If you’re wanting to upgrade your habits, lifestyle, and well-being, Operation 66 might be the perfect wellness challenge for you. AngelinaNicollle on TikTok created the challenge to be a realistic and balanced approach to changing your lifestyle and habits. The premise is that it takes 66 days for a new habit to become automatic. By completing this checklist every day, these habits will become ingrained and continue after the 66 days are complete.
While challenges like 75 Hard might not be a sustainable long-term lifestyle, Operation 66 is meant to change your life for the foreseeable future. It’s a more gentle approach, especially if you’re a beginner to building a wellness routine. This challenge is gentle, attainable, completely free, and can fit into anyone’s life, even if you’re short on time. Read on to learn more.
75 Hard-
You’ve probably heard the latest craze, 75 Hard, which consists of 75 days of the following rules and restrictions
- a consistent diet (no cheating, no alcohol)
- two 45-minute workouts per day with one mandatory outdoor workout
- read 10 pages per day of a book (audiobooks or podcasts don’t count)
- Take a daily progress photo
- Drink 1 gallon of water per day
If any of the following rules are broken on any day, you must start from scratch. While this challenge is meant more for mental fortitude and toughness, it’s extremely intense. Especially for people just beginning their wellness and fitness journeys. It’s advanced even for the healthiest and motivated individuals.
Things like a daily progress picture can venture into dangerous territory, especially for those with body dysmorphia, those who have negative relationships with their body, or those who have suffered from disordered eating in the past or are susceptible to disordered eating. Not everyone has the time for the number of pee breaks that drinking a gallon of water would entail. Some people live in Canada where temperatures reach as low as -40. Spending 45 minutes in those temperatures can cause serious frostbite. As well-intended as the program may be, it also has its drawbacks.
All or Nothing-
Many people can get sidetracked from restrictive wellness trends due to an all-or-nothing mindset. ‘‘If I can’t do this perfectly, then I shouldn’t do it at all.’’ When in reality, doing a little something every day is better than doing nothing.
While a man created 75 Hard, Operation 66 was created by a woman for women. Women experience hormonal cycles that fluctuate and affect their motivation levels, mood, and energy levels from week to week. The female cycle typically runs through 28 days, whereas the male hormonal cycle runs through a 24-hour period.
If you’re about to get your period, two 45-minute workouts are probably not appealing. As much as certain people might want to preach about having absolutely no excuses allowed in your life, listening to what your body wants and needs, especially as a woman, is the ultimate form of self-love and self-care.
What are the Rules for Operation 66?
The rules for Operation 66 are as follows:
- Drink one 16-oz glass of water as soon as you wake up
- Follow a 90/10 diet
- No social media for the first & last hour of your day
- Complete 60 minutes of body movement
- Spend 60 minutes on a personal goal or hobby
- Stretch for 10 minutes daily
-Drink one 16-oz Glass of Water when you Wake Up
While we’re sleeping, we aren’t hydrating, yet most of us beeline for the coffee machine as soon as we wake up. While you can still have your morning brew, reach for water first to hydrate your brain and body before getting your caffeine buzz on. Beginning your day with water can increase mental clarity and clear up early morning brain fog. Hydrating first thing can also help you reach for healthier breakfast options that will give you sustained energy throughout the day.
-No Social Media for the First & Last Hour of your Day
We all know that a doomscroll to begin or end your day isn’t the best way to have a clear headspace, and yet we do it anyway. Operation 66 states that for 66 days, that option is no longer available. Checking your social media as soon as you wake up can fill your mind with anxiety, comparisons, and discourage your brain from forming its own thoughts and opinions. Checking it before bed and seeing the news, sad stories, or people arguing in the comment section isn’t a great place to position your mind if you’re looking for a peaceful slumber.
Blue light from screens before bed can affect melatonin production, making it more difficult for you to fall asleep. This leads to you not getting the restorative rest you need. If you use your phone for work, that’s understandable, just try to steer clear of social media specifically. If you work in social media and need to check it right away, aim to get up a bit earlier so you can have some alone time with your brain before you dive in.
-Complete 60 Minutes of Body Movement
You can do whatever movement feels good to you that day. Some days, your body might crave a more intense workout like HIIT, boxing, weightlifting, or running. On other days, you might gravitate towards low-impact workouts like pilates, yoga, or a 60-minute walk. Even if you’re low on energy or motivation, gentle exercises like walking don’t feel as unattainable to complete. Listen to your body and what it’s calling for that day.
-Spend 60 Minutes on a Personal Hobby, Goal, or Side Hustle
Time can slip through our fingers during the day, and the things we “one day” want to spend more time on never get done. Work, commuting, cooking, and cleaning can make up the bulk of your day. Steal your time back and spend it on yourself. It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you spend an hour a day working on something you’re passionate about for 66 days, that’s 66 hours of progress. If you often wonder where your days go, and then check your screen time, it’s disheartening to think about what you could’ve done with that time instead. Use operation 66 to finally find out. Keep this goal or hobby separate from your current job or school, as something you do solely for yourself.
-Daily 10 Minute Stretch
The final daily task is stretching for 10 minutes. Set a timer and do a full body stretch, including your neck, back, arms, hamstrings, etc. We hold a ton of tension in our bodies, so release it and go about your day in a more relaxed state. Do this after waking up to energize yourself, after exercising to reduce lactic acid, or before bed to promote relaxation.
-Follow a 90/10 Diet
A 90/10 diet consists of eating whole, unprocessed foods 90% of the time and letting yourself enjoy the occasional indulgence 10% of the time. Indulgences can include alcohol, sweets, fast food, etc. While 75 Hard allows no cheating at all, Operation 66 encourages a mostly health-conscious diet with the occasional treat. There will likely always be a holiday or event that falls in the span of 66 days, so why deprive yourself of the small joys in life?
Following an extremely restrictive diet can cause more mental damage than anything and lead to a potentially dangerous relationship with food. Allowing yourself to enjoy a treat from time to time encourages a healthy relationship with food. Prioritize healthy and clean eating while knowing it’s not the end of the world if you want to satisfy a craving. Save things like alcoholic beverages or wine for special occasions and drink in moderation.
Final Thoughts-
If you’re not only wanting to complete a fitness and lifestyle challenge but also wanting to make lasting lifestyle changes, then Operation 66 is perfect for you. It encourages you to build healthy habits that are meant to last while promoting a sense of balance. Drinking water as soon as you wake up and avoiding social media for the first and last hours of your day are easy tweaks to incorporate into your daily life that can have a big impact.
Spending 60 minutes a day on movement that feels good to you, 10 minutes of stretching, and 60 minutes spent on a personal hobby allows you to tend to your overall well-being. Following a 90/10 diet promotes a mostly whole, unprocessed diet while allowing a little indulgence here or there. This helps you to foster a healthy relationship with food and discourages an all-or-nothing mindset. Hopefully, if you’re ready to take on Operation 66, it can improve your physical, mental, and emotional health.
