A Data-Driven Review of My Healthiest Year Yet
I treated 2025 like a lab experiment. Here is the data on what actually moved the needle.
In 2025, I stopped trying to be healthy and started treating my health like a long-term experiment.
I set clear goals, tracked relentlessly, and audited every habit for its Return on Investment (ROI). In a world of $12 lattes and $5,000 biohacking gadgets, I wanted to know: What actually produces measurable change?
The 2025 Scorecard
After 12 months of relentless consistency, the data is in:
Total Weight Loss: 34 lbs.
Body Composition: Lean body mass preserved (99 lbs vs 100 lbs).
Visceral Fat: Slashed by 50% (1.06 lb → 0.51 lb).
Cardio Fitness (VO2 Max Proxy): Jumped from 37 (Fair) to 45 (Excellent).
Metabolic Health: Fasting insulin and HOMA-IR (insulin resistance) bottomed out.
I didn't just lose weight. I changed my biology. Here is how I ranked my habits from "Life-Changing" to "Mostly Hype."
🏆 Tier 1: The Heavy Hitters (9-10/10 ROI)
If you do nothing else, do these. These drove 80% of my results.
1. Strength Training (The Muscle Anchor)
ROI: 10/10
The Protocol: 3–4x/week using Caroline Girvan YouTube videos in my home gym.
Why it won: This is why I kept my muscle while the fat melted off. Strength training is the only habit that turns your body into a 24/7 calorie-burning furnace.
The 🔑 Unlock: The Playlist System. I removed decision fatigue by creating YouTube playlists labeled by day (Monday: upper body, Tuesday: lower body, Wednesday: abs). Friction is the silent killer of consistency. I removed the thinking, and the results followed.
Why it mattered:
Direct contributor to fat loss + muscle retention
Improved metabolic rate
Made all other workouts more effective
Improved body confidence + posture
2. Daily Walking + Rucking (The Metabolic Floor)
ROI: 9.5/10
The Protocol: 11,000 steps/day + a 15lb weighted vest (rucking).
Why it won: Walking is the ultimate "low-stress" fat burner. By adding a rucking vest, I increased my caloric burn by ~30% without spending an extra minute exercising. It’s a "cheat code" for busy people.
Why it worked:
Massive calorie expenditure without stress
Improved insulin sensitivity
Supported mental health + sleep
Extremely sustainable
3. Whole-Food, High-Protein Nutrition
ROI: 9.5/10
The Protocol: 100g+ protein daily; 90% whole foods. Eliminated refined sugars and ultra-processed oils.
Why it won: I stopped counting every calorie and started counting protein. High protein kills “food noise” and protects muscle. If you aren’t eating enough protein, your body will “eat” its own muscle during weight loss. Don’t let that happen.
Food quality did more of the work than calorie micromanagement.
Why it worked:
Simplified food decisions
Reduced inflammatory load
Naturally supported calorie control
Improved skin and digestion
I didn’t follow a diet, I simply changed food quality.
🥈 Tier 2: The Support Crew (7-8.5/10 ROI)
These didn’t build the house, but they made it a lot nicer to live in.
4. Cycle-Synced 36-Hour Fasts
ROI: 8.5/10
The Protocol: One 36-hour fast per month, timed to my menstrual cycle.
The ROI: This was my "metabolic reset button." It simplified my relationship with hunger and gave my digestive system a deep clean (autophagy). Doing it once a month made it a "power tool" rather than a chore.
Rather than constant restriction, this approach:
Improved metabolic flexibility
Reduced food noise
Supported fat loss without chronic stress
5. Aggressive Tracking
ROI: 7/10
The Protocol: Daily weigh-ins + weekly 3D body scans (MeThreeSixty app).
The ROI: You cannot manage what you do not measure. Body composition scans provided a visual feedback loop that kept me motivated when the scale didn’t move. It turned a “diet” into a “game.”
Why it worked:
Immediate feedback loops
Early course correction
Reinforced identity (“I’m someone who tracks”)
6. Mobility & Nervous System Care
ROI: 7/10
The Protocol: 15-minute daily stretching + quarterly deep tissue massage.
The ROI: This is the “injury insurance.” I feel 10 years younger because I prioritized movement quality. It didn’t burn the fat, but it kept me “in the game” so I could do the workouts that did.
This routine supported:
Training consistency
Injury prevention
Nervous system regulation
This didn’t drive fat loss directly, but it made everything else possible.
🥉 Tier 3: The Marginal Gains (4-6/10 ROI)
Nice to have, but don’t confuse these for the “work.”
7. The Supplement Stack
ROI: 6/10
High Value:
Creatine ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (essential for the muscle preservation mentioned above)
Omega-3s ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Vitamin D3/K2 ⭐⭐⭐
Magnesium ⭐⭐⭐
Low Value: Multivitamins and Collagen.
The Verdict: Supplements are the “cherry on top.” If your sleep and lifting are trash, a pill won’t save you.
8. Sauna & Red Light Therapy
ROI: 5.5/10
The Protocol: 1-2x/week.
The Verdict: Great for recovery and skin, but the ROI on time is lower than a 20-minute walk. Keep these as rewards, not requirements.
9. Micro-Nutrient Tweaks
ROI: 5/10
The Protocol: Brazil nuts (selenium), nori (iodine), nutritional yeast (K2).
The Verdict: This is “health optimization” at the 1% level. Fun for nerds (like me), and vital for thyroid health, but it didn’t move the needle.
🚩 What I Got Wrong: My 2026 Pivot
Despite a stellar year, my HRV (Heart Rate Variability) is plateauing at 74. Why? Because I optimized my inputs but not my recovery. In 2026, I am shifting from "doing more" to "recovering better."
The “8-Hour” Non-Negotiable: I averaged <7 hours of sleep. In 2026, I’m chasing a 9/10 ROI by simply going to bed 45 minutes earlier.
Progressive Overload Tracking: I lifted consistently, but I didn’t always track my weights. Logging every lift to ensure I am "beating my previous self."
Digital Sunset: No screens 60 minutes before bed to force my HRV into the high 70s.
Zone 2 Cardio: Adding 2 sessions/week (45 mins at 120–140 bpm) to build mitochondrial density. This is the "missing link" for longevity and metabolic flexibility.
The Bottom Line: The Infrastructure vs. The Architecture
Think of your health like a professional race car:
The Engine & Fuel (ROI 10/10): Strength Training, Protein, and Steps. Without these, the car doesn’t move.
The High-Performance Oil (ROI 5/10): Micro-nutrients, recovery tools, and supplements. They make the engine run smoother and prevent “breakdowns” (hormonal issues, thyroid sluggishness, inflammation).
If you’re overwhelmed, this is your permission slip to simplify. Master the engine first. The fine-tuning comes later.