Created: Dec 17, 2025 08:00 AM<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Betty Doyling in New York with her brother on a holiday where she did not feel the need to get to a gym, yet found enough movement to give herself a workout (Photograph courtesy of Betty Doyling)<\/p>\n
As 2025 comes to a close, I\u2019m not showing you before and after photos or posting personal records. I\u2019m thinking about moments. The kind you don\u2019t plan and don\u2019t always recognise as wins until later.<\/p>\n
This year reminded me that fitness isn\u2019t just about how you look or what you are lifting. It\u2019s about what your body quietly allows you to enjoy.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
For the first time on a trip, I didn\u2019t even try to get to a gym. No hotel treadmill. No quick \u201cjust in case\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
We went to The Lion King, my niece\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Coffee was shared at one of her niece\u2019s researched spots, and there was plenty of laughter, and eating without guilt or mental calculations (Photograph courtesy of Betty Doyling)<\/p>\n
We shared coffee at one of my niece\u2019s 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\u2019t happen between workouts. It happens while you\u2019re moving through it.<\/p>\n
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!<\/p>\n
This year didn\u2019t unfold neatly. It was full of tears, patience, resilience and adaptability. But my body showed up for me again and again. I\u2019ve always been quick to say yes to travel, and it allowed me to work, support others, move through challenges, and embrace experiences without hesitation.<\/p>\n
As a trainer, I view fitness not as punishment but as preparation for life, for joy, for connection and for moments you can\u2019t schedule.<\/p>\n
As we enter 2026, I\u2019m choosing appreciation. Even if our bodies didn\u2019t always do what we wanted, they kept us moving forward, and that\u2019s what matters.<\/p>\n
Keep moving forward and B-Active For Life.<\/p>\n
\u2022 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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Created: Dec 17, 2025 08:00 AM Betty Doyling in New York with her brother on a holiday where…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":351306,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[49,48,407,84,5296],"class_list":{"0":"post-351305","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-fitness","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-physical-fitness"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=351305"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351305\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/351306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=351305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=351305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=351305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}