What I Learned About My Body This Year

Happy New Year!

I’m really glad to be back here with you as we head into 2026.

I’ve never been a New Year, New You person.
I don’t think you need reinventing.

But I do think the New Year gives us a natural pause. A little breathing room. A chance to say, “Okay… what’s actually working? And what’s not?”

So today I want to talk about my body.

And what I’m doing differently this year.

But to make sense of that, I have to rewind a bit.

This past year was the year I fully entered perimenopause. And honestly? It knocked me sideways more than I expected.

Yes, my sleep got weird.
Yes, I lost muscle.
Yes, my motivation dipped.

But the hardest part wasn’t any of that.

It was the confusion.

Even with all my experience as a trainer, I found myself wondering:
How often am I supposed to be strength training now?
How heavy is heavy enough?
Can I still just walk a lot like I love to?
Do I suddenly need Creatine?

It felt frustrating in a very specific way, like, why is this harder than it used to be to figure out?

What I Actually Learned This Year

Here’s the truth:

My body didn’t respond the way I expected it to this past year.  And I didn’t love that.

For a while, I kept trying to out-think it. More effort, more research, more tweaking. But the harder I tried to figure it out, the more disconnected I felt.

What I finally saw was this: my body wasn’t asking for more discipline. It was asking for a different relationship.

Less forcing.
More listening.

And that was harder than it sounds.

What I’m Doing This Year

So this year, I’m keeping things pretty simple.

1. I rejoined a gym.
Not because I have to but because I genuinely like being around other people moving their bodies. I love the energy of it, even when I’m off doing my own thing in a studio.

2. I lowered my daily step goal to 8,000.
It used to be 10,000, and at this point I’m genuinely curious who crowned that number king. Because it’s not working for me.

If I was at 6,000, getting to 10,000 felt overwhelming, so I’d check out.
Getting to 8,000 feels doable. And doable is what keeps me moving.

3. I’m choosing joy as part of my training.
I’m going to be honest here: sometimes I hate lifting heavy weights. It can feel restrictive and serious in a way that doesn’t always work for me. 

That doesn’t mean I’m not going to strength train, I am.
But it does mean I need movement that actually lights me up.

I need Erin-style workouts.
The ones I create for myself.
The ones I improvise.
The ones with music and mantras and space to breathe.

Because while there’s plenty of research about the benefits of lifting heavy, there’s also a growing body of research showing how essential joy, pleasure, and positive emotion are for our health, from lowering stress hormones to improving consistency and resilience over time.

And for me, joy isn’t see-the-results-later motivation. It’s the thing that keeps me coming back now.

Now It’s Your Turn

Before you go, take a moment and ask yourself three things:

1. What’s one thing you learned about your body this past year?
   
2. Because of that, what’s one thing you’re ready to START doing?
   
3. And what’s one thing you’re ready to STOP doing?

I love you.
And I believe in you.

Happy 2026!
Erin

P.S. If you’re nodding along to this, you’d probably feel at home in The Movement. It’s where I put the workouts I actually want to do — strength, walking, music, mantras, and room to move without overthinking it.

​​​​​​​I’m also hosting a live workshop next Tuesday called Create Your Best Year 2026. It’s a chance to slow down, reflect on the year behind you, and get clear about what you want to carry forward (and what you don’t). It’s free for Movement members. I’d love to see you there.