Year End Reflections
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2025 Strength Training Sessions - That’s a Wrap.
December 18th was the last strength training session for my amazing class with our trainer Erin and my fellow senior ladies. It’s been a challenging year with various group members experiencing injuries - mine has been a prolonged elbow strain.
We’ve trained hard and reached all sorts of new PR’s (Personal Records) as we’ve focused on improving core strength, balance, cardio and muscle development. I really appreciate Erin’s approach which is very well rounded with a particular focus on good form and preventing injuries. I wrote about my strength training journey here as well as my 2025 goals.
I had set a stretch goal of being able to do proper push ups (10 was the target), dead lift 200 lbs and do a pull up. After a lot of hard work how did I do? Well I’ve crushed the push up goal and I can do 30 push ups - I mean full proper ones with straight legs and lowering myself all the way to the floor. I’m pretty thrilled with this progress as it shows definite upper body strength gains.
With the elbow problems - I’ve found doing things like bicep curls a challenge and this has also affected my ability to do a pull up (the lowering myself down from the bar is the part that causes pain), so I’ve not been able to get beyond an assisted pull up with 50lbs of assist. I’m continuing to work on this goal with the first step being getting my elbow issue resolved.
Home gym set up to support my weekly progressive overload training class. (EXIF data iPhone image)
Trap bar dead lifting is still a highlight in working out and I’ve continued to make gains in my lifting ability. I’ve also found a couple of issues with my form that were causing me to plateau with weight and also cause some lower back strain which I definitely don’t want. As a result I backed off on the weight and worked on form which really made a big difference to me. I finished off the year doing 185 lb lifts - so not the 200 lb goal, but I’m really proud of my progress and the fact that I recognized the need to tweak my form to keep me healthy and strong.
2026 looks like it is going to be a good year to reach these goals and set some new ones in place too. I’ve been jumping rope and I’d like to continue to build up my endurance and coordination. I’m also really working on balance and hip stability this year.
Consistency
I really noticed how our summer renovations impacted my workout consistency and I usually ended up doing one session per week rather than 3 - 4. Having said that I did do a lot of functional workouts by moving boxes, mowing the lawn and generally keeping active. Not formal progressive overload training, but no couch potato either. I’m getting back into the groove and the consistent training is starting to ramp up again.
Consistency in all things like getting out with my camera whether it’s balmy or bitterly cold makes for better images over time. (EXIF data iPhone image)
I’m pretty impressed that my fitness assessments have demonstrated that I’ve kept up my strength gains which is amazing to me. I’m definitely better off for doing the workouts that I’ve been able to maintain than not achieving all of my goals. I’m not beating myself up or feeling like I’ve failed - these were stretch targets and during a very challenging and chaotic time in my life, so I’m exercising a little grace and self kindness. I’m going to keep plugging away at my goals and work to make them happen in the near future.
Biggest Impacts to Fitness Journey
I’ve found that there are several key cornerstones to achieving better health and fitness and by far the most impactful is sleep. I cannot believe how much having a good restorative sleep impacts my physical and mental abilities. I’ve really focused on better sleep habits and I use a SAD (seasonal affective disorder) lamp in the winter as well as a nighttime sleep routine (i.e., consistent habits leading up to sleep).
Habits become second nature like these common redpolls clustering in the evergreens for pine cone seeds in winter. (EXIF data f7.1, 1/1250, 600mm, ISO2000)
Eating enough protein continues to be a key part of supporting building muscle and keeping the menopausal fat at bay. I’m just about back to having my macros back in a consistent place and I’m also really focused on hydration which has improved a lot this year.
I would say that consistency is a common theme in my fitness regime - working out consistently, eating consistently and sleeping regularly.
Identity Shifts
Most recently I’ve taken my healthy living journey to a place of identifying which habits I’d like to change and really digging into what are barriers for making the changes. One area that I identified was consistency - in that I'd like to be working out more consistently. I spent some time really examining why I’m not working out consistently as I was prior to the summer renovations. I came to some interesting realizations such as I’m great at making a commitment to workout, however I tend to do all sorts of busy work early in the day (my most productive time) and by the time I get to workout I’m done in - no more energy in the tank - not feeling it - you name it I have an excuse.
I didn’t stop there I really dug in to figure out what I was doing and it finally occurred to me that I’m prioritizing all sorts of other things over my workout - my healthy living routine. As a result I determined that I currently have the identity of someone who prioritizes everything else over my healthy workouts.
Small shifts in direction can lead to different end points. (EXIF multiple exposure (3 images merged) f22, 1/8s, 120mm, ISO100)
This was an eye opener because it helped me to understand what I needed to change in order to make a shift in identity to someone who protects her priorities of working out and healthy living. I’ve been modifying my gratitude journaling to have a morning affirmation (I am a woman who protects her priorities of working out consistently and today I’m going to ….. whatever I have planned for the day that is part of my workout routine) and then an evening journal affirmation/recap (Today I demonstrated that I am a woman who protects her priorities when I did…..). Even if it’s a small thing that demonstrates that I was intentional about the decisions that I made - I write it down as this helps my brain to keep moving in the direction of the identity that I want to embrace.
I’ve been keeping this up for 19 days and it’s making a difference in how I show up with my workouts and I’ve also found that it’s helping me to be more consistent with my macros tracking. Things are shaping up to be a satisfying and strong 2026.
2025 is Coming to a Close
This has been another eventful year full of so many good things and growth and learning. It feels like it’s been a very expansive year with new habits and new creative explorations. I would have to say that I’m ending the year on a very positive note and really looking forward to all sorts of good things in 2026.
I am not a person who makes New Year’s resolutions as I try to come up with things I want to work on throughout the year rather than making any one time of year more stressful or about keeping promises. I’ve found myself to be more successful this way and certainly more at peace with myself.
I have new health goals that I’m excited about moving towards and several trips to get excited about. Kory and I are looking forward to spending a summer enjoying our new home without the chaos of construction - yes!! My hope is that everyone exits this year at peace and looks forward to a positive and uplifting 2026.
What do you have in store for 2026? I’d love to hear about your aspirations and plans for the coming year in the comments below or drop me a note directly by clicking on the Connect With Me Button.
Sharp tailed grouse in flight - heading towards an even more exciting year ahead. (EXIF data f6, 1/1250s, 600mm, ISO800)
I hope you’ll come back soon, share a cuppa, relax and enjoy more of my musings.
