Fitness Fellowship 2026: Introduction and Goals Post

[sylvanwitch]

Here we are at the start of another year together, friends, and I am excited to welcome you to the Fitness Fellowship 2026.

For those who are unfamiliar with how this very low-key community works, it's pretty simple: You set personal short- and/or long-term fitness goals, defining fitness however you'd like, and then check in each week--or as often or as little as you feel like. Check-in is not compulsory. You may join us and/or leave us whenever you wish.

I promise, in turn, to offer support and encouragement. I do not offer unsolicited advice, and I never judge, and the same has always been true of the good folks who participate here.

Check-ins will be on Mondays, starting on 5 January 2026.

If this seems like something you're interested in trying, please feel free to leave your goals and plans in the comments to this post.



Weight: In September 2025, I made it a goal to lose 10 pounds by 31 December 2025. My starting weight was 212.4. I am currently at 196.2, up a little less than 2 pounds after the holiday week. That means that I lost a total of 16.2 pounds in four months. I am over the moon about my success, so I've set a new weight goal for the first half of 2026. I would like to lose another 11.2 pounds, to weigh in at 185 pounds by 1 June 2026. That comes out to just under two pounds a month, which I feel is reasonable and doable.

Exercise: I'll be continuing my usual weekly goals of at least four yoga sessions and three strength-training sessions each week, in addition to daily walking and/or some other exercise (i.e. cardio, the elliptical or recumbent bike, etc.). I am making an additional pledge to walk outside at least twice a week, even in the winter, because I definitely experience significant mental health and equilibrium benefits from spending time outdoors. (To this end, I've just ordered a pair of insulated ski pants to wear over my lined winter leggings. Today's outdoor jaunt was good, but my upper thighs are *still* chilly, and I've been back inside for three hours now!)

Eating plan: I'm a plants-based, whole-foods eater and have been for a long time. I'll continue in my quest to eat mostly "clean" foods and avoid processed food, even if it's vegan.

Hydration: My goal is a minimum of six 8-ounce cups of water a day.

Sleep: During the school year, I need to be up by 6:00am to get to work on time, so I need to be in bed, ready to sleep, by 11:00pm. My plan is to go no-screens by 10:30 each night and be in bed by 11:00pm. During breaks, such as the one I'm currently on, I'll probably revert to my night-owl ways, to my extreme detriment when I have to haul my tired butt out of bed the first day back to work, but during the regular school weeks, I'm going to try to recalibrate my sleep habits to make sure I'm in bed on time and ready to sleep.

Meditation: I'd like to make it a habit to meditate at least twice a week. I've been managing at least once a week for most of the past year, so I'm going to build on that for this year.

Motivation: I'm a fan of digital rewards, so it's good that I earn them on FitOn (which I use for strength-training, yoga, and meditation vids), Garmin Connect (which is the app I synch my Garmin fitness watch to), and The Conqueror Challenge (I'm currently 200 or so miles from finishing up an over 700-mile hike through Norway). My big goal this year is to lower my "Fitness Age" on Garmin. I'm 55, but Garmin has me at 56.5 because of my BMI. Now, I personally think BMI is a problematic factor in determining fitness, but there are other factors Garmin takes into account to determine fitness age, like number of vigorous minutes of exercise per week (where vigorous is defined by heart rate ranges), so I do keep an eye on what Garmin says about my fitness age, and it's motivating. I am also motivated by getting to "shop" under my bed and in the closet, where I've stored smaller sizes of clothing.




Please do join us if you're looking for some friendly accountability!

Comments

[cornerofmadness]

My fitness goals
1. continue to do the exercise opportunities offered at work (not that I know if we're having one and I'm the one on the wellness committee!)

2. eat better lunches to keep my sugar more stable.

I don't want to get too ambitious and feel sad that I didn't make a goal so I'm going to leave it there for now

[sylvanwitch]

Those are both good goals and doable, which is the important part, I think. I agree that picking unreasonable goals only predisposes one to failure, and why do that. Good luck on achieving your goals!

Remember, you are more than welcome to adjust them in any direction as needed.

[cornerofmadness]

exactly if I find something I think I can do I can adjust

thanks

💙💙💙

[oldtoadwoman]

I made a lot of excuses over the holidays and am now at the highest weight I've been in five years. So, my goal is to get serious, lose the weight that I gained last year, and be able to enjoy my vacation in June without huffing and puffing from being out of shape. (So, I need to do more walking this year as well as lose weight.)

Plan: I need to avoid sugary foods and other empty carbs because those are really my trigger foods. (Once I start eating candy or donuts, I give up on any sense of control.) I also think it will be smart of me to stock up on canned beans as my main protein because that's pretty filling. Eating more at home, instead of grabbing food on the go will save me money as well.

And anytime the weather allows it, I need to go for walks to try and build my stamina back up.

Re: 💙💙💙

[sylvanwitch]

Oh, hon, believe me, I know what that feels like. I was almost strident with myself sometimes to keep to within a reasonable gain, and I'm definitely struggling with regaining my momentum. (Hopefully, that will change with work; I find the structure of my teaching days helps a lot with both getting a lot of steps in--I take a hallway and stairs walk during my planning periods whenever I can get away--and eating better. I'm pretty regimented about packing lunches and planning each day's breakfast, so that keeps me in reasonable limits most of the time.)

I think your plan is excellent, and I wish you decent walking weather. I walked yesterday at 19 degrees F, not counting the wind chill, and the last twenty minutes or so had me regretting my life choices. It took me all afternoon to warm back up! So, this is to say, I definitely appreciate how it's sometimes not feasible to walk outdoors. (I also can't walk outside if there's a lot of ice on the paved paths, sidewalks, road shoulders, etc.)

It sounds like you have a definite goal in mind, though, and some motivation to achieve it. I have definitely used impending vacations as good motivation for weight loss and increased fitness.

Good luck!

Re: 💙💙💙

[oldtoadwoman]

Yeah, ice and slush are my big "nope" factors when I am deciding whether I can walk. I'm not super motivated if it's just unpleasantly cold, but too often the sidewalks just aren't safe. Falling and injuring myself would be counter-productive. So when it's icy/slushy out, I'm just going to work and home and that's it. But that means that I need to be even more determined to get out and walk on the days when it is clear and not pull a "meh, maybe tomorrow" as I too often do.

[mrs_sweetpeach]

My goal is get my addiction to chocolate and salted pretzels under control. And to continue to eat at least three salads each week.

[sylvanwitch]

Those are both admirable and doable goals, and I wish you good luck in achieving them! I especially like the salads pledge. I'm a big fan of salads, but I find that it's more difficult to get myself to eat them in the colder weather. I admire your goals! :-)

[delphi]

Thanks so much for hosting this space again! I fell off commenting at the end of last year because moving (and some other real-life things) was a big disruption, but the habits I'd managed to form in the first three-quarters of the year thanks to this community were a big help in not making a complete hash of the last couple of months.

And wow, congratulations on the progress in the Conqueror Challenge - that's amazing!

My goals this year, all daily:

1. Eat three meals
2. Take a 30-minute walk (barring illness, extreme weather, emergencies, etc.)
3. Stretch
4. Drink at least 1.5 liters of water
5. Go to bed by 10:30 p.m., lights out by 11:00 p.m. (barring nights out)
6. Get more fiber, which I'm quantifying/simplifying as "have a smoothie with berries, chia seeds, oats, and nuts once a day"

[sylvanwitch]

I am so glad that this community has helped you to achieve and maintain your health and fitness goals, particularly when you've had such RL challenges lately. I do hope the new year is a better one for you, my friend.

As always, I'm happy to share this space with you; I find your common-sense approach to health and fitness very grounding; sometimes, I get too self-competitive, and it helps to remember that being *well* (and not, say, "thin") is the actual goal of any fitness activities.

Your daily goals are all very practical and thoughtful and obviously grounded in your experience and what works (and doesn't work) for you. I wish you ALL the good health, strength, and sense of wellness the world can give you. I am definitely here to cheerlead and/or commiserate. *hugs*

[delphi]

I appreciate sharing this space with you too. <3

I'm always seriously admiring your measurable goals and your drive to meet them, but I'm also so grateful that you've created a community where things aren't competitive between participants, which is rare in the realm of fitness. I know something like "eat three meals" can seem basement-level, but I also know how load-bearing it is for a half-dozen other eating and wellness habits in my life, and it means a lot to me to have a place where the things I'm working on are taken seriously.

Wishing you all the successes and good things in the coming year - I'm really glad to know you.

[oschun]

Exercise is hard for me, so I feel like it needs to be my focus. I'd like to embed just one healthy habit into my life by the end of the year. My aim is to do a strength training session once a week at the gym. Nothing else. Just that one hard (but good) thing every week. It pretty much took a year for pilates to become habit so I'm hopeful it will work the same way.

[sylvanwitch]

I think this is the best way to achieve a new habit, if my own experience counts for anything. I swore I was going to "try" yoga for *DECADES* before I finally just made myself do it for a set number of minutes/times a week. And now it's natural, like Pilates is for you. I am sending you ALL the good vibes for achieving your goal.

On a related note, this study that came out in 2024 was what convinced me to work regular strength-training into my habits: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/news/2024/women-may-realize-health-benefits-regular-exercise-more-men.

[alightbuthappypen]

I would appreciate being part of this! I've had the same health-related goals for the past four-ish years and absolutely failed to make headway, so I hope some level of accountability will help.

Main goal is losing weight. I put on a lot of weight around 2021 and have had no success shifting it, but it really affects my quality of life and I need to prioritise it. Losing 2 stone (28lb) would get me back to a healthy weight. I could probably stand to lose a little more than that, but I can assess how I feel when I get there.

Related to that: daily habits of drinking minimum 2L water, 10k steps, and eating healthy food (like you my preference is plant-based and whole foods - I really enjoy cooking - but junk food is also my stress response, and I've been stressed A LOT)

Honestly I like all your goals, I would certainly benefit from reintroducing meditation and yoga into my routine too.

[sylvanwitch]

You're more than welcome to join us. I'm happy to have you here. :-)

Your goals, both overall and daily habits, are all very sensible, practical, and doable, and I'm super excited particularly that you're also plants-based and whole-foods oriented. That's exciting! oschun is, too.

Please do let me know if you need nudging or advice; I only provide cheerleading unless otherwise indicated.

And again, welcome!

[luzula]

I feel like I'm not entirely ready to set my goals yet, because on Monday I'm meeting with a personal trainer for the first time! And hopefully he will help me set goals especially around gaining strength. So I'll be back with that!

That said, I do have some goals:
- Hopefully transition slowly over the year to flat shoes, ideally "barefoot" type shoes which have flexible soles and a lot of toe space. 15-20 years ago I overstrained my feet and got the advice to get orthopedic soles, which I have been wearing mostly with hiking boots, which have been my everyday wear. But I've been doing some reading, and at least according what I've read, apparently not many people really need such orthopedic soles. What I probably ought to have done was to work on strength training with my feet. I'm not going to make the mistake to go running in flat shoes when my feet aren't strong enough yet, but I've been experimenting, and walking three kilometers in flat shoes was quite doable! (On a forest trail, not pavement, which my feet would not have liked.) My feet were tired afterwards, but like they'd gotten a workout, and it felt good for my toes to have a lot of space. I've also got some good exercises for massaging the muscles of the feet and calves.

- Be mindful every time I lift something, so that the right technique becomes ingrained.

- I think I need to work on hydration, actually. I notice sometimes that I should probably have been drinking more...

- Spend at least 15 minutes per day on mobilization exercises. This can be combined with listening to audiobooks, socializing, etc, so it shouldn't be hard.

[sylvanwitch]

Good luck with the personal trainer; I hope he gives you all sorts of good goals and exercises for building your strength and your body's resiliency! :-)

As usual, the rest of your goals are practical, doable, and thoughtfully conceived. I am intrigued by what you say here about training your feet because it's not something I've really thought about beyond what I do for yoga, and I have to say, I think it could help me a great deal. So, you've given me more good food for thought. Thank you! :-)