Back in 2024, I used to write weekly Workout Wednesday posts and then stopped when my Apple Watch went missing in the ocean. Maybe I'll start those posts again so one can see how an average late 40-something mom of many works out...but maybe there would be no interest? Personally, I love to see how others eat and exercise and gain their wisdom, but when I try to share I feel that I'm being annoying. In any case here's a post about my 2025 Workouts with data summarized by my new Apple Watch per month:
January was a mix of running, walking and elliptical plus weight/HIIT classes at the gym. The focus was definitely on cardio after all the holiday indulging!
In February we started a 10 week Epic III program by Caroline Girvan (for FREE on YouTube) and woke up early before work to fit them in together. Then I would shower, go to work, and walk 3 miles on my lunch break. Because it was winter, I didn't feel the need to shower after my walk and so this plan worked out wonderfully for the cold months. It did make me burn less calories because of the focus on strength training over cardio, but I felt really strong and accomplished during those 10 weeks.
March was a continuation of February's plan - Epic III + walking - but with lots of rainy weather, I ended up having to change some outside walks to treadmill runs and got more time and calories burned.
April brought a road trip and Easter, which always changes up the workout routine but it looks like we kept pretty steady by adding in more walks with the dog after work, now that the weather was nicer and the sun was out for longer.
May was the star of the months, workout wise! I tried to look back and see why, and I think it was a resurgence of running + gym classes after all 10 weeks of strength training focus. I'm a fair weather runner, in the sense that I won't run outside when it's hot so June-September are treadmill running months for me. But May is a beautiful running month!
When school gets out in June, our summer routine starts. We wake up at 6am and walk the dog four miles wearing weighted vests (get one that's 1/10 of your body weight) and then do a strength training program at home (this time it was using the Ladder app) before showering and heading off to work. There's no kids to drop off at school + I start work an hour later, so that makes getting in the morning exercise feasible during the summer months.
Same as June :)
At the end of August, we brought Eamon out to college and then school starts for everyone at home and a new workout routine is needed once again. But for most of August, it was the same walking with weighted vests + strength training.
September is school and fall sports (four kids at home = four completely different sports) so I'm not surprised that I fit in MORE workouts that were LESS time per workout. I am a big believer in squeezing the steps in whenever I can, be it walking at soccer practice or working out at he gym during swim practice. It all adds up!
October begins the prefect running outdoor weather months where I realize I don't hate running, I just hate running in the heat. Due to my gender and age, I don't prefer to run outside by myself anymore, so most long runs are done on the weekend with Phil and the other runs are on a treadmill during my lunch break. My love for the treadmill has grown leaps and bounds for safety reasons (I've fallen a few times outside) + a bathroom nearby + I can watch a good show.
November's workouts were mostly a lunch-time run or elliptical plus walking the dog after work. Early mornings haven't been a thing since school started, and I'm loving it. I so very much admire people who workout early in the morning, but unless the sun is shining and it's relatively warm, I have such a hard time getting up any earlier than 7am.
On December 1, we started a 12 week training plan for a half-marathon. Phil and I bought each other new sneakers for Christmas! I have a lot less workouts in December because it's too dark to walk the dog long in the evenings, and too cold to get my tush out of bed in the mornings. Plus holidays + travelling, but we did pretty good for the month.
Overall 2025 was a nice, healthy, and active year. I completed 714 workouts, which is almost exactly 2 per day and spent 538 hours this year on my fitness, or about an hour and a half each day. That may sound like a lot but considering we get 24 hours each day, that's only 7% of my time spent working out! I try to do a "real" workout every day, by which I mean a run or class at the gym or strength training session or elliptical, and also a walk every day. My walks from work are spent listening to audio books (a twofer) and my walks from home include the dog and hubby and kids who are willing (family time). My goal is to hit 800 Move Calories on my watch, and at least 10,000 steps but I don't mind when I fall short.
As much as I love to reap the physical benefits of exercise, I mostly do it for my mental health. I feel less stressed, more relaxed and more accomplished when I move a lot. Sleep is better, relationships are better, and it makes me grateful to be able to use this God-given body like I should. I know that when we are healthy, we want many other things, but when we are not healthy, we only want one thing. So I'm just over here trying my best to stay as healthy as I can :) How did you do in 2025?
