What is the ‘Winter Arc’ Challenge?
66.
That’s the average number of days you need with a task before forming a habit. TikTok’s Winter Arc challenge arrived as social media’s new hot trend, but the concept’s been around for years. It’s simple: take the last 90 days of the year and turn your focus on what you’d like to change. When January 1 arrives, you springboard into new habits.
That’s it in a nutshell, but just so you’re prepared to start your own Winter Arc plans, I wanted to cover some of the following in more depth:
- What is the Winter Arc?
- What are its benefits?
- My advice on how to start your Winter Arc plan
- Is it too late to start my Winter Arc? and other FAQs
What is the Winter Arc?
Winter arrives. The shorter days offer up excuses.
“Let’s stay in and order Uber Eats or DoorDash,” “Skip that,” “It’s about to be dark in 30 minutes anyway.”
And the cold, well, it’s not doing you any favors either. Winter Arc starts on October 1 and ends on January 1. It’s about powering through the toughest parts of the year and setting yourself up for success in the new year.
Some of the most-adopted resolutions for the Winter Arc include everything you’d expect:
- Exercise more
- Eat better
- Learn a new skill
- Read
- Improve mental well-being
It’s about more than results. It’s the process. Participants who track their progress on social media create an ethos of accountability and community.
What are the benefits of Winter Arc?
The Winter Arc avoids prescription. Many viral challenges declare mantras. Take the 75 Hard Challenge, for example. Its mantra is mental fortitude — pushing yourself to the max. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the challenge consists of the following:
- 75 days of commitment
- Participants must complete five daily tasks
- Tasks include exercising twice a day
- No rest, no cheat days.
- You restart from day one if a task is missed or incomplete
There’s certainly a place for these types of programs; some find their ‘rules’ beneficial. But they’re not for everyone. For most, they’ll cause more harm than good.
That’s one of the benefits of the Winter Arc. You choose. It’s all about capitalizing on the back quarter of the year for future successes. No rules. No starting over.
I encourage my clients to hop on these types of trends for their fitness goals. Winter Arc provides a healthy conduit for accountability and change. Of course, it’s not all good. Every trend offers an unhealthy angle propagated by those overdoing things (more on that later).
Still, the benefits of the Winter Arc remain solid:
Jumpstart Your Goals: Start working toward your goals now. If you’re going to take part in Dry January, start cutting back on alcohol as part of your Winter Arc. The Winter Arc provides a proactive framework for succeeding in physical, mental, or financial health heading into 2025.
Sustainable Habits: The Winter Arc challenge promotes long-term habit formation. It provides a 90-day window to grow and tweak your habits, making you more likely to keep them over time.
Accountability and Community: You’re joining a community by recording your experience on social media or with other Winter Arc participants. Celebrate your wins. Admit your struggles. You’re not alone, and the Winter Arc challenge makes that clear.
Enhance Mental and Physical Health: One of the best things I’m seeing out of this trend is it focuses on the mind and the body. Prioritizing mental health also optimizes physical well-being.
I’ve seen a ton of research come out showing how winter affects us. Winter encourages bad habits. Studies show we weigh more in the winter than any other time in the year, and our diets falter as the days shorten and the cold sets in. During the holiday season, the average weight gain is one to three pounds. Not to mention, we’re getting less sunlight resulting in mental health issues.
Studies show we weigh more in the winter than any other time in the year, and our diets falter as the days shorten and the cold sets in. During the holiday season, the average weight gain is one to three pounds. Not to mention, we're getting less sunlight resulting in mental health issues.
You might have heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Magnusson and Boivin sum it up well:
“Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a condition of regularly occurring depressions in winter with a remission the following spring or summer. In addition to depressed mood, the patients tend to experience increased appetite and an increased duration of sleep during the winter. SAD is a relatively common condition, affecting 1–3% of adults in temperate climates, and it is more prevalent in women.”
Long story short, the winter’s psychological effects are real. It impacts the way we think, feel, and behave. The Winter Arc offers reprieve — turning some of the most challenging days into positive ones.
My Advice on How to start your Winter Arc plan
Starting your Winter Arc is an awesome way to invest in yourself. My main advice is to create a system that’s not too rigid and feasible based on your schedule and experiences. Here’s how I’d approach it:
Identify (and Avoid) Bad Advice
Earlier in the article, I promised to address the issues surrounding the Winter Arc challenge. Bad advice pops up in every trend. Someone will encourage you to take things too far and put you on a path that isn’t wise for you.
I’ve been consuming TikTok / ‘FitTok’ videos and have witnessed questionable advice. From people cutting off friendships and human contact l to reach fitness goals to eliminating “distractions” like romantic relationships.
They may have good reasons. Hard to say. But anyone who is setting rules around the challenge should raise red flags. Someone else’s gain may prove a pain for you. Be careful.
Define Your Goals
Now that you’ve prioritized and remained clear of unwise ideas, it’s time to define your Winter Arc goals.
Ask yourself what you’d like to get better at. Is it physical fitness? Improve your pickleball swing? Learn self defense? Stress management? Whatever you’re trying to better yourself in, define it and set actionable goals. I’m a big fan of SMART goals.
Get down to the nitty-gritty and make your goals something you can obtain and measure.
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Form Positive Habits
Within your SMART goals, work out a schedule. Give yourself some flexibility. Life happens. If you miss something, don’t sweat it. Stick to your schedule and work in some contingencies if you need to move things around. For example, if you have a busy day of meetings and can’t leave your chair, plan ahead and bring snacks so you can stay energized throughout the day as opposed to under-eating.
Fun fact: UNDER-eating is equally as bad as OVER-eating.
Consistency builds habits. Create daily or weekly roadmaps for your 90-day plan. For instance, do 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation every morning to boost mental health. Set daily reminders until it becomes clockwork.
Reward Small Milestones
Changing habits is not easy. Too often we only celebrate the larger milestones like reaching your ‘goal weight’ but it’s the smaller actions that take us there. Losing .5lb a week deserves to be equally celebrated. Change your mindset and trust the process.
Longevity wins. Every. Single. Time.
Involve Others
Get into the Winter Arc community. Get your friends on it. You can share updates on TikTok or Instagram, where you can meet other people on the same path. Create a group chat for family and friends to join in with you or follow a community group online. You’d be surprised how many people are in the same boat as you and looking to hear how you’re doing.
Reflect and Refine
Stop and review at the end of every week or month to see what is working and what isn’t. Learn from these findings to adjust your strategy and stay on track.
These tips will set your Winter Arc strategy up to succeed during the challenge and beyond.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I do after my Winter Arc is finished?
After Winter Arc, continue building momentum by joining my FREE Dry January Detox Challenge. The best part? Anybody who joins the waitlist receives one month unlimited premium access to the SportZtars app for completely free. No strings attached and zero bank details required.
Is it too late to start my Winter Arc?
It’s not too late to start your Winter Arc. Yes, the idea is for it to run at the end of the last quarter of the year, but again, the Winter Arc isn’t about a set of rules. You can use this calculator to figure out what day your plan would end if you started this 90-day challenge today.
Is the Winter Arc Challenge Sustainable?
The Winter Arc Challenge is flexible and should reflect the goals and habits you want to set for yourself. Its sustainability depends on you. Don’t overdo it, and you’ll find success.
What are the rules of a Winter Arc?
Many people set around ten goals for their Winter Arc, but no rules exist. Don’t do more than you can handle; only adopt the things that make sense to you.
What is the Winter Arc strategy?
The Winter Arc strategy focuses on building habits in the last part of the year.
What should I do in Winter Arc?
What you should do in the Winter Arc depends on what you envision for yourself. How do you aim to better yourself? Focus on those things. Set one goal if that’s all you can commit to, and log it for the next 90 days. Remember, anything that will positively impact your mental and physical well-being is fair game.
Gardea Christian
I've spent more than 20 years bringing out the best in individuals, empowering them to transform their lives. With unwavering loyalty and dedication, I guide people through a personalized process that revolves around them. My goal is to equip readers with the necessary tools, support, and resources to achieve and maintain optimal health.
