One Year, 104 Posts: My 2025 Blogging Challenge
How weekly writing sharpened my focus on life, sports, and community
XMAS 2025 marks the end of my personal blogging challenge. From around Christmas 2024 until now, I wrote at least one blog post every week about topics that matter to me. A year of weekly blogging means about 52 posts, but Substack shows 104 posts today, which makes me smile.
Not all of these posts belong to my project “The Digital Sweat Lodge.” Some posts are for the Labs Talk Podcast that I co-create with Andreas Neumeier. Still, most of them are part of my own blog, so I did not just keep up a weekly rhythm, I often wrote more than once a week.
What I wrote about
To see what I actually wrote, I opened my new favorite AI-assisted browser, Comet from Perplexity, and asked it to analyze my archives. Comet is an AI-first browser that can work with your open tabs and help you with tasks while you browse, which makes this kind of review easy and fun.
The top topic was no surprise.
Cycling
Cycling took the number one spot. I wrote about the TransAlp Cycling Challenge, indoor cycling on Zwift, and some of my favorite routes like the Valepp, Dolomites Bike Day, and the Reschensee area. I also shared thoughts on commuting by bike and some early cycling plans for 2026.
Running and OCR
The second big topic was running. I wrote about how I slowly became a runner (also here) and how I got into OCR/obstacle course racing. The Ninja Days events, which are all about obstacles without the running, also showed up (running kind of did bring me there, so it’s OK). I covered trail running, some gear recommendations, and again some ideas and goals for 2026.
Fitness and health
The third topic was all about “generic” fitness and health. In “Fitness is how you live” I shared how I see fitness as part of everyday life, not just a workout block. I wrote about training and recovery, morning workout routines, staying motivated, and how breathing techniques that I discovered in 2025 became part of my life.
Sauna culture and wellness
Next came sauna culture and wellness. I finished my Saunamaster training this year, which gave me a deeper understanding of sauna and made the practice even more meaningful. I still do not manage to lead regular sessions (no time after all), but I go to sauna almost every week (as a regular visitor) and it is an important part of my life. The Munich Tech Sauna Community was another topic, and it is great to see how that community has grown and how people connect there.
Lifestyle and personal development
Lifestyle and personal development also showed up often in my posts. I quit alcohol in 2024 and wrote about how that decision changed my life in a very positive way. I shared thoughts on post run rituals, friendship, and a “Year of Joy” mind mapping technique that I use to map out what matters. I also wrote about how the book “101 Essays” influenced me and why I felt the need to respond to it.
Web3, tech, and other adventures
Web3 and blockchain were a smaller part of my writing in 2025. It is no longer a topic at work, but I am still interested in it privately and curious about where it will go in the coming years.
There were also plenty of “other news” posts. I wrote about conferences and events such as Codefreeze 2025 and I am happy that I will be back for Codefreeze 2026. I covered the SAP Labs Munich move to Garching, hiking adventures like my “kind of” ascent of the Zugspitze, and even a post about why I value the European Union. More recently, I finally wrote about my Colemak Mod DH keyboard layout. It really was a wide mix of topics.
How the blog fits together
When I asked the AI to summarize what my blog is about, it told me that “The Digital Sweat Lodge” really lives up to its name by mixing physical endurance, wellness practices like sauna, technology, and community into one lifestyle. That felt very accurate to me. Reviews and summaries like this are one of the helpful things an AI browser like Comet can do while you work with your own content.
Writing every week about all these topics, and now looking back on them, helped me reflect more deeply on what is important in my life. Friendship, sports, travel, and adventure all became clearer through the simple act of putting words on a page. I now feel I have a sharper view of what matters most.
What mattered most
The best part of this challenge did not happen on Substack but in real life. Many of these posts turned into conversations with friends, colleagues, and family. Some people left comments, some talked to me over lunch, and some reached out by chat to keep the discussion going. Those conversations gave the blog its real value.
So thank you for reading, for subscribing, for commenting, and for talking to me about the posts. This challenge felt like a shared experience, not a solo project.
For 2026, I plan to be a bit quieter. I still want to blog, but more when I feel like it rather than every single week. For now, it is Christmas time. Happy Christmas and a happy new year to you and your loved ones.