A new year invites a fresh look at how we move, think, live, and care for ourselves and this month, a team of trusted experts helps shape that reset. We open with cover model and fitness expert Lisa Briggs, whose perspective on consistency, courage, and simply showing up for yourself sets the tone for the year ahead. From there, Financial Health expert Doug Walters CFA, Dr. Juleen Qandah, Psychotherapist Alyce Short, Leadership & Professional Growth expert Stephen Turnbull, home and lifestyle expert Laura Weimer, and Certified Nutrition & Wellness Coach, Cristi Kaido each bring their own lens on well-being, creating a thoughtful, well-rounded start to the year.
Show Up for Yourself: How Consistency, Courage, and Joy Shape a Stronger Year
By Lisa Briggs, Cover Model, New Year New You Issue
When I was invited to be the cover model for this issue, I felt deeply honored. Being featured here is not just a celebration of fitness. It is a celebration of what it means to keep showing up for yourself year after year, even when life is busy, even when the path is challenging, and even when the finish line feels far away. As I look toward my fiftieth birthday in 2026, I can say with complete honesty that I am healthier, stronger, and more grounded now than I was at twenty-five. And I want every person reading this to know that if I can do it, you can do it too.
Fitness did not transform my life because I chased perfection. It transformed my life because I committed to consistency. Because I learned to make space for myself. Because I found forms of movement I genuinely enjoy. And because I stopped seeing hard work as punishment and started seeing it as a pathway that leads directly toward the life I want to live.
You can find me somewhere in between inspiring others, working on myself, dodging negativity, and slaying my goals. That sentence has guided so much of my journey. It reminds me that we are all works in progress. We are all balancing responsibilities, stress, families, careers, grief, hope, and ambition. But showing up again and again creates a rhythm that carries you forward. Once you build that rhythm, fitness stops feeling like a chore and starts becoming something you look forward to.
Persistence Is a Muscle and You Can Build It
Persistence is the cornerstone of everything we do at Fit Body Boot Camp in Clinton and Whitesboro. People often assume transformation is about motivation, but motivation is fleeting. Persistence is what shows up for you when motivation fades. Persistence is the quiet promise you make to yourself every morning. Persistence is the belief that you do not have to set records. You simply have to keep going.
My clients hear me say this every day. Consistency beats intensity. Anyone can crush one tough workout. But showing up three, four, or five times a week is where the real change happens. That is where confidence builds. That is where your body learns to trust you again.
And consistency does not mean perfection. If you miss a day or lose momentum, you do not start over. You simply start again. That mindset shift alone changes everything.
Movement Should Never Feel Like a Punishment
One of the most important lessons I have learned, and one I teach in both of my studios, is if it doesn’t challenge you, it’ll never change you, but challenging yourself doesn’t have to feel like a punishment. It should feel purposeful. It should feel empowering. It should feel fun.
Hard work is not a punishment. It is a pathway to your dreams. Own it and keep going.
At Fit Body Boot Camp, we focus on workouts that energize rather than exhaust. We build community. We laugh. We cheer each other on. We celebrate small wins. Because when fitness is enjoyable, it becomes part of your lifestyle instead of something you check off a list.
The more joy you feel while you move, the more sustainable your progress becomes.
Before and After Is About Possibility
People know my studios for our before and after results, but what I want readers to understand is that the real transformation happens long before the photos are taken. The visible change is simply evidence of something deeper. It is evidence of belief in yourself.
Just because something feels hard does not mean it is impossible. Some of the most remarkable transformations I have witnessed did not begin with motivation. They began with doubt. People came in feeling unsure, overwhelmed, and intimidated. But they decided to show up. They kept showing up. And over time, they proved to themselves that they could do hard things.
That belief is where everything begins. When you stop convincing yourself that change is out of reach, you step into a new version of yourself that is defined by strength and confidence.
The Power of Early Mornings
Making time for yourself can feel impossible in a world full of responsibilities. But the most powerful thing you can do is carve out even a small window of your day for your own wellbeing.
Making time for yourself matters. Early mornings can be the most peaceful time for self-care. There are so many benefits to waking up earlier, even on a Sunday.
I always tell clients that if you own your morning, you own your day. Whether it is a workout, a quiet cup of coffee, stretching, or a short walk, that early moment sets your tone. You start from a place of clarity, strength, and self-respect.
It is not about discipline as punishment. It is about creating space in your life to breathe, reflect, and prepare. When you give yourself that space, everything else feels more manageable.
Do It for Your Future Self
As I move toward fifty, I find myself thinking often about the way time reshapes our priorities. I am more grateful than ever that I chose to invest in myself long before I fully understood the long-term impact. Strength is a gift. Mobility is a gift. Energy is a gift. These are not things to take for granted. They are things we can nurture and protect through steady, mindful movement.
What I want for every reader is the same thing I want for myself. A life filled with longevity, freedom, and vitality. Fitness is not about perfection. It is about caring for the future version of yourself and recognizing that even the smallest effort creates a ripple. You do not need the perfect plan or the perfect timing. You simply need to begin.
When 2026 brings my fiftieth birthday, I will step into it feeling better in my body than I did in my twenties. That did not happen overnight. It happened because I kept showing up even when the process felt slow. It happened because I found joy in movement. It happened because I stopped giving up on myself. And that is something every person reading this is capable of.
I also know I did not walk this journey alone. I am endlessly thankful for my husband, my boys, my friends, my family, and my Fit Body Boot Camp family who helped make 2025 such an incredible year. Their support, encouragement, and belief in me pushed me forward in ways words cannot fully express. Here is to another great year of growth, strength, and showing up for ourselves.
Top 10 Things for a Better You This Year
- Show up even when you do not feel ready.
Progress begins with simply being present. - Choose movement you enjoy.
Joy makes habits stick. - Strength train twice a week.
Strength supports balance, metabolism, and overall wellness. - Set weekly intentions.
A simple plan creates powerful consistency. - Celebrate small wins.
Momentum builds through progress, not perfection. - Make mornings your time.
Even ten minutes creates clarity and energy. - Fuel your body wisely.
Focus on nourishment and hydration. - Build a supportive community.
Surround yourself with people who want you to succeed. - Prioritize rest.
Recovery is essential to performance and mental health. - Believe you are capable of hard things.
Because you are, and your results will prove it.
