2025 Year in Review: The Year I Backed Myself

I didn’t plan this year to be a transformation story.

There was no grand intention, no perfectly designed routine. It was just natural progress—month by month.

Things didn’t change overnight. They quietly started coming together.

transformation collage.jpg

January: Uncertainty and Small Starts

January looked like usual workdays and unfinished thoughts about doing something. There was uncertainty around a South Africa trip that never happened, a cook on leave, and a generally hectic rhythm to life.

Towards the end of the month, I travelled to Kolkata for a friend’s wedding and spent time roaming the city. I later wrote about it here.

Around this time, I felt the urge to start something related to fitness—but without the confidence to jump straight into training. Instead, I chose Pilates with a nearby physiotherapist. I didn’t overthink it. I just showed up regularly. About a month and a half later, even my physio began noticing changes.

April: Movement Without Planning

In April, we visited Kochi and Vagamon. An unexpected hill hike turned out to be one of those moments where your body surprises you. I felt good—stronger than I expected. I wrote about that trip here.

The idea of trekking had been floating around since the previous year, when my partner mentioned wanting to do one together. Around the same time, I came across Indiahikes treks and noticed how clearly they mention fitness benchmarks—like running 5 km within a certain time.

That gave me something concrete to work toward.

June: Running Begins

I decided to start running.

After speaking to a few people and buying proper shoes, I began with walking and jogging near home—mostly with my partner. Then a friend mentioned a women’s running community that organises Sunday runs at Cubbon Park.

The first run was 3 km. Everything felt unfamiliar and uncomfortable. But I kept going back every Sunday.

When I learned about their structured running programs, I signed up for the next one starting June 18. I made one simple promise to myself: no matter what, I will not miss a class.

Just before the program began, I travelled to Poombarai, Kodaikanal, and wrote about it here.

June to September: Life Revolved Around Consistency

Those three months were intense.

I ran two days a week.

Did Pilates three days a week—one machine session and two group classes.

I cancelled social plans, slept early, ate better, and planned my days around training.

During the same period, I also signed up for driving classes and completed twelve sessions. Work-wise, a new project came in where I carried most of the responsibility.

Somewhere along the way, my body started changing. Others noticed it before I did. My energy levels were high, and for the first time in a long while, I felt genuinely on top of things.

Got injured in the beginning and learned it is part of the process. Fix it quickly and move on, do not stop.

Looking back, it feels unreal how much I managed during that time. It wasn’t easy—but it worked.

What the Year Taught Me

This process taught me a few things about myself:

  • If I commit to something, I follow through.
  • Excuses are usually just permission to quit—I didn’t give myself that option.
  • Results create motivation, not the other way around.
  • When you feel better physically, everything else becomes easier.

October to December: Strength, Running, and Slowing Down

In September, I transitioned from Pilates to strength training while continuing to run three days a week.

I hired a driver to learn in my own car—around 15–20 classes and roughly 300 km on the road. By the end of it, I was ready for the adventure. With this I overcomed my biggest fear. Now, I drive confidently and independently.

Me with car.jpg

In November, I travelled to Udupi and allowed myself to slow down. I wrote about that trip here.

I ran another 10 km in Mysuru, and my running felt noticeably better compared to June.

Creating Alongside Living

Alongside fitness, work, and travel, I continued writing and creating tech content:

I also published videos, a trailer, an SVG love story—and gained 79 new subscribers this year.

A lot of in progress content. 😌

Closing Thought

This year wasn’t about chasing a transformation.

It was about showing up—quietly, consistently, without drama.

And somewhere between movement, discipline, rest, and curiosity, things changed. Very excited for the new year, already planned it till April 😌.

Happy New year!

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