As the year winds down and the holidays approach, many of us may feel a mix of emotions. Maybe a little relief, some nostalgia, sense of accomplishment, and possibly a little uncertainty about what next year may bring. Whether your fitness and nutrition journey this year went exactly as planned or it took some unexpected detours, now is the perfect time to pause, reflect, express gratitude for what did happen, and chart a path forward.
Personal reflection is an essential ingredient to growth, but it isn’t just about reliving the past, it’s about learning from it. Conversely, gratitude isn’t just about feeling good for what you have, it’s about grounding you in purpose, and being appreciative for all the things it has taken to get you to this point in your life, in yourself and including others. And planning for next year isn’t about lofty resolutions, it’s about setting intentional next steps rooted in clarity and conviction that you can accomplish.
Even if you haven’t sat down formally to reflect, you’ve probably caught yourself having thoughts like these:
“Was this a good year for me?”
“What progress did I make toward my fitness goals?”
“What really mattered to me, and how did I act toward it?”
“What do I want next year to look like?”
These aren’t just random questions, they are the thoughts of change that are circling inside you, and the start of a story for you.
I was approached this time last year by two different clients with two very different end of the year reflections. One was very determined, she hired me as her coach for 6 months with a couple of big goals: to significantly improve her strength, and lose body fat. She hit January with plenty of energy, and stayed consistent with her workouts and was very dialed in with her nutrition through March. All data was moving the way she wanted, getting stronger and leaner. But as the warmer weather approached, and like it always does, life got in the way, some work deadlines, a few short vacation trips and her consistency started to waiver. She skipped a few workouts, expanded her eating selections, and over time, she found herself going through weeks of what she deemed “holiday modes.” At the time this client decided not to extend her contract beyond the 6 months, having mentally given up in frustration.
As we talked through her final sessions I focused heavily on having her reflect on the past 6 months and was interested to hear most of her comments started around phrases like “I felt like I lost ground this year” or “I didn’t stick to my plan, I didn’t do what I intended to do” but the more we talked, the more the reflection revealed deeper insights that she didn’t see. She was stronger in all her lifts than the year before. She walked more consistently than she had in years prior. She climbed stairs with far less effort and felt she was running up and down them a great deal more than ever before without issue. And overall, she was still leaner than 6 months ago. She was focused on what didn’t happen, but not what did happen. A few weeks later as we centered around this positive outcomes, she extended her contract for another 6 months, refound the consistency and hasn’t looked back.
One other client, was very different. At the beginning of the year, his goal was simply, “I just want to be healthier.” It wasn’t specific, and it wasn’t measurable. As much as we worked on tracking and measuring, it just didn’t happen, he couldn’t get into any sort of habit to make it happen. The only thing that we could agree on was to periodically being able to take some photos of himself. By mid-year he was unsure whether he was “on track” and actually “healthier”. We had been focused just on actions, getting to the gym and working out, walking and then eventually running a little, getting more single ingredient foods into his diet, and being much more conscious of his daily calendar to make time for himself to plan his meals. Typically with clients, I have the data, food tracking, scale weight, measurements, etc, but with this client, it was framed more through a narrative, the way he felt, how he moved, and helping him stay connected with this health over the year. As we talked yesterday he said that he honestly didn’t think much had changed until he looked at last January’s photos and compared them to this month. Vast difference. He knew he felt better, but didn’t really know he looked any different until he saw himself side-by-side.
Both of these stories show that reflection isn’t about checking boxes. It’s about understanding how you grew, changed, and shifted over time.
And it’s okay if your progress doesn’t look clean or linear.
In both of these cases, there was also immense gratitude, in themselves for the work, attention and effort they put in to being healthier, but also to the people around them that supported them, their gym buddies, friends and family who walked with them, and also those that recognized the changes they wanted to make and encouraged them with their actions.
The year isn’t just a collection of months, it’s a crazy story arc you have lived in, learned from, and carried forward. Reflection and gratitude give you the lens to see that story. And next-year planning gives you the direction for the next crazy chapter ahead.
Your progress isn’t just data. It’s memory, growth, struggle, triumph, and meaning, woven together in a story that’s uniquely yours. So as you close out this year, start by asking:
“What was my story this year?”
Not the one you wish you had, but the one you actually lived.
Then ask:
“Who do I want to be in the next chapter?”
And remember, it’s not perfect, it NEVER is, but it should be purposeful.
Have a great week, spend some time reflecting, showing gratitude, and planning for what lies ahead.
Happy Holidays
Coach Dan
Dr. Dan Dodd is an Exercise Science and Nutrition Coach and is an avid writer on Nutrition, Fitness, Metabolism and Body Composition. If you’d like to receive more stories, subscribe to get access to these and more.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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Photo credit: Scott Broome on Unsplash
