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This article was last updated Dec. 9, 2024.
One of the things that is undeniable about Instagram and TikTok trend culture is that creators are not gatekeeping their best tips, tricks, hacks and lifestyle recommendations. Good or bad, you will find a plethora of unsolicited advice, and it makes mindless scrolling feel a little more like a productive moment than a waste of time.
This week’s trending topic is the “winter arc” challenge, where individuals are encouraged to start their “new year, new me” makeovers right now, and lean into self-care and reinvention during this last quarter with ambitions to emerge in 2025 already glowing with health and well-practiced momentum.
So, what is the key to a successful winter arc? Let’s dive into the #winterarcchallenge, key components and examples, and a few realistic takeaways that you can learn from this viral trend.
What is a winter arc?
I think Christianna Silva at Mashable explains it best; it appears this trend started among gym enthusiasts who are determined to accept the challenge of physical improvement through working out and mental discipline to reach their goals.
From “That Girls” to “Gym Bros,” these winter arc viral videos are getting millions of views, but more importantly, thousands of versions of arcs have been customized to folks’ individual goals.
@angie.mmyers Winter acr challenge in full effect!! Hello October 1 👻✨📈🔒🏋🏻♀️⏰❤️💎 #winterarcchallenge #winterarc #weightlosschallenge #gethealthywithme #gethealthy #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Angie 🦩🌺✨
Most of this is diet and exercise-driven, but in our culture, focusing on healthy eating during the most indulgent time of the year of “unhealthy” eating doesn’t seem like a terrible plan.
Many creators are also working on social media content creation goals, financial goals and even intentional business development planning into their personal arcs.
@sheis.spencer #greenscreen Winter Arc – definitely will be locked in! Here’s to becoming better versions of ourselves! #winterarc #winterarcchallenge ♬ original sound – Spencer 🍒🇭🇹
Just beware of toxic and unrealistic vibes, and give yourself a little grace with actually enjoying time with loved ones and fun holiday traditions, and balance that out with mindful eating so that your body can keep up with all the extra events.
@wissamnabulsii The Winter Arc. #gym #winterarc ♬ original sound – Wissam
In a nutshell, the Winter Arc is about fueling your enthusiasm to get a jump on your New Year resolutions and not to be disconnected from your ambitions during the holidays and all the winter breaks.
The ingredients for baking your winter arc
- Start or step up a simple exercise routine.
- Focus on rest. Restorative sleep can change your life.
- Create intentional nutrition and meal plan goals. Nourish your body and fuel success.
- Spend time in reflection/journaling/meditation
- Start or step up intentional marketing and content creation goals
- Review your finances and business goals
How to create a sweet new 2025 business plan during the holidays
Business planning during your winter arc should be all about problem-solving for your future self. Think about all of your pillar content for the coming year, focusing on holidays, regular monthly market updates, and core messages to your audience that you will use over and over again.
Most of this you can create in advance or go ahead and calendar block so that you don’t forget to do it. Do this now, and your future self will thank you.
Preplanning content that you know you already will need? Go ahead and create two holiday card designs, two New Year’s greetings, etc., and have the others ready to go. Katie Lance is the queen of content batching, and with her simple tips you will be a batch content crafting pro in no time — plus she offers a ton of freebie resources to help agents.
An essential part of business planning is making sure your digital presence has a fresh look for the new year. Every year you are in business you evolve and you have new and better skills to offer your clients.
One of my favorite business development creators, Amy Landino, has a brilliant way to reframe your thinking about refreshing (or establishing) your business brand on social media platforms. Using Instagram as an example, she talks about what your “office” should look like to your audience online.
Grab your notebook as you watch this video, and be prepared to unlock some easy-to-create solutions to polishing your profiles for 2025.
Key takeaways from the winter arc challenge
A challenge is a fun way to be competitive with yourself and to help build a structure for accountability. Trying a challenge during the time of year when routines seem to evaporate may be helpful with maintaining a baseline feeling of being well-rested and energized for your clients and loved ones as you shuffle from one event to the next.
The New York Post interviewed Dr. Nicole Van Groningen, about the trend, and her best advice was to limit the goals you choose to work on to avoid overwhelm.
@dr.nicole.vangroningen Thoughts? Just trying to set you you guys up for a fulfilling and successful Winter Arc 🤗 #healthtipstiktok #winterarc #winterarcchallenge #wellnesstok #doctorsoftiktok ♬ original sound – Nicole Van Groningen, MD
Choose wisely and remember that you can accept a challenge or create a challenge for yourself any time of year that you want. If you are in a season in your life where you cannot put one more thing on your plate, be patient, and don’t give yourself a hard time.
For women, especially, the mental burden of making the holidays magical for their loved ones is a second or even third full-time job, and it leaves little time for goal-digging. Be realistic and set appropriate expectations, but if you decide to take the challenge, good luck, and cheers for making the extra effort to invest in yourself and your success.
Rachael Hite is currently perfecting her long game selling forever homes in a retirement community in Northern Virginia. Hite is a business development specialist, fair housing advocate, copy editor, and former agent. You can connect with her about life, marketing and business on Instagram.
