Most TikTok users are familiar with ‘75 HARD’: a challenge penned by author and sport performance CEO Andy Frisella in 2020.
Over the course of 75 days, the challenge encourages its participants to adopt healthy habits, bid farewell to sedentary behaviours, and develop their mental edge by adhering to tight disciplinary guidelines long enough for these actions to become routine.
Since its creation, the framework has been the source of over 160 million videos uploaded to the platform, as gym bros and beginners alike partake in the trend.
Popular TikTok content creator Tabitha Bostjancis and Instagram fitness vlogger, was one of those people.
@ahtibatbostta Day one of 75 hard 🤍 Decided to blog the whole day for the first day xx I have altered some of the original rules to fit my budy life style! #fyp #75hard #75myway ♬ Crystal Waters Gypsy Woman (Live) – Dj djacky mix
Ms Bostjancis, 22, has spent a year regularly engaging in physiotherapy after a severe knee injury stunted her regular gym routine and ambitions to smash her personal bests.
When her hopes to complete the 75 HARD fell through, mindfulness became the driving factor behind Ms Bostjancis fortitude, as well as the message she hopes to relay to her viewers.
“In the day and age of social media and fitspo pages…people are pressured to feel a certain way–whether they’re being pressured by themselves or feel pressure from those around them,” Ms Bostjancis said.
“If I didn’t feel like I was meeting a certain standard, I would get super upset.
“But now, I feel like transparency is super important. To be relatable, and a reliable source of information.”
More than half of Australian social media consumers have either their body image, diet regimes, or workout plans swayed by the fitness content available online.
Source: Butterfly.org
Ms Bostjancis has observed that the relationship between mental wellbeing and fitness can often be a ‘double-edged sword’ when it comes to the obfuscation of content creation.
“Social media and influencers [are] not being completely honest about their bodies, with editing and plastic surgery and everything that goes along with it, which puts a lot of pressure on people,” she said.
“It loses the core of what it’s about, which is health.”
But when removed from the anxieties and facades of digital manipulation and consumerism, physical activity has proven to be a foil for mental illnesses and somatic issues.
How does fitness improve our mental health? by Dylan Penrose
Statistically, Australians involvement in physical activity is low, and those who suffer from mental illness are more susceptible to poor physical health.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Wellbeing
University of Wollongong PhD psychology student, Lachlan Thomson experiences the cognitive benefits of exercise when he engages in recreational rock climbing.
He likens rock climbing to yoga due to its emphasis on body movements and because it’s an activity that is ‘outside of your head’.
And it’s a chance to be part of a community, due to the tight-knit culture and social nature that it offers.
“There is a way in which people open up and talk to other people, especially men, when it involves a shared achievement,” he said.
“Climbing is really good at fostering a relationship with people because you’re all trying to solve a common thing.”
Exposure to nature and bodily sensations are also key components of climbing and behavioural activation that aid in Mr Thomson’s mental wellbeing.
He believes that the skills and neurology developed within climbing are transferable to other avenues, such as learning languages.
“Whenever you do something that is difficult [like climbing] there is a lot of evidence to suggest that the brain releases a brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF),” he said.
“That basically helps the brain rewire in response [to being] challenged or trying something new.”
But that doesn’t mean people need to kickstart their fitness journeys by scaling cliff sides and dangling from crimps.
As ASTL. Nutrition performance coach Ethan Mitchell puts it: ‘start small’.
“The gym can be pretty daunting, anything as small as going for a walk around the block can help,” he said.
Although athletes typically feel a sense of self-appreciation and accomplishment when they endure exercises of a higher intensity, this is not always attainable when factors like off-seasons, accessibility, and injury rear its heads.
As a basketballer, Mr Mitchell has spent over a decade balancing his competitive ambitions with his mental wellbeing.
Now, he instills his coaching with techniques that both recognise and nurture the mental components of exercise for his clients, starting with routine.
“One thing we like to implement is readiness–just being prepared,” he said.
“It really relaxes the mind and relieves the stress and anxiety over your performance.”
Diet and nutrient intake are also major considerations when it comes to Mr Mitchell’s coaching framework, as well as maintaining mental wellness.
For example, regular consumption of fruit and vegetables is proven to minimise the risk of depression, but less than half of Australian adults consume the recommended intake on a daily basis.
“You can have the best training plan, but if you’re not eating properly it really doesn’t help that much,” Mr Mitchell said.
The dieting aspect of fitness is yet another ‘double-edged sword’, as disordered eating poses an unhealthy risk to mental wellbeing.