Wellness challenges on social media can feel overwhelming and oddly specific. Like, what do you mean I have to do two separate workouts every day, and one has to be outside? (I’m in Florida. It’s 100 degrees and raining.) And I’m not giving up my bi-monthly espresso martini for a hypothetical six-pack. Forget it! TikTok wellness creator Angelina Nicole, is also not here for the random, unscientific rules that often come with trendy wellness movements, so she created Operation 66.
Operation 66 is a wellness challenge designed to help women, and anyone else who wants to join, maintain healthy and happy habits. “Studies show that it takes about 66 days for a habit to become automatic,” Angelina Nicole, the founder of the viral challenge, said in a TikTok posted in October 2024. “This whole thing is designed so that you can actually do it forever.” For her, the 75 Hard challenge wasn’t the right move. She says it’s “by a man for a man” and designed to only be completed once. In contrast, Operation 66 is designed to be adaptable and achievable for most lifestyles so that participants can maintain their new habits.
Since Nicole’s TikTok, Operation 66 has gone viral, with thousands of folks trying it out for themselves. But let’s get into the dirty details of whether or not Operation 66 is worth trying. Beyond the viral buzz and aesthetic TikToks, is this just another fleeting wellness trend? I talked to Dr. Kezia Joy, a registered dietitian and medical advisor at Welzo, to break down the hard science, the strategy, and the sustainability behind the movement.
What are the goals of Operation 66?
This challenge has a mix of customizable and standard daily goals that can be adjusted to your lifestyle. Here are the basics: Drink two cups of water first thing in the morning (hydrate or die-drate), stay off your phone or social media for the first and last hour of your day, engage in an hour of movement, follow a 90% whole unprocessed foods (and roughly 10% indulging in whatever you feel like diet), dedicate 60 minutes to a personal hobby or goal, stretch for 10 minutes, then repeat daily for 66 days — and, ideally, continue for the rest of your life!
These activities aren’t just random; they’re based in science. “Although the tasks may sound basic, repeating these activities creates a solid layer of healthy decision-making,” says Joy. “These are not gimmicks but evidence-based ideas that could help build awareness, discipline, and a daily schedule, which are all necessary to help have effective changes in behavior over time.”
For the most part, as a certified lazy girl, this seems doable to me. You can hot girl walk, dance, or lift hard for your exercise. Whether you want to start a business like moi, make crochet cows, or learn to code, there’s time for that too. There is a lot of room for interpretation to make this challenge yours.
What are the differences between Operation 66 and 75 Hard?
If you’re on social media, you’ve probably seen the hype around 75 Hard. This challenge advertises itself as a “mental toughness program,” built to create intense physical and mental change in participants. And sure, while this challenge might boast bigger “physical” results, that doesn’t mean it’s better for you in the long run.“On the physical level, those who complete Operation 66 may not experience the same transformative visual results as the ones advertised by 75 Hard, but the slow alterations delivered via Operation 66 are, in many cases, simpler to stick to,” Joy says. “On a psychological level, the less stressful nature of Operation 66 prevails since.”
But Joy isn’t sold that challenges are positive for long-lasting change. “What is worrying with most of these wellness trends is that they facilitate a challenge-over-change approach, and people are driven by a short-term commitment instead of a permanent improvement,” says Joy. ”Operation 66 can become a sustainable strategy, but only in case the user perceives it as a starting point and not a destination.”
Because Operation 66 is custom, the outcomes will look different for everyone. Your mental and physical results will depend largely on how you choose to stay active, fuel your body, and take advantage of your hobby time. But that flexibility can be part of the appeal. If you are looking for a wellness trend that is less about restriction and more about building sustainable, feel-good habits, Operation 66 might just be the right fit for you.
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.