Yagya Mahadevan

The start

This year, I marked 25 years in the world of technology, with an amazing 10 of those years spent in the exciting world of Stadiums and Large Public Venues. Honestly, it does not feel that long ago, when I started as a developer cranking out code in Visual Basic 6.

2025 commenced with remarkable success. Within the first eight weeks, we secured two new big projects, signed a new client and we successfully implemented another big project before start of soccer season. This was my ninth season in the MLS. I felt excited and more responsible and accountable for the trust clients placed in us.

On Sunday night after all of the Home Openers, I felt elated with all these accomplishments and eagerly anticipated another successful season. However, I the next day, brought an unexpected turn. The place that was part of me, for more than 8 years was no longer going to be a part of my life anymore. All of a sudden it appeared that the player had sustained a season-ending injury after a successful Season Opener.

Following this unexpected setback, my trajectory underwent a complete change. Throughout March, I dedicated myself to reconnecting with my network, finalizing my next steps on career options, and determining what I do next.

On May 1st, I joined Boldyn. This new role presented an opportunity to collaborate with individuals I had previously worked with from outside, while also joining a new team. The initial months were different as I adjusted to the bigger, better environment, learning new process and procedures.

However, that’s all about work in this post. Instead, I want to share what happened after this.

Resting Heart Rate

In May, Apple Watch notified me about a change in my resting heart rate trend over the past few months. I had never paid attention to my resting heart rate, so I was curious to observe the trend and its changes. As a numbers guy, I began analyzing the trend. There was a sudden and significant drop in my resting heart rate in March compared to previous months/years. Upon reviewing the data over the past few years, the trend became evident. My resting heart rate (beats per minute) is as follows:

Recognizing the importance of my health, I decided to leverage the opportunity of a new start with my job to prioritize and work on my health and routine.

Peloton – Bike
I got a Peloton Bike during the beginning of the COVID when Jim Wolford introduced me to it. I was biking maybe 3-4 times in a month and was nowhere near regular to use it.

In the past, between 30 or 45 minutes of biking and using that time to do work and catch up on emails, I always used the time for work. Did anyone force me to do this – NO. Did anyone suggest I need to do more – NO, in-fact everyone was concerned I was doing more. Did anyone expect that I take care of everything – NO. This was all my own doing prioritizing work above everything else.

Certainly not a good idea, but what better way to change it with a new job? So, I started biking more. Here is the number of miles I biked every month.

I have biked over 2000 Miles in this year with 200 miles every month in the last 4 months.

Weight
Certainly, I have engaged in this a couple of times, but I have resolved to approach it with greater seriousness this time. My objective is to regain my fitness and enhance my overall well-being. Thanks to Peloton and consistent workout, my weight has begun to decrease. For the first time in more than over two decades, I am now able to wear 32” pants. Spending money felt so good getting new trousers.

Traveling for Work
I utilize the Flightly application to monitor all flights I take, enabling me to track any delays or changes. Flightly maintains a comprehensive record of all my flights over the years, with the exception of a few personal trips. This data primarily pertains to work-related travel. Notably, in 2023, I completed 60 trips, averaging more than one trip per week.

Of course, this is not always fully in my control, but now I carry a workout shoe when I travel. So that I can hit the gym during my travels, eliminating the excuse of lack of time.

Blood Glucose
As a Type 2 Diabetic, I utilize the Libre device to monitor my blood sugar levels. Previously, my blood sugar levels were all over the place, to keep it simple. However, now, approximately 93% of the time, I have successfully maintained my blood sugar within the recommended range, which has improved my A1C.

Blood Pressure
In early 2024 I was diagnosed with elevated blood pressure and on medication for that since then. In 2025, I made sure to check my BP regularly to see where I am to get a current baseline so that I can focus on getting better in 2026. Currently I see 25% of my daily readings in the past month are elevated and rest in normal range. My plan is to get this under 10% in the new year.

Daily Calorie Burn
I had always convinced myself that I am working in Stadiums and traveling a lot with a lot of site walk and reviews and that will take care of my workout needs. In this year, as I started more biking in Peloton seriously and enrolling in LifeTime, I started being more serious about my Calorie burn everyday. I now burn around 800-1000 calories. Interesting to see the difference of what I thought I was burning vs what I was really burning.

Movember
“When was the last time you did something for the first time?” Mahatria has posed this question multiple time. When I heard Boldyn was supporting Movember, I contemplated the possibility of trying something that I haven’t tried in years. It required considerable self-persuasion to remove the handlebar mustache that had become an easily recognizable attribute of my face. Additionally, I have never gone without shaving for more than a couple of days and resolved to try that. Consequently, I have adopted a new appearance (for now). But I decided to contribute monetarily to Boldyn and tied it to $1 every mile I biked in November. Now the increase in November biking makes sense 🙂

What’s my plan for 2026

Mahatria has said about new year resolutions – “Let all your troubles in life be as short lived as new year resolution”. So, I decided I don’t want to start a something new thinking change of calendar is going to change it all for me. Instead, I want to build on what I have already started in 2025 to make it a 2026 that I can be proud of. Success is when you make your own past look like someone else’s past. This year has shown me a path for what I am capable of doing, and in 2026 I will take it to the next level.

So, here are some of my Daily activities for 2026. Not a single resolution.

1. Daily Calorie Burn Target (Apple Watch circle) 1000 Calories
2. Perform 30 minutes of Focussed activity couple of times a day.
3. Weight Goal – 165 lbs.
4. Meditation – Daily for 22 minutes.
5. Inbox Zero daily.
6. Clear daily To Do List.
7. No food after 8 pm.
8. No sweets, candies, desserts, soda
9. Review, Monitor & Control Expenses.
10. Improve average sleep duration 5.5 to 6 hours.
11. Introspect at the end of the day.

Yes, this is all focused on Health, and that is not the only thing I will focus on in 2026. Other updates in subsequent posts…

As one of my friends put it – there was a bump in 2025. Even with that – “Hey 2025 – Thank You for all the great learnings, experiences and success. Welcome 2026 – I am ready and let’s make it the most memorable year so far.”