Curating a Healthy Routine for 2026

In the health industry there are so many guidelines that it seems impossible to achieve any sort of health-goal for our lives. There’s not just nutrition and exercise to think about, there’s also gut health, water intake, macros, body type, supplements, lifestyle, time of day and mental health is finally being linked to it’s affect on our bodies. Throw in being a woman and finding that scientists are JUST NOW starting to test the female body as our physical and mental health can be linked towards our menstrual cycles.

I prefer those that influence an achievable and simpler approach to health. It won’t get you overnight results, it’s not a quick fix from any sort of drug, but instead a long lasting affect in not just your body but your mind and spirit as well.

A little backstory:

A picture is both worth a thousand words as well as just a glimpse of a person, it is also in the eye of the beholder, so instead of vagueness and scouring my site for pictures to compare yourself to, I will just be giving you the straight facts:

I am 32 years old, I stand at 5 feet 10 inches, I weigh 265 pounds and for my height and age I am considered obese. Back in 2018/19 I had reach 195 pounds after doing minimal exercise and cutting out sugar and carbs from my diet. After getting married I gained 40 pounds from a mixture of the stress of a global pandemic, being in the honeymoon phase and birth control.

Back in 2021/22 I went on the Keto diet and went from 290ish pounds to 260/250 pounds. I stopped doing a Keto lifestyle and it was here that I have fluctuated in the 250-60 range until today.

This past year, after working with a personal trainer and beginning to educate myself on nutrition and movement, I began enjoying eating whole and nutritious foods without shame, as well as moving my body more than I ever have in my 32 years of life! However it was also this past year that I struggled the most with stress, depression and self-doubt, all the while noticing no change in the scale. But as we all know the scale doesn’t account for muscle mass, water weight, and bone density and I am grateful for other methods like progress pictures, tape measuring and examining how I feel (strong, proud, confident etc.) But I still wasn’t happy with any of my results, I felt tired, unsexy and started my negative self talk.

Then I found out I had a benign tumor in my pituitary gland, something that could be caused by stress and could be causing my struggles to lose the weight. We are still journeying down this road, meeting with a doctor at the end of January to get a medication prescribed.

But all this in mind I still want to feel more energized, more strong and this year I want to see my results. Here’s how:

NUTRITION: I’m going to follow the most basic rule of thumb 1/2 of my plate is veggies, a little under 1/4 of my plate is a carbohydrate, a little over 1/4 of my plate is protein and a thumb size or drizzle of fats on the side or over top of my plate. My meals will be easy, repetitive and things that I LOVE. While also being open to trying new-to-me veggies, carbs, proteins and fats.

MOVEMENT: Calling it exercise makes it sound like a chore and not something achievable. I’m changing my watch settings to a smaller time fulfillment. This way even if I only do 5-10 minutes of walking I feel accomplished, but if I do a 45 minute Pilates workout, that’s great too! I love doing instructed dance and yoga workouts as well as walking on my walking pad at home or outside when the weather is nice. I’m moving my body in ways that are fun!

WELLNESS: I want to continue down my full wellness path and that includes my mindset. I can’t always be guaranteed that every day from here is going to be all sunshine and roses. Stress is inevitable, but how we handle it is critical. Doing meditations and breathwork as a normal practice has already begun to be so beneficial for me!

SPIRITUAL: I am a believer that getting closer to God is another piece to getting closer to my health goals. When I feel stress, anxiety or negativity I want to draw near to God, who is my protector, guide, Father, and giver of rest! I want to give all of my worries to Him and feel peace by being in His presence.

AVOIDING: Nothing. If I want chocolate I will have some. In the mood to bake a loaf of banana bread or eat cake at a birthday, I am going to do it. For me it is really all about control, balance and portions, so I will start with a smaller piece to start and maybe something like fruit or veggies to go on the side. If I still have the sweet tooth I’ll go for another helping of a small piece. The goal is no shame, have what you want, don’t limit your roster, be smarter about your portions and balancing your nutrition well!

Again all of these things, I never would have learned if it weren’t for help from some amazing people! We really cannot do life alone and God has placed people into my life in the right time, all throughout my life. I am so very grateful, and I wish you all the luck in your health goals in 2026. I hope my story has helped you feel seen, not alone and that together we can do this. Together we will fall short, we’ll mess up, but we’ll also push through, let go of the unnecessary and move on to a healthier version of an already amazing human being.