Earlier this week, I threw down the gauntlet to the mind-body community to make December “the sandbox” for two things:
#1: Brainstorm 2026 fitness goals #2: Reflect on lessons from 2025
(Especially #2 since those are fleeting lessons)
Many of you responded to the challenge (and I tip my wool hat to you). Since I challenged you, I decided to dredge up some of my 2025 fitness reflections as well.
Maybe they’ll support your fitness journey and inspire those who haven’t yet, to dip their feet in the challenge.
Here are some of my 2025 fitness lessons:
12 Fitness Lessons from 2025
Reset your floor. For about a year, I made the minimum floor of my workouts four sets of all strength exercises. While it kicked my glutes and left my arms shaking, my consistency dropped. So I lowered the floor to three sets and that drove up consistency again. If you aren’t following through on your standards, they aren’t standards anymore – don’t be afraid to reset your minimum.
Don’t judge an exercise by the first set. The first set often feels heavy. So does the second. But sometimes the third can feel easier. Each set you are firing more motor neurons and muscle fibers and your body is revving up for more demands. Don’t let your last set intimidate you from the rest.
Micro-progressions. As a former collegiate football player, it’s tempting to bump the weight each workout – and strive to constantly break PR’s. But sometimes micro bumps deliver more consistent gains in the gym. Example: If I did 45lbs for 10 reps, the next workout might be 45lbs for 12 reps. Keep pounding away - even 1 or 2 reps more can eventually break the crust of a plateau.
16/8 intermittent fasting. I continue to fire-on-all-cylinders with a 8-hour eating window and 16-hours fasting. This high-performance habit supports my energy levels, mental focus and staying lean. Take the weekends off.
Bring the intensity. This is not about being angry or becoming a chest-pounding meathead in the gym. It’s a mindset of attacking a challenging exercise. Think back to school: it’s a similar take-charge-mentality to volunteering to go first for a presentation vs. waiting to be called on.
Focus on the muscles you are working: This mind-body connection is something the great, Arnold Schwarzenegger mentioned once, and it’s spot on. I’ve noticed that just throwing your awareness to different parts of your body changes the same exercise dramatically.
A jolt of rock music. Slow country music or Christmas Classics just doesn’t motivate the same way as heavy rock when you need to attack a heavy, challenging set of squats, deadlift or bench press.
Minimalist mindset: Short workouts (like one-lift workouts) help power me through time-crunched days. But too many weeks of them zaps my morale and starts to feel like going through the motions. Minimalist is a gear to shift into, not a mindset for fulfillment. Only growth, gratitude and engagement with the process can do that.
Secret to flow-like workouts: My workouts dragged on and were least enjoyable whenever I dawdled (trying to avoid the next exercise), got distracted, disconnected from what I was doing, or tried to make too many decisions (vs following a plan). All this breaks engagement and the chance of entering flow-like workouts.
Solidify your mobility with stability: Over the last six months, I restored my left hip mobility (which has been tight for years). The breakthrough came from not stretching more, but stacking stability exercises (such as half-kneeling holds) on top of it. This helps your brain make those changes stick.
Designated workout space: I used to exercise in my home office with resistance bands and bodyweight exercises. It worked but it was hard to get into “workout-mode” since that was the same space I worked in. Then I built a garage gym, which was a step-up (but weather dependent). This year having a basement gym almost entirely devoted to working out has driven even more consistency. It’s easier for your brain to “switch gears” with a designated space.
Structured beats sporadic. Several years ago, I did more exercise snacking and sneaking in movement whenever possible. And it’s still a powerful strategy. But structured workout programs are designed to move you forward on multiple fronts: helping you move better, get stronger, lose weight and build muscle. They are a stronger vessel for making measurable progress.
Reflecting on your fitness lessons from last year boils down to two things:
What went well?
What would you do differently next time?
I’m always shocked with the raw-and-real wisdom that bubbles up through this process – whether it’s for fitness, presentations or coaching sessions - there’s lot of gold nuggets buried in your experience. But only if you take time to dig them up.
Use them to more strategically attack your fitness goals.
And don’t be surprised if it fires you up for 2026.
To a smarter, stronger and more bullet-proof fitness journey,
Kelan Ern Elite Fitness Coaching
P.S. Last chance: if you missed out earlier this week and want a list of deeper questions that I’d use if I were coaching you through this process, subscribe to the Mind-Body Newsletter and reply “BREAKTHROUGH” to get a copy of Breakthrough Reflections . No cost. No piano strings attached.
