first time that the beginning of the year has been accompanied by new health and fitness crazes.
The regimen follows other extreme fitness trends, including burning 600 calories in 60 minutes and the 100 rep challenge, which involves performing 100 repetitions of a single exercise every day for a month.
The Covid pandemic brought an explosion of a fitness challenge called “everesting,” which involved climbing hills to an altitude of 8,848 meters — the same height as Mount Everest.
Some people completed it by cycling, running or participating in a relay to complete the colossal task.
According to science, adults aged 19 to 64 should perform at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week.
This could be 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Alternatively, you could do 75 minutes of high-intensity activity per week.
She suggests a mix of strengthening activities, such as yoga, weight lifting or carrying heavy shopping bags, moderate activity that raises your heart rate like a brisk walk or a bike ride, and high-intensity activity like a run or swim. /Express newspaper/
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