2026: My year of health
I feel like I hit a major turning point in my life this past year.
It started with my herniated disc. The recovery was long and painful, but that wasn’t all. I also lost a hobby (weightlifting) and a part of my identity (being strong).
But it didn’t stop there. Later in the year, I noticed my receding hairline for the first time. Up until then, going bald was something that happened to other people. I haven’t fully processed this yet, but right now losing my hair feels like losing another part of my identity.
And then, in the last couple of hours of 2025, my throat began to hurt. Over the next ten days, this turned into a full-blown bacterial infection which required surgical treatment and almost cost me one of my tonsils. I have also lost a lot of weight and muscle mass, just because the pain made it almost impossible to eat.
These three experiences stand in stark contrast to the many years before. My body used to be this fine-tuned machine that did everything I wanted, all day long. It didn’t really matter how I treated myself. Nights with little sleep, days with poor nutrition, and long periods of sitting in a chair – my body handled it without complaints. But now, all of a sudden, it felt like my body was falling apart.
Are the golden days of my youth over? Did I just reach the pinnacle of my health? And is it all downhill from here? These thoughts threw me into a deep hole that was hard to climb out of.
What helped was a change in perspective. Instead of obsessing about all the stuff I had no control over, I focused my thoughts on things I could do something about.
Very soon, one thing became clear to me: I want my health to become the central topic of 2026.
First and foremost, this means dedicating more time to the topic. A good chunk of that time will be spent exercising, but there are also some things I need to study:
- Micronutrients: A recent blood test revealed that my stored iron is fairly low. In addition to boosting it via short-term supplements, I want to learn more about micronutrients and how to get all of them from a balanced diet.
- Stretching: Before I injured my back, I had never stretched. My physical therapist showed me some exercises, but I still lack a theoretical foundation as well as a training plan to increase my flexibility.
- Cardio: I used to ride my bicycle everywhere, which was great for cardio. But ever since our kids were born, I barely touched my bike. As a result, my exercise regimen has been lacking a cardio component.
- Strength training: Lifting heavy weights was the core of my strength training. But I haven’t gotten under the barbell since my back injury. I want to rebuild a foundation of strength using body-weight exercises and kettlebells instead.
On top of that, some of my habits require revisiting:
- Prioritize sleep: Once the kids have gone to bed, I usually have an hour or two of spare time. I like to fill that time with fun activities, which makes getting enough sleep a challenge. I’d like to go to bed on time more consistently.
- Spend more time outside: Most of my hobbies are indoor activities. I do miss being outside, surrounded by nature, regularly though. I’d like to find a way to spend more time outside this year, e.g. by picking up new hobbies.
- Cook healthy meals: My wife has been planning and cooking most of our meals for the last year or so. In the new year, I’d like to take more responsibility for our food and change up our roles a bit.
That’s a whole lot of changes! If I were to tackle them all at once, I would almost certainly fail to change anything. Which is why I’m going to treat this list as a compass only.
Instead, I’ll only pick one or two topics at a time and work towards making small, sustainable changes. The first areas I’ll focus on are going to be nutrition and basic strength training.
I feel like I’ve hit rock bottom right now, but there’s a positive side to this too: making progress will be easier than ever.