With just hours to spare in 2021, I hit my fitness goal for the year. But I’m not exactly celebrating…

I hammered out two Camp Gladiator workouts in the final day of 2021 to hit 365 for the last 12 months. Pretty cool, right? Except for one thing: I probably weigh more right now than I did at any other point in the year. And we’re not talking muscle…

Halfway through 2021, I was rocking and rolling. I was giving 100% in workouts and eating the right way. Seemed like a cause for celebration, right? One that lasted for about 6 months. Needless to say, my nutrition was the pits and it showed. Though I continued my workouts, I slowly gained weight and the quality of the exercise plummeted.

While I’m happy I hit the goal, I learned balance and rest are important — and you have to have fun in your fitness journey. In the last part of the year, I was checking the box rather than putting in the work. I burned myself out.

My goal for 2022: Better nutrition, focused fitness, and fun. I have a few half marathons on the schedule, and I’ll continue to enjoy workouts with Camp Gladiator — but at a schedule that makes sense for me.

Here’s my original accountability post from the first part of 2022:

I’ve always found fitness to be a stress reliever for the grind of the work week. I often do my best thinking while out on a run or am able clear my head during a good workout.

Working in digital content with local newsrooms, 2020 warranted some moments to decompress.

I made Camp Gladiator‘s virtual workouts part of my regular routine during the pandemic and decided to continue into 2021 and stay out of gyms until more people had been vaccinated. I wanted to set a goal when 2021 arrived. During the winter break, I was able to squeeze in quite a few two-a-days. Was it possible to average one workout a day in the next year? I decided to find out.

Obviously, I can’t work out every day — and that means finding a couple times a week to knock out two workouts.

Though it’s been challenging, I’ve been able to make it work so far. In the two-and-a-half months of 2021, I’ve worked out 83 times.

Will I be able to keep it up? I’m not sure. But I have a goal to work towards and something to accomplish. And putting it out there for everyone to see can’t hurt for that accountability, right?

Here’s more on why I like Camp Gladiator and how it’s helped me navigate the last few months.