Best Self Challenge–Week 3: Optimize Your Fitness

So you’ve set personalized resolutions you know you will keep this year and upgraded your health routines to actually make a difference in your life. Week #3 of our Best Self Challenge is all about optimizing your fitness. But we’re not here to tell you to wake up at 5 a.m. or do 100 burpees a day. This is not another 75 Hard or prescriptive workout plan. Instead, this week is focused on identifying forms of movement that make you feel your best, and helping you build your own exercise routine that supports your life instead of competing with it. We’re leaving “no pain, no gain” in 2025, because the truth is that movement is supposed to feel good. Besides, the only way to build a consistent routine that actually sticks is if it doesn’t require constant convincing. Let’s bring joy back to exercise.

Tuesday, January 13th: Listen to “How to (Actually) Get Fit & Feel Your Best This Year—Psychology-Backed Tips from Kendall Toole“

Kendall Toole is a viral fitness influencer, former Peloton star instructor, founder of NKO Club, and the definition of powerful vulnerability. In this raw and energizing conversation, Kendall opens up about her personal journey with anxiety and depression, and how movement became her lifeline. This episode is packed with motivating, no-B.S. life advice to help you reconnect to your power, get unstuck, and actually go for the life you want. Kendall talks perfectionism, finding purpose, and how to show up fully—especially when your brain is telling you to shrink. Kendall Toole doesn’t hold back; she offers wisdom, grit, and truth that will leave you feeling seen, inspired, and ready to show up as your full self. Whether you’re navigating body image, want to enter your fit era in 2026, or just need a reminder that you are powerful as hell, this episode is for you.

Wednesday, January 14th: Walk 10,000 Steps

All hail the hot girl walk. Walking will remain as THE workout in 2026. After our contributing writer walked 10,000 steps a day for one year (and wrote about it), she lost weight, reduced stress, improved her mood, slept better, and felt less bloated. But don’t get fixated on the number; the goal is to walk more, in an amount that feels good for you. If you need some motivation to go the extra mile, try these hacks, press play on these podcast episodes, and take advantage of an under-desk treadmill.

Thursday, January 15th: Listen to “My ‘Best Self Fitness Routine’ & How to Build a Routine You’ll Actually Stick To“

In this solo episode, Josie breaks down why most fitness routines don’t stick (and why it’s not because you’re lazy), the biggest mistakes we’ve been taught about exercise, and the mindset shifts that change everything. She shares what the research says is the exact amount of exercise women actually need to see results, why walking is wildly underrated, and how to stop feeling like you’re constantly starting over. She also shares her “Best Self Fitness Routine,” from walking and Lagree, to exercise for joy, cycle syncing, hacks to fit toning into your everyday life, and how she thinks about fitness as a system, not a rigid routine. If fitness has ever felt overwhelming, all-or-nothing, or like something you struggle to maintain, this episode will completely reframe how you think about movement.

Friday, January 16th: Build Your Own “Best Self Fitness Routine”

After hearing all the tips from episode #250, it’s time to build a routine or system that would actually work best for you. Start journaling about what your highest self living your dream life does for movement: Does she go on walks in the morning to get coffee? Does she weight lift, or run marathons, or stay active on vacations by surfing or hiking? Also, journal about what form of movement feels most joyful to you: Do you have the most fun dancing, or playing sports like when you were a kid, or going on a walk with a DIY iced coffee listening to your favorite music? These answers are the basis of your Best Self Fitness Routine.

Saturday, January 17th: Try a Workout You’ve Never Done Before

Part of why we plateau or have trouble sticking to our fitness routines is often because of boredom. Challenging yourself to try something new gets you out of your comfort zone, creates more physical challenge for your body, and just might help you find your new favorite form of exercise. If you’re a gym rat, try a Pilates session or go for a jog. If you’re a hot girl walker, try a YouTube dance video or do some basic strength training. You can also try something totally new on ClassPass, attend a class at your gym you’ve never done before, or just branch out of your usual routine by going on a nearby hike or hitting the paddle courts with your friends.

Sunday, January 18th: Read “Science Says You Can Train Your Brain To Truly Enjoy Exercise—Here’s How“

You can rewire your brain to love working out (yes, really). After all, experts say the key to better and more consistent workouts is not in the body but in the mind. According to a 2025 study, you can develop mental toughness and train yourself to be more welcoming of physical activity—despite the discomfort—giving you the motivation to keep going back for more and even crave it. Read this article where experts teach you how to hack your mind to enjoy exercise.

Monday, January 19th: Romanticize Your Workout

We’re all for romanticizing your life, but why just stop at your morning coffee or spraying your favorite perfume before work? You can actually romanticize your workouts too, which not only makes the experience more enjoyable for you in the moment, but also trains your brain to associate exercise with pleasure, helping your brain actually crave exercise instead of viewing it as a chore or punishment. Start with the process of getting ready: Wear your favorite workout outfit that makes you feel amazing (you know the one), fill up your favorite water bottle and add lemon and mint, put on your pump-up playlist that makes you excited. Set up your environment by lighting a candle, investing in the chic Pilates studio you’ve always wanted to try, or going for a hike in the gorgeous trails nearby instead of usual jog around your neighborhood. Finally, choose movement that matches your energy today instead of mindlessly selecting your typical workout.

MEET JOSIE

Josie Santi, Podcast Host & Senior Wellness Editor

Josie has been an editor and writer for The Everygirl since 2017 and became a certified Holistic Health Coach in 2020. As the Senior Wellness Editor, she oversees, writes, and edits wellness content, as well as reports on wellness trends and interviews the industry’s leading experts. Listen to Josie on The Everygirl Podcast.

READ JOSIE’S FULL BIO

Feature graphic images credited to: Alex Rusciano | Dupe, Cora Pursley | Dupe, Caroline Taborda | Dupe, Helena Mildow | Dupe, Una Arslanagic | Dupe, Courtlyn Fazakas | Dupe, Cora Pursley | Dupe, Olivia Leathley | Dupe, Kenzie Kayla | Dupe, RZ estudio | Dupe, victoria harder | Dupe, Caroline Taborda | Dupe, Elevae

The post Best Self Challenge–Week 3: Optimize Your Fitness appeared first on The Everygirl.