As 2025 comes to a close, I’m not showing you before and after photos or posting personal records. I’m thinking about moments. The kind you don’t plan and don’t always recognise as wins until later.

This year reminded me that fitness isn’t just about how you look or what you are lifting. It’s about what your body quietly allows you to enjoy.

Last week, I was in New York with my brother, my daughter and my niece. We did not have a strict schedule. We walked everywhere and stood in lines. We climbed stairs. We squeezed into crowded sidewalks and watched buskers on the streets. And my body kept up.

For the first time on a trip, I didn’t even try to get to a gym. No hotel treadmill. No quick “just in case” workout. And yet we averaged close to 17,000 steps a day without thinking about it. We built movement into our day naturally between exploring Christmas-themed parks, going into warm coffee shops, grabbing pizza slices, and wandering wherever our eyes led us. That, to me, felt like freedom.

We went to The Lion King, my niece’s very first Broadway show. Watching her face throughout the show and seeing her completely immersed, I realised that I was fully present. Not distracted by discomfort. Not counting steps. Not checking my watch or phone. I was there, comfortable, engaged and enjoying the moment as it unfolded.

We shared coffee at one of my niece’s researched spots and lingered longer than planned, laughing loudly, and eating without guilt or mental calculations. These are the moments fitness is meant to support, not interrupt. Real life doesn’t happen between workouts. It happens while you’re moving through it.

Our days were long, we were up late nights, and the movement added up without ever stepping into a gym. And yet that was the work. That was real-life fitness. The kind that lets you travel, keep up with younger legs, carry bags, and still feel good at the end of the day. Even though I felt a little stiff the next day, it was worth it!

This year didn’t unfold neatly. It was full of tears, patience, resilience and adaptability. But my body showed up for me again and again. I’ve always been quick to say yes to travel, and it allowed me to work, support others, move through challenges, and embrace experiences without hesitation.

As a trainer, I view fitness not as punishment but as preparation for life, for joy, for connection and for moments you can’t schedule.

As we enter 2026, I’m choosing appreciation. Even if our bodies didn’t always do what we wanted, they kept us moving forward, and that’s what matters.

Keep moving forward and B-Active For Life.

• Betty Doyling is a certified fitness trainer and figure competitor with more than a decade of experience. Look for BActive For Life Fitness on Facebook