What a year 2025 was, and I’m grateful for all the good that has happened. One of the key goals was to invest more in my fitness journey, and I achieved that! I did not create a specific New Year’s resolution on my fitness because I am not a big believer of it. I prefer having a general goal, and taking active steps towards it.

One big concept in operations that everyone can benefit from in their personal lives is continuous improvement. It’s about identifying what we can do better today than yesterday, making it a habit, and continually finding such opportunities. I didn’t suddenly get six-pack abs in 2025 by doing one specific thing. I did it by starting small actions and maintaining them throughout the year.

Early on in the year, I started by changing my gym routine to add 1 more gym session each week. Then once that stabilized, I added swimming to Saturdays. After some time, my work bestie pulled me to random workout classes on some Tuesdays. So effectively, I exercise five to six times a week when I’m not on business trips.

In February, I began tweaking my morning protein. Whey and a latte became whey plus skyr by May. Over the summer, I swapped my workout shake for a cheaper one with 50% more protein (a downgrade in taste, an upgrade in value). By November, I replaced my latte with a caffeinated protein drink. Daily protein went from 50–70g to 70–105g, and it was effective. All this thanks to Lidl (Not sponsored, they just nailed it)

So what’s the result? Let’s start with the physical numbers, I did an InBody scan with the exact same machine in the exact same place, with similar condition, i.e., no food and drink for the last 10 hours or so. Between October 2024 to December 2025, my body fat went from 14.9% to 11.7% in a year, with overall increase in muscle mass. This was shocking as I had struggled before to reduce any body fat percentage! And being honest, I was ecstatic to see the effort paid off.

With the physical changes, I also changed mentally. One is how I became more confident in my body, and I no longer feel “I wish I looked like that” when I browse Instagram. I now know that I can look “like that”, and there’s nothing for me to feel less than. Another thing is becoming more of a morning person! As I skip the whole sit down breakfast and start my day with going to the gym, I finish gym early and feel accomplished the rest of the day. That feeling combined with my body being warmed up from the workout helped me to focus more at work. Such as in early meetings where I am more energized than sleepy!

Somewhere along the way, fitness stopped feeling like a project and started being part of who I am. Not aiming for perfection, but for being intentional and sustainable. I’m carrying this mindset into whatever comes next. Making small improvements, and trusting that consistency compounds over time. One step at a time still feels like the right direction.