Growing up in laid back Hawaii, I've always been kind of a lazy guy. I tend to do only what's absolutely necessary to get the job done. When it comes to fitness, I think I'm the same way. You don't want to do any more work than necessary to achieve a lean body.
Let me break this down for you. Step one is to train only 2 or 3 times per week. I personally train 3 times a week, like I did today.
I think that's the perfect balance between consistency, momentum, and progress. What happened in your last workout is still fresh in your mind. You can therefore make little tweaks to your form the next time you lift. It provides enough recovery so that you can gradually get stronger and more muscular. You have enough rest days away from the gym so that you actually look forward to your next visit. It never feels like it's something you have to do all the time.
So here's my advice to you in 2026. Just train 3 times a week for an hour to an hour and a half. That's only 2 percent of your week. I'm not the most jacked guy in the world, but I have a physique I'm fairly proud of. And that's the result of simply lifting 3 times weekly with relatively heavy weights (for me) and gradually overloading my lifts.
I once thought like that until I tried it. Then I realized that lifting is not only fun but it has real health benefits. So please destroy the mindset that the gym is for gym bros only. At my Y you may find the occasional guy who lives at the gym, but mostly you're going to find people just like you or me who have other things going on in their lives. They just want a fit body. They just want better health. They just want (if they're Christians) to take better care of their "temple." And they realize that there's nothing more efficient or more effective at building muscle and losing fat than basic strength training.
And remember, all it takes is 3 hours a week.
The start of a new year is a good time to take a good look at your priorities and ask yourself, "Is my body and my health actually important? Am I treating it as God's temple or am I treating it like it's not important at all?" I can assure you it's not going to be boring or even super hard. Just enjoy it. If you don't get in shape now, when will you? It's like you're accruing a huge debt and then suddenly you have to pay it all back in the form of a health crisis. You tried the quick fixes and they never worked. For you, what you need is a place to go and just execute and build muscle. Something basic you can just stick to. The moment you start lifting weights you're going to realize a whole new world. You'll realize that there are so many more people at the gym than gym bros. And that includes YOU.
I pray you have a wonderful New Year. Make sure 2026 is a year to remember.