Is TikTok's 75 Mom Challenge the Reset Tired Parents Need?

You've probably heard of the 75 Hard and the 75 Soft challenges. But what about the 75 Mom challenge? Similar to its predecessors, the 75 Mom challenge is a chance to reset. The buzzy trend is meant to improve your mental, emotional, and physical health by making targeted changes to the way you live your life.

The challenge was co-created by TikTokers @brittanymoves and @summer.sized as a way to take the core idea of those popular reset challenges, but tailor it to moms who often find themselves pouring into others and wind up with an empty cup. "We are all worthy of being put first in our own lives but those with families to support, or mental/physical limitations or stressors often feel restricted by the current 75 day trends," @summer.sized shared in an FAQ post about the trend.

"75 Mom emphasizes attainable goal setting and sustainable habit formation," she also stated in the post. Both co-creators have posted their own goals within the challenge — @ brittanymoves, who went viral with her post, has a daily goal of 45 minutes of exercise, 45 minutes of housework, following a diet, showering daily, drinking plenty of water, and reading 10 pages.

As both moms have chronicled their experiences, followers have been cheering them on in the comments section. "This is RAW/HONEST…someone who looks like us to push through," one person wrote in response to @britanymoves. "Oh as a mama of a 5 month old I needed to see this!!!" another said.

The two also launched a private Facebook group that already has 3,200 members for other women who want to do their own 75 Mom challenges. If you're looking to get started, here's a breakdown of exactly what the 75 Mom challenge entails, what doctors really think about it, and how to incorporate it into your lifestyle.

Again, it's essentially a reset that involves pouring into yourself as much as you do others by setting sustainable health, fitness, and wellness goals for your life and daily routine.

The Facebook group lists the following as "daily rules" of the challenge:

But the FAQ emphasizes that these are just a guide and the rules you set for yourself should be personally selected. "The rules can and should be changed to fit your lifestyle and schedule," per the FAQ. It also notes that goal selections should be "based on what you can reasonably achieve because even the smallest of wins is hugely important."

Reaction to the challenge is largely positive. "I love it. I think it's great," says Thea Gallagher, PsyD, a clinical assistant professor of psychology at NYU Langone Health and co-host of the "Mind in View" podcast. "This is reasonable and manageable for many people."

Dr. Gallagher says the notion of doing something daily can help create new habits that are more likely to stick. "Healthy, daily habits are more effective over time than individual goals, like saying I want to lose X pounds," she says.

"The overall message of wanting to make sure that you are addressing several columns in your life is notable," says Tamar Gur, MD, PhD, a women's health expert and reproductive psychiatrist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. But she has concerns about the potential for toxic positivity in this challenge.

"We are constantly told that we're not doing enough as mothers, working parents, or however you categorize yourself as a parent," she says. "You showing up is what matters. If you're being present in your activities and doing your best to be good enough, that should be good enough."

Adding a set amount of time and certain categories that need to be checked off on a daily basis when kids are in the mix — who are known to be highly unpredictable — can set moms up to fall short, Dr. Gur warns. And that can raise the risk that someone will give up and feel down on themselves, or feel like they've failed, which isn't true — it's just life.

The housework element, which is featured in both co-founders' 75 Moms goals, doesn't sit well with Dr. Gur either. "Many moms sweep up and clean up already, and there is such a strong disparity in many households between who is cooking, cleaning, and doing the housework," she says. "Making a set time for housework a 'goal' may not be in the best interest of someone's mental health." And the idea or suggestion that your house needs to be a certain level of clean for your day to be well spent also goes against Dr. Gur's beliefs.

If you're someone who deals well with concrete goals and you have the ability to carve out set periods of time for yourself each day, Dr. Gallagher says the 75 Mom challenge can be helpful. But both she and Dr. Gur recommend giving yourself some wiggle room.

"Anything that feels too black and white, and you have to do it every day can be overwhelming," Dr. Gallagher says. Maybe you can't give each category 45 minutes, that's fine. And maybe housework isn't a part of your challenge list — and that's okay, too.

"Take time to reflect on what gives you joy," Dr. Gur says when it comes to setting your goals. "If you pay attention to that and try to incorporate more of that into your day, it will help." That may mean taking time to walk on a treadmill during nap time, paint, or get in a call with your sister to catch up. "Someone might do better with 25 minutes of a HIIT workout or five minutes of arm wrestling — whatever you want to do is great," Dr. Gur says.

She also stresses that parents shouldn't be too rigid with their mindset if they decide to do this challenge or some variation of it. "If all you get to do today for exercise is go for a 20-minute walk, that's great," Dr. Gur says. "You shouldn't feel bad about that. It's better than zero."

And Dr. Gallagher agrees. "Moms and women in general have such a slippery slope on being down on themselves if things don't go according to plan," she says. "It's important to have self-compassion when approaching something like this." Talking to your partner, if you have one, or a close family member and asking for support to make it easier to navigate the challenge can also be helpful.