What is viral winter arc challenge on TikTok? 5 Ways to master it

Winter Arc Challenge
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Fall and winter season is upon us, which means pumpkin spice lattes, cozy movie nights in, and hibernation mode. Right? Wrong! This year, we are chucking out the ‘couch potato’ and bed-rotting phases and adopting practices to transform ourselves before 2025 arrives.

A new trend has emerged on social media, known as the Winter Arc challenge, which throws out the norm that we need to wait till January to begin locking into our future goals, and uses the months of October, November, and December to transform ourselves into our highest versions. While the rest of the world rests on their summer laurels, why not pick up the pace and use these 90 days to reach your 2025 resolutions?

Winter Arc Challenge Goals

What is the Winter Arc? 

Although the term ‘winter arc’ has found its origins in gym culture, where fitness athletes use this time to build muscle or ‘bulk up,’ by upping their calories and strength training. Since we spend the winter season covering up in layers, the extra weight from the bulking is unrecognizable. This is followed by the ‘cutting’ season in Spring, where they shed the fat off, yet retain some muscle. By the time Summer arrives, they have already achieved their beach bodies.

However, the recent Winter Arc challenge extends beyond gym culture. This trend blew up when 27-year-old fitness and lifestyle influencer Carly Berges posted a TikTok video on the same, describing her version of the challenge, which has been adopted by thousands of people since then.

In the now-viral video, which has garnered over 4 million views, Berges describes her endeavor saying, “Starting on 1 October, you have three months or 90 days until the end of the year’ to get ‘super laser-focused on your goals, your personal development, your growth’ so that by the time the new year rolls around, you’re already ‘coming out a whole other beast.”

By the end of 90 days, you will become unrecognizable, as you embark on this self-development journey where you aim to glow up mentally, physically, and spiritually. We have broken down some basic rules you must adapt to start your winter arc journey here.

Basic Steps to Achieve Your Winter Arc Transformation 

Make sure you follow this step-by-step procedure to achieve your desired transformation.

1. De-clutter your devices and space

Winter arc clean

De-cluttering is an act of erasing or removing objects or data from your everyday life, to have enough clarity to start anew. Unnecessary clutter, which takes up your physical and mental environment increases cortisol, the stress hormone, according to a UCLA scientific study. For a stress-free working environment, delete unnecessary pictures and data from your laptop, phone, desktop, etc.

Additionally, deep clean your entire apartment before the challenge because it will give you immense mental clarity to think of your goals. Put on some music, get your cleaning supplies, and scrub away.

2. Identify your goals through a journalling session 

Journal

Take out a pen and your journal to implement the next step. Make three columns on an empty page, and label the first column, ‘physical goals,’ the second column, ‘mental goals,’ and the third column ‘spiritual goals.’

Write down three basic goals under each category. While you may have more than three goals, you must narrow it down to the top three, to avoid getting overwhelmed when you are unable to reach them. Make sure to make them realistic, and akin to achieving them within 90 days.

(Don’t worry, we have a sample Winter Arc Challenge goals section in detail towards the end).

3. Identify limiting beliefs attached to the goals

Limiting Beliefs

The next step may be mentally uncomfortable, but it is necessary. Our goals motivate us to continue striving towards them every day. But there are limiting beliefs attached to these goals which make us think we are incapable of achieving them. When you clear out the mental chatter, nothing is standing in between you and your goals. That is why identifying them and letting them go is a great way to start your transformation journey.

For this exercise, write down at least 1 limiting belief under each goal that makes you think you cannot achieve it. After this, question why you have this limiting belief surrounding the goal.

For example, if you want to meditate 10 minutes a day, a limiting belief can be something along the lines of ‘not finding the appropriate time to do so.’ All you need to do is check your mobile screen-time, and find out that you are spending most of your hours there. So carving out 10 minutes from doom-scrolling to enhance your mental clarity is not that difficult.

Follow this for every goal you have written down in the previous step.

4. Make a schedule to achieve these goals 

Schedule

This step is the most time-consuming, but once you have it down, all you need to do is follow it. Under each of the goals you have written down in Step 2, jot down three action points to achieve them. For example, if you want to achieve the goal of meditating 10 minutes a day within 90 days, your action items can look something like this:

  • Set alarm for everyday meditation at wakeup time
  • Save the YouTube video I want to use to meditate on my mobile. (This will give you a direct link to the meditation video, and will prevent you from wasting time trying to pick one)
  • Track my progress weekly.

Do the same for every goal you want to achieve over the next 90 days.

After this, divide these goals into everyday tasks and time-stamp them in your Google Calendars. That way, you will get a task notification on your phone, which will urge you to complete the goal.

5. Track your progress weekly 

You might lose track of what you have achieved if you do not keep tabs on your progress. For a weekly goal reflection exercise, take out your journal, and answer the following prompts:

  • What is my biggest achievement this week?
  • What could I have done less of this week?
  • What could I have done more this week?
  • What are my goals for next week?

Sample Goal List to Achieve your Winter Arc Transformation 

Note that goals are bio-individual and must be set based on the individual’s circumstances and financial condition, and should not be influenced by others.

Physical Goals

Fitness

1. Build muscle hypertrophy

  • Strength train 5 times a week
  • One rest day per week
  • Sleep 8 hours at night

2. Dress according to your body type

  • Make a Pinterest Board on the clothes that flatter your body type
  • Donate clothes that you no longer require to free up space
  • Purchase basic clothing pieces you need immediately

3. Eat in a caloric surplus to build muscle

  • Establish a sustainable calorie count to build muscle without putting on too much fat
  • Make a 12-week meal plan keeping the daily caloric count in mind
  • Make weekly grocery lists and meal prep your food to avoid eating take-out

Mental Goals

Books

1. Read 4 non-fiction books (our recommendations)

  • How To Win Friends And Influence People (Dale Carnegie)
  • Mastery (Robert Greene)
  • Think And Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill)
  • The Mountain Is You (Brianna Wiest)

2. Listen to self-development podcasts (our recommendations)

  • The Huberman Lab
  • The Skinny Confidential Him & Her
  • Pursuit Of Wellness

3. Learn a new skill (spend an hour per day to learn something new)

  • Personal Finance
  • How to use AI
  • Building a Business

Spiritual Goals 

Meditation

1. Meditate 10 Minutes a Day

  • Set alarm for everyday meditation at wakeup time
  • Save the YouTube video I want to use to meditate on your mobile. (This will give you a direct link to the meditation video, and will prevent you from wasting time trying to pick one)
  • Track your progress weekly

2. Gratitude Journal Everyday

  • Write down 3 things to be grateful for in the morning
  • Write down 3 things that made you feel grateful today before sleeping (When we express gratitude, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin, the neurotransmitters responsible for helping us feel motivated, according to a scientific study).

3. Spend Time In Nature (Helps relieve stress and anxiety from constant overstimulation and helps with blood circulation).

  • Upon waking, spend 10 minutes under the sun to kick-start your circadian rhythm (our natural biological clock which regulates hormones).
  • Walk 8 thousand steps a day outside.

Adjust the above goals and action items to fit your schedule and goals. Follow them religiously over 90 days, and watch yourself transform by the time New Year’s Eve arrives.

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