Category: motivation

a photo of a snowy suburban street taken from an upstairs house window Finishing Soft (Again)
ADHD · fitness · motivation · self care

Finishing Soft (Again)

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

First things first!

Today is my mom‘s birthday and I hope that she gets all the treats and all the fun that she can possibly handle. Love you, Mom! 💚💚💚

Now, my post: for today:

Finishing Soft

A couple of years ago, after an exceptionally stressful year, I decided that rather than pushing hard to get a bunch of stuff done by the end of December, I would ‘finish soft’ – to try and find as many ways as possible to rest, to take care of myself, and to reduce the sense of overwhelm that usually took over the end of my years.

And I was happy with how that turned out.

Ever since then, I have been returning to that idea of that softness whenever possible.

Obviously, there are times when hard work is required and there are times when I don’t realize how tangled up in doing I have gotten until something goes awry.

But I am happy to say that since those posts linked above I am quicker to get back to the idea of going easy on myself, of finding a simpler way, of seeking more rest when I need/want it.

And after so many years of my ADHD brain churning out inaccurate information about ‘not trying hard enough’ and ‘gotta do all of the things before you rest’, it has been really helpful to have a shorter loop back to taking good care of myself.*

Slowing Down

Last week, I posted about my December Twelves – three things that I am going to do twelve times this month to help me feel more relaxed – but when I was writing it, I didn’t think about the connection to finishing soft.

It is part and parcel of the same thing, though, the strong pull towards rest, the sense of wintering**, knowing that slowing down and being more deliberate in how I spend my time would be good for me.

I still have a lot to do and I have still had a lot of hectic moments lately but I feel differently about them. They feel less inevitable and more temporary – I feel like I can take charge of my circumstances a bit more.

And, strangely, I am finding myself able to think a bit more about January.

A photo of three flat ornaments decorated with pictures of robots.
This doesn’t really have a lot to do with my post, but I’m really happy about creating these. Every year I take part in an ornament exchange and these are one side of the three ornaments I made this year. The top one is star shaped painted green with gold trim, and it shows a small gold robot holding a present. Below that there are two ornaments the one on the left is star shaped with gold trim and shows three robots singing Christmas carols out of a book they’re holding. The third ornament is heart shaped. It’s painted red with gold trim and shows two robots standing next to a Christmas tree and they’re each putting an ornament on it.

Planning Planuary? Really?

Usually, my ADHD will let me imagine my time up until around Christmas but beyond that there is just the murky idea that January will indeed happen. In fact, I decided to start referring to January as Planuary because that’s generally the earliest that my brain will consider making plans for the year ahead.

This year, though, I have been lightly drawn to the idea of planning a few small things to happen in January so I can be planning my year AND doing interesting things in the same time frame.

I don’t think this has ever happened to me before.

I mean, I used to feel the pressure to plan the whole year ahead in December (and feel terrible when I failed to do so) but I don’t remember ever having this clear idea that I could just pick a few things in December to put in place for January.

More Movement? Interesting!

And, interestingly, while I had thought that doing yoga would feel like ‘enough’ exercise for right now, instead I am finding myself craving more movement. My muscles seem to be saying, ‘That was a good start! What’s next!’

So, I am adding bits of extra cardio and strength training and mobility here and there. With no definite plan and no specific outcome in mind, I’m just responding to my body’s interest in moving more.

Making Space

As you probably know, I’ve been writing Making Space posts all this month and while I have been trying to follow my own advice and make a little space for myself each day, I didn’t realize that the process of slowing down over all was making even more space in my head and my sense of time.

Even though I…

  • consciously decided to actively slow down by journaling, meditating, and doing yoga.
  • consciously decided not to undertake any big projects around the house.
  • consciously decided not to put any pressure on myself about work projects (In other years I have sometimes decided to speed up timelines to have loose ends tied up before the holidays but I voted no this time.)

I am still surprised by the mental space that has created and, somehow, I am surprised to discover that that space has allowed me to think clearly and think further into the future.

Now the question becomes – how do I help myself continue this approach?

*I feel a bit weird about saying all of this in the context of having struggled with whiplash for months without realizing it but even in the midst of the challenges I was facing there, I was still trying to go easy on myself. It kind of feels like a contradiction but I don’t really think it is.

** Katherine May has a great book called Wintering and Anne-Laure LeCunff has a quick and useful article about the practice, and Sheridan Voysey has a lovely reflection about it, too.

An image featuring a quote from Oscar Wilde presented against against a dark background with branches of lights reaching up from the bottom. The quote, which is in gold in the top part of the image reads "The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention. Do Good December from Action for Happiness
goals · habits · motivation

Do Good December from Action for Happiness

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

December’s calendar from Action for Happiness is all about small actions you can take to improve your own happiness levels while offering support and help to those around you.

And while many of us are inclined to be as generous with our time and money as we possibly can at this time of year, that inclination can also be overwhelming. So, it can be really helpful to have some ready-made suggestions available for when we need them. You can even add them to your Google Calendar.

Image description: The December 2025 Action for Happiness Calendar. Each day of the month lists a different December Kindness to try – a small action like “Look for something positive to say to everyone you speak to” or “Say hello to your neighbour and brighten up their day.” Each calendar block is either blue or green and the bottom of the calendar features cartoon images of some of the suggested activities including things like helping someone carry something upstairs, or picking up litter.

So, go ahead, try a few, try them all, or make up your own list of small ways to do good throughout December.

As a sidenote, I’ll be back with daily “Making Space 2025” posts starting on December 1 so you can use this calendar for prompts to be kind to others and my posts as prompts to be kind to yourself all month.

It may not be easy but it will be straightforward.

This video, entitled “Giving is a Gift” features Vanessa King from Action for Happiness. In this still image, she is sitting on the left hand side and the title of the video is in red on the right hand side. Ms. King has shoulder-length light brown hair, she is wearing a red jacket with a black shirt under it, and she has long earrings that are 3 stacked stars. She is smiling and looks happy. There is a narrow table with vases and other decorative items on it in the background.
ADHD · fitness · motivation · self care · walking

Update: Christine is ok with slow progress

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

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.

a drawing of a gold star with black trim surrounded by small black polka dots. Go Team 2025: Can you do me a favour, pretty please?
ADHD · fitness · habits · mindfulness · motivation · self care

Go Team 2025: Can you do me a favour, pretty please?

Christine Hennebury2 Comments

Hey Team!

I’m writing this on Monday, November 10 (a.k.a. My Birthday!) and I have been pondering* what to write to you about all day. 

I knew that I wanted to write my favourite kind of post (a Go Team! post, of course) but I wasn’t sure what to focus on. 

And then it struck me.

While I am generally comfortable asking for things I need, my ADHD can complicate the process of asking for some things that I want. I have trouble telling if I am asking for too much, if I am imposing, or if my request is annoying beyond measure.

Intellectually, I know that, as a fairly helpful, relatively reasonable person who will definitely go out of her way for people, I am probably not doing any of those things but my brain will still worry about inconveniencing people.

On my birthday, though, I give that part of my brain a break. Somehow, the fact that it is my birthday makes it a bit easier for me to ask for favours, for small indulgences, for things that would normally make me wonder if I am putting the other person through too much trouble.

And, even though it will be the day after my birthday by the time you read this, I am going to extend the brain break and ask you to do me a favour, to indulge me about something. 

Today, would you consider giving yourself a little break?

You know, as a birthday present to me.

That break might look like taking a little extra time to rest. 

Or it might look like changing the amount of time you spend exercising/meditating/colouring/chatting with a friend/lying on the floor so it fits your needs today. 

It might involve asking your brain to stop churning up the same few mean thoughts over and over. (Try telling it that Christine asked you to shelve that list for now.)

It might mean looking in the mirror and nodding (as in, ‘Yeah, I’m alright’) instead of being hard on yourself about something. 

It might mean recognizing, just for today, that slow progress is still progress.

It might mean considering the possibility that you can pick your own goals for fitness or wellness instead of being pushed around by the fitness industry.

It might mean choosing to say something kind to yourself. 

It might mean saying no to something that doesn’t work for you right now. 

It might mean choosing a fun workout, or a hard workout, or an easy workout without letting your brain try to tell you what you *should* (shudder) do instead.

Basically, I’d love to see you give yourself a bit of time away from any habit or behaviour or thought process that doesn’t help you be kinder to yourself AND/OR that makes it harder for you to head in the direction you want to go. 

You know the kind of thing I mean – the stuff that is often described as ‘self-discipline’ but is really just the kind of crappy stuff that a mean person would say to you or would give you grief about planning to do. 

Please, please, please, do me a birthday favour and take a break from that mean voice, that mean approach, that utterly unsupportive voice that keeps trying to boss you into an impossible place. 

And, Team, I know this isn’t going to be an easy thing to do so I am not only offering you a gold star for your efforts, I’m offering you a heart in my favourite colour so you can know that I am sending a little extra love to help you with the hard work of thinking about things a little differently today. 

Go Team Us!

a drawing of a gold star with black trim surrounded by small black polka dots.
Image description: a small drawing of a shiny gold star with black trim surrounded by small black polka dots. The card with the drawing on it is propped up against a black surface.
a drawing of a green heart with black trim surrounded by small black dots
Image description: a drawing of a green heart with black trim surrounded by small black dots. The drawing is propped up against a black surface

PS – If you want to have a nice snack (cake, maybe?) or take a good nap or read a fun book, I would also happily accept that as a birthday indulgence. 

*That word always makes me think of Pinky and the Brain. You know the – “Pinky, are you pondering what I’m pondering?” “I think so, Brain, but what if the chicken won’t wear the nylons?” – kind of thing. So, for your amusement, here’s a list of all of Pinky’s ponderings from the show. 

Some Spooky Exercises for Halloween 2025
fall · fitness · motivation

Some Spooky Exercises for Halloween 2025

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

Ok, so they aren’t all that spooky but I thought you might like to try one (or more!) of these themed workouts that I found recently.

You’re going to workout anyway so you might as well maximize your fun, right?

An ink drawing of a skeleton standing on a skateboard
Speaking of maximizing my fun, here’s a drawing of a skeleton on a skateboard that was part of a drawing challenge I’m doing this month.
In this still image from Kate Carmela’s YouTube short she has her arms outstretched and her feet apart while standing on a blue mat. There are some pumpkins, a lantern, and a replica of the ‘Audrey’ plant from Little Shop of Horrors in the background. The instructor is wearing all black, and has black hair that is partially pinned up in buns on the back of her head and she is smiling. Her shirt says ‘If you’ve got it, haunt it’ and her pants are deliberately ripped and shredded from just above her knee down to her ankle. In the upper left is text reading ’60s Dracula Step Out.’
In the still image from “get spooked with this Halloween dance workout“ from Kate Carmella the instructor is standing in the centre wearing black workout clothes and pretending to be scared. The background is purple with orange highlights down at the bottom. There are a variety of plants within the orange highlights kind of casting shadows on the back wall, there are bats and clouds up at the top and there’s an image of a ghostly sort of mask in the upper right hand corner.
The still image for this Halloween/Samhain yoga class for all levels by Nourished Natasha is divided in two parts. The right hand side has an orange background and black sections with the title of the video in white. The left-hand side shows the instructor back on in a black halter top and dark red leggings. She’s leaning to the right with her right hand on a block and her left hand in the air doing what seems to be an adaptation of triangle pose (there are several poses that look similar to this that I get mixed up.) in the background or a variety of esoteric Halloween props that reference tarot, fortunetelling and palmistry.
The still image for this Fun and Easy Beginner Level Chair Exercise video from OT Sara for Seniors features the instructor sitting on a chair in front of a fireplace in the daytime with some plants in the background on either side, a black cat decoration on the floor on her right and a stack of pumpkins decoration on the floor on her left. She is wearing cat ears and a top that seems to be leopard printed and black pants. She’s wearing a headset microphone and she has both of her arms up on the right hand side and I think she’s doing some sort of like cat paw motion with them.

This image from Phoenix Physical Therapy’s Instagram shows a list of activities to do in a circuit. The background is black. There are two green zombie arms reaching into the middle of the image, there were cobwebs in the upper corners and text at the top says Halloween Survival Workout. the list of activities are as follows: Zombies run! 30 seconds fast feet, flying bats – better duck 15 squats, hold very still – 30 second plank, zombies again- 30 seconds fast feet, jump over the graves -10 tuck jumps, stay low to the ground – 10 push-ups, try to sneak by – 10 walking lunges. Oh no here it goes again repeat three times.

Go Team 2025: Notice Your Victories
advice · fitness · habits · motivation · self care

Go Team 2025: Notice Your Victories

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

Hey Team,

While I understand that influencers and content creators and marketing people are always looking for something to hook their current campaign on, I find the hype to ‘make the most’ of the rest of 2025 to be both tiresome and tiring.

And judging by these posts, I’m sure that Sam and Catherine feel much the same way.

I’m not tell you how to feel though! If you find yourself fired up and inspired by making the most of the rest of the year – please forge ahead.

However, if you find yourself greeting the whole ‘become unrecognizable’, ‘fall reset’, ‘maximize’ approach with a weary sigh, then I invite you to take a few minutes to consider this:

We all have plans, goals, hopes, and ideas for different time frames in our lives.

Some of them work out well, some we need to adjust, and some we abandon – consciously or by default.

All of those things are perfectly normal, human things to do – they are all part of the greater contexts of our lives and, over time, some of them will matter to us more than others. And that’s totally ok.

But, while our brains tend to default to noticing what we failed to accomplish* and to keep us focused on doing more and doing better – we can also consciously choose to notice what went well, what we have already done, what worked.

We can choose to notice our victories – planned, unplanned, large, and small.

I happen to think that this is a GREAT time of year** to reflect on the things that went right so far in 2025 – the activities and events we enjoyed, the things we accomplished, the stuff we learned – and celebrate them.

And, if we feel like it, we can try to add more of those fun, victorious things into the months ahead.

It’s totally ok to add other unrelated goals, of course, that’s up to you. Just don’t think that you MUST add stuff or that you have to always be pushing yourself to go bigger and get better at everything all the time.

Oh, and while I’m at it – Don’t forget that the whole ‘end of the year’ time frame is actually pretty arbitrary – especially for personal goals – and you can start and finish things at any time that suits you.

So, Team, today and always, I invite you to notice and celebrate your victories, to go easy on yourself for the things that didn’t work out, and to be gentle and kind to yourself throughout the whole process.

Here’s your gold star for your efforts.

Go Team Us!

A drawing of a gold star against a background of spirals drawn in black ink.
Image description: a small drawing of a gold star against a background of closed spirals drawn in black ink. The star and the drawing are both framed in black. The drawing is propped upright against a green surface on a white desk.

*While we’re at it, let’s practice going easy on ourselves about all of this stuff. I’m not suggesting that we must only do easy things and I am definitely not suggesting that we avoid challenges- doing hard things, learning, and challenging ourselves helps us to shape our lives in satisfying ways – but we don’t have to be mean to ourselves about things that don’t turn out well. That meanness feels useful, it feels like being realistic and self-disciplined, but if treating ourselves that way created good results, we’d all be superheroes by now.

**Spoiler: It’s ALWAYS a good time to notice and celebrate the good things and plan for more of them!

Go Team 2025: Reminder – You Are The Boss Of You
ADHD · fitness · goals · habits · health · motivation · rest · self care

Go Team 2025: Reminder – You Are The Boss Of You

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

Hey Team!

I know, I have probably already reminded you about this before.

And you probably already know that you are the boss of you.

But…

But…

If you are anything like me, there is a big difference in understanding it in theory and actually practicing it.

So let’s review it together…

You get to decide what’s important to your well-being.

You get to decide how to take good care of yourself.

You get to decide how you want to move, what you want to eat, whether you want to set goals, if you want to journal, whether meditation is right for you…

YOU are the BOSS of your life and you don’t have to do what’s trendy, you don’t have to be a certain size, eat a certain way, or take up any exercise or wellness practice that you don’t want to.

Sure, we all have different needs, different pressures, different capacities, different obligations, and different abilities and those things are going to factor into our decisions but one thing we can all be sure of is that we don’t need to do ANYTHING just because someone else thinks we should.

We don’t have to do any resets, any boot camps, any ‘disappear for 30 days and become unrecognizable’ *programs that people are peddling left right and centre.

You can do any and all of those things if you want to but if you don’t want to do them then you don’t have to.

Why?

Because YOU are the BOSS of YOU and your plan is your business.

So, Team, please join me in ignoring the very notion of a ‘should’ and let’s really get in to being the boss of ourselves.

It’s hard work but we can do it.

And here’s a gold star for our efforts!

Go Team Us!

A drawing of a gold star against a background of purple with red spots
A drawing of a gold star with concentric gold stars within it (is concentric just for circles? I have basically drawn smaller and smaller stars within one another.) The background is purple with red dots and is framed with black lines.

PS – Right now (9:40PM on Monday night) boss is telling me it’s time to get ready for bed. You know, I think it’s a good idea to listen to her – she seems to know me pretty well.

*I know they are speaking metaphorically but, yet, every time I see one of those ads, I think, “I don’t want to disappear for one day, let alone thirty. And being unrecognizable just seems weird.”

a photo of a bedroom window in the early morning with sunlight coming in. Reflective Fitness Journaling (Again)
fitness · habits · health · mindfulness · motivation

Reflective Fitness Journaling (Again)

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

In 2023-2024, I wrote in a fitness journal almost every Monday.

About 80% of the time it worked the way I wanted it to – actually reflective, kind of inspiring, a decent record of my process/progress.

The other 20% of the time it was a screencap of the info from my fitness app. That was less inspiring (less interesting!) but it kept the habit in place.

Sometime in early 2025, despite my best intentions I stopped entirely.

I’m sure that was partially because of my injury but it was also because it felt like I was journaling for its own sake rather than for any actual benefit.

I was essentially keeping the habit in place but for no real reason so it’s no wonder the practice just kind of dropped off my to do list.

For the record, I’m not being hard on myself about this – I’m just noting what happened and I don’t feel bad about it at all.

BUT

I think it’s time to get back into the practice of reflecting on my fitness – what I did, how I felt, how I want to feel and what activities might help me to feel that way- and obviously a journal is the direct route to that kind of thinking.

I’m probably going to do some combination of a digital journal (so I can think aloud with voice dictation) and and paper journal that has lots of room for me to write, draw, and collage.

I’ve revisited my earlier posts and developed a series of questions to use as a guideline and I (once again) plan to review my previous entry when starting a new one (extra reflection? why not?)

AND since journaling often leads me to solutions I haven’t thought about before but I promptly forget them once I close my journal – I am going to keep some index cards nearby to pull workable ideas out of my journal pages to keep for easy reference.

My plan right now is to do some fitness journaling 3x per week (I think writing once per week was part of the problem before – too much to say in one entry so it became a chore) for 3 weeks and see how it feels.

And, of course, I will probably make adjustments as I go.

Do you journal about your fitness practices? Do you find it helpful? Do you have any advice to offer?

Go Team 2025: Think In Seasons
ADHD · fitness · goals · habits · motivation · rest · self care

Go Team 2025: Think In Seasons

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

Hey Team,

Here I am with my latest reminder for us to be kinder to ourselves.

…wait, can I shorten that to ‘my latest re-kinder’? Probably not. That would probably work better aloud.

ANYWAY!

I remember reading a blog post or article years ago (I have not been able to find it since!*) in which the writer described her conversation with another Mom at the playground. They were discussing the challenges of getting supper on the table when you have small kids and the writer was feeling guilty about the easy meals she was serving. The other Mom explained that she generally served (carefully chosen) pre-prepared meals or meals that could be created from pre-prepared elements and things she could quickly put together (a supermarket-cooked chicken paired with a salad, for example) because she had decided that she wasn’t in a elaborate cooking season in her life right now.

That framing of the seasons of her life really stuck with me.

She had found the best solution she could for the realities of this part of her life and had decided to let go of any guilt or weirdness about it.

She was fully aware that things could (and would) change later and that she could/would re-evaluate things at that point.

And I think that framing works just as well for fitness and well-being as it does for meal planning.**

Maybe you are in a season of your life when you can really focus on intense exercise towards a specific goal. That’s great but please don’t get tied up in knots about other things that *don’t* fit into this season – perhaps your season for yin yoga will come later.

Maybe you are in a season where gentle stretching is the only thing you have the capacity for – you can relax into those stretches without feeling like you *should* (ugh! that word!) be doing something else. (Yes, it is hard to let go of that feeling but practice will help.)

Maybe your family commitments limit your time-flexibility right now so you have to do short bursts of exercise when a bit of time opens up, or perhaps you can only meditate for 2 mins in the car before going into your office – those practices still help.

Maybe you can’t sit to write in your journal these days but you can make some voice memos on your phone while you fold your laundry – you’re still getting your thoughts out of your head and giving your brain a break.

Maybe the literal seasons are shaping this season of your life. If it is too cold or too hot to follow the plan you would like to follow, there is probably another way to get the feeling you are looking for without compromising your health and safety.

The point here is that life is complicated enough without giving ourselves extra things to feel bad about.

If you find yourself feeling bad about what you’re doing or not doing for your own well-being right now, it might be a good idea to figure out what season your life is in at the moment and adjust your expectations accordingly.

I know it isn’t easy – it’s not like you can flick a switch to the acceptance setting – but identifying this season of your life could make things a lot easier on your brain.

(This framing really helps my ADHD brain step away from the all-or-nothing default that I get stuck in. I’m not claiming that I always remember to consider life seasons but things are better when I do.)

So, Team, I invite you to give this seasons thing a whirl and take your self-kindness up a notch. Let’s find the kindest, gentlest description of your current season and adjust your expectations and your self-talk accordingly.

You can totally do it. I believe in you. 💚

And here, as always, is your gold star for your efforts to name your season and to be kind to yourself about it.

May you find ease.

Go Team Us!

A photo of a small drawing of a gold star propped up against a green backdrop.
Sometimes I forget how relaxing it can be to draw some patterns. I highly recommend it for my future self and for you. Image description: a small drawing of a gold star against a background of a series of concentric circles in which each set of circles overlap the other sets. The star has thin black lines running vertically that create a striped effect and the stripes alternate in colour between yellow and gold.

*I really dislike referencing something and not being able to give the writer credit so if you know the article or post I am referring to, please let me know. Also, just to be transparent, I may be referring to a small part of a longer piece and/or I may have lost the details or other points to the mists of time.

**Have I written about this before? Almost certainly. But if I go hunting for the old post then I will get distracted from this one so I am working from the assumption that if I need a reminder of this framing from time to time then other people probably do, too.

fitness · goals · motivation · trackers

Sam hits 225 in 2025, now what next?: Opting for reasonable goals over big,  stretch goals

Sam BLeave a comment

Like many of the Fit is a Feminist Issue bloggers I track my workouts in a Facebook group called 225 workouts in 2025! (Fit Feminist edition). There’s also the original group, 225 Workouts in 2025.

And this week, I hit the group goal for the year. Yay!

Each year if I hit the group goal early, I set a new goal for the year. Back when I was doing lots of very deliberate knee physio, that goal was 400. But these days physio has lightened up. Last year I didn’t make the 400 goal.

Let’s do some math.

There are 156 remaining days in 2025 and to make it to 400, I’d need to work out 175 more times. To put it differently, I’d have not to miss a day and work out twice on 19 days. That is not going to happen. Given the university fall and the Christmas holidays, I’d say nope.

text on chalkboard
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

How about 350? That’s 125 more workouts over 156 days. That seems more doable.

350 it is then.

These days I’m all about reasonable, achievable goals.

See Sam is thinking about setting goals and being reasonable.

Here’s Alison’s post that inspired me in her reasonable ways, Once More Round the Sun: on resetting year-end goals, motivation, and delight.

inspiring achieve text on pink background
Photo by Ann H on Pexels.com

How about you? Are you motivated by big stretch goals or more modest reasonable goals?

stretching white cat
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