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sylvanwitchHere 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!
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!
(no subject)
Date: Sunday, 4 January 2026 04:36 pm (UTC)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.
(no subject)
Date: Sunday, 4 January 2026 08:28 pm (UTC)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! :-)