ADHD · fitness · motivation · self care · walking

Update: Christine is ok with slow progress

Christine Hennebury

So far, I have been going really slowly with my walking challenge and with my 11 things for November and I am totally fine with that.

Sometimes, things move slowly (including me) and it is a lot easier on my brain if I just accept that pace and keep going.

This is definitely one of those times.

November has been a good month (yay for birthdays!) but it has also been a month with lots of rain, lots of meetings, lots of things to get done – and a few inconvenient migraines thrown into the mix.*

So, with all of that said, here are the updates:

My Walking Challenge

I’m 37% of the way through my walking challenge and I have been enjoying the little bit of extra motivation to get moving and the little bit of extra incentive to walk a little further.

A screen capture of my challenge page from the app showing that I have finished 37% of the challenge.
image description: a screen capture of the activity screen from my challenge app. The top of the screen is a spooky scene depicted in purple and green. (That line rhymes!) below that is a map of Salem, Massachusetts with the route marked out in blue and icons representing different people doing the challenge at whatever point they are on the route. Below that are my stats: I have covered 37% of the distance in 39% of the time I have allocated for this challenge. I have completed 18.07 km and I have 29.73 km to go. I have completed 22 days of the challenge and I have 34 remaining.

While I *could* set my tracker to include all of the movement I do in a day, I decided that I only wanted to count deliberate activity. So, my walks count and so did raking the leaves but bringing in the groceries doesn’t contribute to the challenge.

My 11 Things Challenge

Here are my things-in-progress:

  • Journal while sitting on the floor once a week – I’ve done this twice.
  • Practice those three tricky TKD patterns for at least 30 minutes (total) – I’ve done 10 minutes of practice.
  • Plan a personal retreat day – I’m working on it!
  • Rake up some of the backyard leaves (I’m leaving some for the bugs!) – I spent 30 minutes and filled up two paper lawn bags with leaves so this one is done!
  • Do at least one 10 minute meditation per week – I’ve done this twice.
  • Find a way to elevate keyboard for a standing writing session – I’m working with my Brother-in-Law to make this happen. By the way, I’m writing this on his birthday (Nov 17) so Happy Birthday, Dan! 💚🎂

Not bad, hey?

(The reason I’m describing my progress as slow is because I haven’t gotten to some of the bigger items on my list. I’ll get there though.)

I’m awarding myself a gold star for my efforts so far and I’ll update you further in a couple of weeks. ⭐

PS: My sister shared this short video with me recently and I found it really helpful. It’s good to be reminded that the purpose of making a list is not necessarily to get everything on the list done. Instead, it can be about ensuring that you get more done than you would have without the list. Good perspective shift, hey?

*Is there such a thing as a convenient migraine? Of course not! But some migraines are more inconvenient than others. This month they have all happened when I could just stop and take good care of myself without too much of a scramble.

Published by Christine Hennebury

I'm a writer/storyteller/director/creativity & lifestory coach with a black belt in ITF Taekwon-do. I read voraciously and I write like my fingers are on fire. I'm the founder and Chair of the Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl and I'm a former president of the St. John's Storytelling Festival. I bake a mean chocolate chip cookie.

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