Goals, Habits, Health

The post I’d been avoiding… Health Goals 2026

Grateful Kae

First of all, sickness update: I think I’ve turned a corner! It’s been almost 2 full weeks now, but I’m finally starting to feel better. Whew.

I just created a VERY LONG list of things to do this weekend. A lot of my normal post-vacation re-entry activities were ignored due to sickness. Definitely need groceries!!! (Ivan offered to go, but you know, it’s the “new year” now. Haha. I want to stock up on a few high protein, healthy things I like and it’s just easier to do that myself…)

There are also some year-end things, like a financial audit + a photo clean out, plus house stuff, like washing our sheets + towels. Next weekend we’re having a little ‘Christmas’ with my parents, so I need to wrap gifts for that. (We were with my parents on Christmas but didn’t lug gifts over to Ireland to exchange with my parents or the boys.)

Overall, I’m declaring Monday January 5th as my “New Year” start. The only exercise or movement I’ve done this ENTIRE week was yesterday- and it was a ten minute dog walk. I think I’ll try to catch up on life + ease back to activity with a couple (longer) walks this weekend, and then hopefully will feel up to resuming my real workout schedule by Monday!

Goals Talk and Confession Time (again 🫣)

Now, shifting gears to everyone’s favorite topic this time of year: GOALS!

I did sketch out some 2026 goals this week. I totally leaned into Sarah’s annual/seasonal planning tips during this process (steps so clearly laid out in her book!) and although yes, it was quite a lot!, I feel like it was soooo helpful! (so so so helpful!)

I hemmed and hawed a lot about goals in general. As I’ve openly shared, my track record with annual goals has been weak lately. BUT IT’S JUST SO FUN TO SET THEM!! Haha.

My compromise with myself was to pick 3 “main goals” for each domain, and then let myself list any others I felt called to list as “bonus” goals. This is semantics, yes, but I feel like it lets me scratch the itch of writing down things I would like to do… but with no real ‘pressure’ on myself, because tons of them are just BONUS or like, extra credit. 😉

My domains this year are:

  • Health
  • Self-Care
  • Fun or Family
  • Household

I’ll only go over my Health goals today, because I have a lot to say about #1.

2026 Goals: HEALTH

Main Goals:

#1. No soda at home or from fast food places/gas stations. Can only have when out to eat. *Stay tuned, see long winded explanation and confession of this below….

#2. Have protein + a fruit or vegetable at every meal. (Not TRACKING the protein- doesn’t have to be a specific amount, per se- but just want to aim for a relatively decent dose of protein in each meal.)

#3. Maintain newer workout schedule (established November 2025) of 3 full body strength, 3 cardio + 1 yoga workout per week.

Bonus Health Goals:

#1. Try a BodyCombat class at the gym. There’s a martial arts inspired cardio class at my gym that looks fun to me- I have enjoyed martial arts/ fighting style cardio workouts on BeachBody in the past. I’d like to at least try this class once!

#2. Go to Core class at the gym 1x month. (There’s a very effective 30 min Core class at my gym I used to do that I’d eventually like to get back to. I’m still deciding how/when this could fit into my regular schedule- probably as an add on to a shorter cardio day or in place of yoga. For now I’d like to just aim to go once a month!)

#3. Swim at the gym once. Just for fun, and because I haven’t swam laps in ages! I could see maybe getting into doing this more in my empty nest phase or when I have more time and space for workouts.

Now, on to the soda confession / manifesto:

You guys… I’m sorry. I know I’ve been suspiciously quiet on the whole “quitting soda” front. I can’t even remember when I last publicly declared I was quitting—probably last January? There have been many attempts over the years, and I don’t have it in me to go back and reread those posts. 😩

The truth is: I failed. Miserably. And somehow worked my way back up to drinking more soda than ever this past year. Sigh.

I did fully quit diet soda back in October (don’t miss it at all—artificial sweeteners made me feel weird and bloated), but then I just… increased my regular soda intake instead. I used to play this little game where I’d have a regular soda (the soda I actually love and want), then later switch to diet (ok but never loved it) so I could “have more soda” without the guilt.

It’s terribly embarrassing to admit this—especially in 2026, and especially knowing many of you are very health-conscious. But I want to be an honest blogger, not someone who only shares the wins. The truth is, I slipped badly, and the truth is also that I really, really like soda. 😩 If nothing else, maybe this resonates with someone who’s repeatedly struggled with their own thing.

At this point, it’s clearly a deeply ingrained habit—probably even an addiction. We’re talking multiple sodas a day sometimes: a drive-thru fountain drink in the morning, a can while working, maybe another later, plus more if we went out to eat. I’m not exaggerating when I say it was bad. I KNEW I needed to do something about it but was dragging my feet because, as already noted, I really like it!

I originally thought, ok, I’ll capitalize on the opportunity and do a clean quit while we we’re away in Ireland! And I did! I had my last soda on the way to the airport (Dec 19) and didn’t have any the entire trip. It was surprisingly easy—different environment, no fast food nearby, and honestly I don’t even love non-U.S. soda. (what can I say, I’m used to the HFCS…).

Coming home, though, I knew it would be another story.

Ivan and I had a long, honest talk about my soda problem. For years, he’s always told me to “just drink less!” (easy for him to say, he doesn’t even like soda)…. but historically, moderation has just NOT worked well for me. At the same time, I also know that every time I fully quit soda, I end up feeling… sad. For months. Like I’ve lost my “fun drink” to look forward to- especially when we eat out, which is something we truly enjoy. (Ivan loves a cold draft beer and does empathize with the idea of completely giving up something you love. I think he would be very very sad to never have a beer again.)

So! After a lot of discussion, we landed on a compromise, and literally shook hands on it:

👉 I will no longer buy fountain sodas from fast food or gas stations
👉 I will no longer drink soda at home

Those two situations accounted for most of my soda intake. Cutting them out makes a huge difference.

This means I can still have soda when we go out to eat as a family (Chipotle, Mexican food, etc.) and at the movie theater (because soda + popcorn is sacred for me, lol). But these are more intentional, limited moments, not all-day, every-day habits kind of things.

So far, I’m a week into this plan and it feels right. I don’t feel sad or anxious. It feels sustainable. I feel motivated—especially because I shook on it with Ivan—and I feel like I’m being kinder to my body without constantly infusing sugar water into it!!!

Is moderated addiction a thing? TBD. 😂 But coming off ~10 soda-free days in Ireland definitely helped break the habit loop, and I think having some alternatives (like unsweetened iced tea from Kwik Trip) helps too.

Writing this does make me cringe a little. What if I fail again? What are you all thinking of me? How many times can one person do this? I probably look and sound ridiculous and you’re probably rolling your eyes. But I also don’t want to hedge around it with saying “we’ll see how it goes.” Every habit book says you have to claim it/ own it/ proclaim your new identity! (Even if, um, you’ve done this before. Ha.)

So here it is, one. more. time…..:

I no longer buy fast-food or gas-station fountain sodas.
I no longer drink soda at home.

I feel genuinely confident and optimistic about this! And I promise I’ll keep you posted this time. 💛

Thanks for listening!! I’ll be back with more goals and hopefully some Ireland recaps soon!

I hope your new year is off to a fabulous start.

Daily Gratitude:

I am grateful for finally feeling better!!!

24 thoughts on “The post I’d been avoiding… Health Goals 2026”

  1. I do not like soda, but I DO love sweets and have fallen right back into old habits. I even did the whole holiday season thing and treated Oct-now as a big old free for all. Bah. I so get this. Good luck with moderation and new boundaries xoxo, a fellow abstainer.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Thanks Sarah! It’s funny- I don’t have a problem at all with sweets in general (I like them fine, but I never CRAVE cookies, ice cream, desserts, etc.) and while I’m happy to eat some here and there, it’s not something I struggle with at all. It’s just the darn soda that gets me! I’m personally more prone to have issues wanting things like chips, cheese and crackers, salty/ savory things. Which also conveniently pair well with soda. 😉

      Like

      Reply

  2. I so appreciate your honesty. We all resonate with you more than you know! For me, I love wine and especially after Covid it was very easy to just have “a glass” (or two) to unwind after work. However, getting an Oura ring changed my life. I now understand how alcohol affects my body, sleep, and recovery and the objective data has changed my habits for good. I’m proud of you for wanting to make changes and continuing to try. Sending you positive vibes for habit change in 2026!

    Like

    Reply

    1. That’s so interesting! I have heard good things about the Oura ring data/feedback from others too. I think the biggest driver for change for me would be physical negative feedback, like if I felt bad as a result of eating or drinking something. But without that, I can see how at least seeing objectively how your body is responding, even if you maybe can’t feel it initially, would be really motivating too!

      Thank you so much for the supportive words!!

      Like

      Reply

  3. None of us are judging you because people who live in glass houses should not cast stones. I can so relate to this as a fellow abstainer that lives with a moderator. I am so envious of Phil and Ivan. It’s just not how we are built, though. I have this kind of relationship with wine. It’s easier to have zero glasses than 1 glass. I had a mostly dry January and now I generally only have wine for special occasions like Christmas gatherings and we had a glass of champagne on NYE. I usually get a special N/A beverage when I eat out with book club so I still feel like I’m having something special. Often they’re as expensive as a real drink but oh well.

    Your health goals are great! I wish I could go to that martial arts fitness class with you! I love trying new group fitness classes and pairing it with time with friends. So I am going to a HIIT+strength class next Saturday with 2 college friends and then we are going out for brunch after. And I like that you are just asking yourself to swim and try that class once. It can be a gateway to a habit but then you can decide if you want to keep doing it. I had try an OTF class on my list in 2025 and then I loved it so I got a class pack and then ended up getting an 8 class membership and I might upgrade to unlimited!!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Lisa! I feel like it’s always easy to moderate something you don’t really care about, ha. And the things that we have trouble moderating are so individual to each person… it’s weird, isn’t it! I guess we just have to look at our specific situations and try to do the best we can in each specific context!

      I think it’s so great that you’ve found a good fit with OTF! I was listening to Girl Next Door podcast yesterday and I heard Kelsey say she just hit her 1,000th Orange Theory class! Maybe that will be you eventually. 😉 I can TOTALLY see how the in person class format would make it way easier to be consistent, especially with things like that where I (think?) you have to sign up in advance.

      Like

      Reply

  4. I think this “contextual abstention” is an underrated strategy. I use it myself for alcohol (I don’t have an alcohol ‘issue’ but it def messes with my sleep and increases my heart stuff, so it’s perfect for me to say “only at a restaurant or social event, and only ever 1”. I don’t feel deprived but those are still generally hard, hard lines for me.

    (You can be honored that I think the ONLY time I had more than one last year was at the pub with you, HA!)

    Like

    Reply

    1. Haha, uh oh, am I bad influence?!?! 😆 Hey the night walk to the pub was super memorable and totally worth a 2nd drink. 😉

      I hadn’t heard ‘contextual abstention’ before and I love that! You’re right- it’s a great strategy that provides clear structure, yet flexibility, and I feel like I could probably employ it in some other ways with habit related stuff, too.

      Like

      Reply

  5. It doesn’t matter whether you achieve the goal or not! The point is to get it on the list so that you can have the satisfaction of checking it off, or the insight on whether to move it to another time or to decide that it’s not something that you want to do. At least that’s my take on what I’ve read so far of SHU’s book – just one chapter left to go and I will be sad to finish it!

    Anyway, 2025 was a year of examining your soda habit, and now you have more information on how to tackle it. I am not an abstainer, but I’ve found it very helpful to limit my access and to be a snob about certain things. For example, when I was single it was not uncommon to find me eating an entire pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream on a Friday night. The key to eliminating that habit was to reduce the number of times that I bought B&J pints, and then to realize that actually it has a weird aftertaste and isn’t that good. Today I very rarely buy pints of ice cream, and when I do, it’s more likely to be Jenni’s AND there is a decent chance that they last for 2-3 servings. All of which is to say that I like your approach of not drinking soda at home/not buying it at fast food/gas station (limit access) and not drinking diet soda (being a snob).

    I would be willing to bet money that you will have less soda this year, and if you don’t, you will not have failed…you will have gotten more information. How many times can one person tackle an issue like this? As many times as it takes! We all have something like this in our lives, and we can all learn from each other.

    Like

    Reply

    2. Thank you for all of this!! So insightful. I love that idea to ‘be a snob’, lol! Totally true- why waste soda consumption on something that isn’t even really good to me? I really think I will have less soda this year, too. I also think I had kind of worked up to a sort of tipping point, where it was starting to just feel like, ok, this is literally getting gross how much I’m often drinking of this now! Like I reached my own rock bottom or something, if that makes sense. It’s not congruent with my other health/ fitness goals, either, so I was constantly kind of at odds with myself, which isn’t a great feeling.

      Like

      Reply

  6. I cannot directly relate to the soda addiction but I think everyone has something their lives that would be hard to give up and I think it’s amazing that you keep trying to address this (mostly because soda in access is simply not good for you – and maybe reminding you of that can help a little, especially with your new health goals written out and a new year to start and implement!?I think your rule to not buy soda at the gas station or have it a home will eliminiate a HUGE “temptation” and hopefully having a glass at a restaurant once in a while will be a special reward that you can truly look forward to and enjoy guilt-free!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Thank you San! I think the specific rules around when I can have it makes it all feel much more attainable. I don’t feel “sad” like I have other times when I’ve fully quit and also don’t feel pulled to want more and more or “cheat” at all so far.

      Like

      Reply

  7. No eye rolling here! In fact, I think we all appreciate your honesty. And, I totally, totally get it. Soda is DELICIOUS. I’m SO envious of people who “don’t like it” (HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE??)

    I can relate to this on several levels. One is, remember how I did that super restrictive diet last summer? My digestion really improved, and other things felt better too, like I was way less bloated (well- I guess that’s part of digestion). But the whole time I just felt kind of sad. I tried to appreciate the things I was eating, but I just really, really missed certain other things so much. I was counting down the days until I could have them again, and once that happened, I started eating more and more “forbidden” foods until my digestion basically was back to a terrible state by Christmas. I guess one “good” thing about this is, at least I have motivation to cut back on some of these things, as my body makes it very clear they’re not good for me.

    Which brings me to the subject of soda itself. I’ve made an interesting and terrible discovery- Coke Zero doesn’t make me feel bad, and is amazingly delicious. Uh oh, bad combination. I’ve been having one about once a week, which isn’t terrible unless you consider the fact that I have bone density issues, and should be staying away from soda entirely. But I look forward to it, and every time I have it- especially if it’s a fountain drink- it’s like drinking a cup of magic happiness. Sigh.

    Another thing- we’ve been keeping cans of Coke Zero in the fridge because my daughter and her friends like them (I’m usually able to avoid them, because I prefer the fountain version so am willing to wait for my weekly treat). But I noticed they were disappearing awfully fast, and my husband confessed that he’s been drinking AT LEAST one a day, and he’s totally addicted. Like he’ll be standing in front of the fridge longingly saying “I want a Coke Zero… but I already had one today…” This became so much of a problem that we bought my daughter a mini fridge for her bedroom, but that didn’t work because it made a weird noise. So the Coke Zeros are back in the kitchen fridge, and I’m not sure how my husband is handling it.

    All this is to say- I totally get you. Soda is just so, so delicious. And it’s also SO SO BAD FOR US, WHHHHYYYYYYYY??? The struggle is real, but we do have to keep trying. I think your new plan is a good one- please give us updates and know there’s NO JUDGMENT HERE! Good luck.

    Like

    Reply

    1. I think having a fountain drink per week is TOTALLY reasonable for you to have! Honestly if I could just have even 1 single can per day I think I’d be fine with that, if I could keep it to that. It’s just that for me, a can is…. small. haha. I would totally be like your husband. One can goes down pretty quick, and the day is long! I so often would want at least another one….and then like I said, couple that with the times we eat out (which we do fairly regularly), and you can see how it totally snowballs. I also had slowly worked up to getting a big fountain drink DAILY, Jenny!!! (Honestly, if that were the ONLY soda I ever drank- 1 single fountain drink/day and never any more at home or in restaurants- I would maybe have even been ok with that! But I was definitely having even way more….). AND I was drinking the regular stuff, full of alllll the sugar and calories..

      Thank you for the kind words and all the support!!! I was nervous to post this but everyone was so nice. 🙂

      Like

      Reply

    1. Thank you, Coco!! Sometimes when I am struggling with wanting to eat crappy or unhealthy things, I think of you and think “Coco would NEVER eat/drink this.” hahaha. I’m always amazed how you eat so healthfully all the time, even on vacation, traveling, etc. You never seem to have any bad food habits or cravings at all!! (as far as I can tell, anyway!)

      Like

      Reply

  9. Honestly, I think that things like this are a constant battle and any number that you DIDN’T have means you took in less of the junk. So, be proud of that. I think our culture does a lot of “all or nothing” thinking that leads to a lot of guilt and shame. This year, I’m going to try to focus on the things I AM doing, even if it isn’t everything that I want to be doing! Better some than none. Or in your case, better some than a whole lot! 🙂 Good luck, but I think you’re doing great.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Excellent point!! Thank you! I love the idea of focusing on what you are doing. It is very easy to always think we need to do more, analyze things, etc, but you’re right- forward progress is progress, no matter how small. I definitely think I’m going to have less soda this year in 2026 than I did in 2025. 🙂

      Like

      Reply

  10. I have found for me that sparkling water satisfies my craving most of the time. I guess it tricks my mind with the fizziness. You might want to try and see if it helps.

    Like

    Reply

    1. I have tried that, but it just doesn’t really compare for me!! BUT, I do think that when I’m drinking less soda overall, my taste for the flavorful soda decreases a little, and sparkling water can be more satisfying. I do think it’s a decent sub at home like if I want popcorn or pizza (ie something I’d normally pair with soda!).

      Do you have any favorite brands or flavors? Sometimes I feel like I maybe just haven’t found the right one for me yet.

      Like

      Reply

      1. I keep on going back to Amazon’s water. It’s unflavored but boy it packs a punch with fizz. Adding lemon or lime juice helps with flavor. I can’t do the diet drinks at all. Sucralose is not my friend. I struggle every day. Hang in there.

        Like

  11. Kae this is a tough one for you! As you love soda (or pop as we Canadians sometimes say) so much this is huge for you. I don’t drink it nor crave it. Water or an occasional sparkling water or Bubly is good for me. The motivator is here for me to change something is when I really understand the health aspects. I know you are also passionate about good health. My big love was coffee! I drank two large mugs of strong, black coffee every day and got excited about it the night before. I can honestly say it was one of the high points of each day. Until… I developed osteoporosis. I went to my doctor, of course, and take medication, but also consulted with my amazing naturopathic doctor. She had me change several other things such as walking with a weighted vest, taking bone collagen and a big one was giving up coffee. I was really sad. I’m allowed one mug of Swiss processed decaf daily. I can tell you it is not very good, but it’s better than nothing. Knowing that I want to continue to be active and of course I don’t want any more fractures helped to make the decision & stick to it. Perhaps putting into perspective how bad soda is for your health, ie looking at studies etc. would be helpful. You don’t see daily effects but in the long-term, you know it’s not good for you. Hope that helps. 

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment